Baby Talk: The Do's and Don'ts of Using Baby Talk With Toddlers
Is it okay if I use baby talk with my toddler?
We’ve all heard someone speak it. You might have heard it called “baby talk” or maybe “motherese” or “parentese.” Your friend talks to her child using a baby voice, and your neighbor’s voice hits a high pitch when he talks to his dog. But you might be wondering, does baby talk help my child learn to talk?
The short answer is, yes. But there are some particular types of baby talk you want to avoid!
What is baby talk?
“Baby talk” is a general term that applies to the way that adults change the way they talk when talking to young children. There is no set way to do “baby talk” and it can have many characteristics. It might include a difference in word choice (like “num-num” for food, “potty” for bathroom). It might be a change in the letter sounds to make it sound more like the way a young child speaks (like “wittle” for little or “way-sin” for raisin). Often when using “baby talk”, adults will alter the grammar to be incorrect as if they are copying the way a child speaks (“is you hungry?” are you hungry? “Look, kitty eat dinner” look, the kitty is eating his dinner). Finally, sometimes adults will make their voices a higher pitch than normal.
The biggest way you can tell if a speech pattern used with a child can be called “baby talk” is if it is different than the way the person speaks to other adults.
Does my child understand me better if I use baby talk?
It depends on what your baby talk sounds like. If your baby talk includes lots of changes to sounds and grammar, it might actually be harder for your child to understand you. In some extreme cases, we've seen wide use of poor baby talk actually teach children incorrect ways of talking. However, across cultures people use different forms of baby talk to successfully engage children in interactions.
When children are engaged in what you are saying, they are more likely to learn from you and learn to talk better. Certain characteristics of baby talk can be helpful. The chart below summarizes the Do’s and Don’ts of baby talk based on research for language development and the experience of speech pathologists.
The Do's and Don'ts of Baby Talk
Word Choice
Do
It is okay use baby versions of real words, such as “night-night,” “potty,” or “sippy”, especially if you would be comfortable saying these words to a familiar adult.
You can use versions of words that end in the “y” sound, like “kitty,” “doggy,” “cuppy,” or “paci.”
Don't
Don’t use a sound effect instead of a real word (such as calling a train a “choo choo” or calling a cat a “meow.”) Instead, use the real name for these objects and add the sounds effects when you are playing (Meow! The kitty is hungry! Meow!)
Changing the Sounds
Do
Use the regular adult versions of all letter sounds.
Don't
Don’t substitute “w” for L and R (“wittle” little) unless that is the way you speak normally. Children understand you better if you use the correct sound, plus you won’t accidentally teach them the wrong way to say something.
Changing the Grammar
Do
Use all regular grammar sounds and words (like the -ing in jumping or the -s in words like runs.)
It is okay to use short grammatical sentences. If you use a phrase, say a longer grammatical sentence afterwards (Tired. He is tired!)
Use all pronouns, such as I/me, you, he/him, she/her, we/us, and they/them. If your child doesn’t know who you are talking about, you can use both (That’s MY brush, MAMA’S brush)
Don't
Don’t leave off the ending of words (“The cat eat” The cat eats; “Sister play” Sister played) unless that is the way you speak normally.
Don’t leave out important grammar words that you would normally say (“Daddy hungry”Daddy is hungry; “Put ball basket” Put the ball in the basket.)
Don’t use “is” instead of am or are (“You is my baby”, “I is your grandma”) unless this is the way you normally speak.
Don’t speak about yourself and your child in the third person (“Grandma loves Malakai.”)
Voice
Do
It is okay to raise the pitch of your voice when talking to children.
It is okay to make your voice more “sing-song” when talking to children.
Don't
Don’t change the volume of your voice when speaking to children, such as making it excessively loud or quiet.
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Written By:
Stephanie Burgener-Vader, MA, CCC-SLP
© 2020-2023. Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP. All Rights Reserved.The content offered on ToddlerTalk.com is for informational purposes only. Toddler Talk is not engaged in rendering professional advice, whether medical or otherwise, to individual users or their children or families. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor, speech language pathologist, or other health professional. By accessing the content on ToddlerTalk.com, you acknowledge and agree that you are accepting the responsibility for your child’s health and well-being. In return for providing you with information related to home speech and language practice, you waive any claims that you or your child may have as a result of utilizing the content on ToddlerTalk.com.