language and book expectations

FrankieandTyler · February 2012

i was reading in this book entitled "super baby" by a woman whose name escapes me right now. she talks about the amount of words babies should hear directed toward them every day. getting to the point: she says that the amount of words would equal reading 'the cat and the hat' something like 18 times per day.

does anyone come close to this?

he's always loved books, but now it's getting really hard! he just wants to chew them, rip at the paper, and it's a battle to even change the page!

to counter balance this, i narrate a lot of the things we do every day, sing a lot of songs, and generally talk to him. we don't have 'the cat and the hat' yet, so i'm not sure how many words this is.

do you worry about this, or is it just me?

Mason&Mama · February 2012

I try to talk to LO as much as I can. However, I feel like I am just saying the same things over and over again. I know repitition is good, but I wonder what how I am affecting his language development by

A) repeatedly telling him that he has stinky feet

repeatedly calling him Chunky Monkey, Bugaboo, StinkButt, etc instead of his name.

C) repeatedly cursing out the naughty cat in front of him

D) repeatedly telling him, "just a minute", "mama's coming", "I'll be right there"

But in all seriousness, I think that as long as you make an effort to talk to your baby and read to your baby, their language will develop just fine. I wouldn't worry about exact numbers of words you are exposing them to. Just keep up what you are doing. Sounds like you are doing a geat job.

MilMom2B · February 2012

Shoot I'm constantly talking out loud to her. Around the house I tell her what I'm doing as we do chores, I sing her songs, I hold little conversations with her. When we're shopping people probably think I'm a total loon because I ask Scarlett what's next on the list, which aisle we need, if these bananas are good enough, etc etc.

As far as reading goes I sit in the chair in her room while she plays on the floor and that's how I read paper paged books to her. For board books I'll give her one to hold while I read a different one.

SweetPea72011 · February 2012

I totally worry about this....being a former teacher at a Title 1 school I have seen the affects of poor language/vocabulary development and it freaks me out! I just know how beneficial talking, reading to LO's is so I always feel like I am not doing enough. But just like Mason's Mama said I think as long as you pay attention and talk to LO during the day then you/we are doing our best!!! I think at the end of the day we probably do/say more then we think!!!

Manda422 · February 2012

I worry about this everyday! I just try to read to him a few times a day. I am always talking to him. He's the only person I have to talk to all day. I still feel silly about it but he enjoys it.

I think just being aware of it and even worrying about it shows that you are probably doing a great job meeting his needs!

swimiz500 · February 2012

I talk to DD constantly, but that is probably mostly because it is just the two of us at home all day, and it would be awfully quiet if I didn't talk to her! Sometimes it will be about our day or what I am doing or something, but sometimes I seriously just chit-chat with her because I really think if I didn't have someone to talk to, I'd lose my mind!

starz57182 · February 2012

MilMom2B:
Shoot I'm constantly talking out loud to her. Around the house I tell her what I'm doing as we do chores, I sing her songs, I hold little conversations with her. When we're shopping people probably think I'm a total loon because I ask Scarlett what's next on the list, which aisle we need, if these bananas are good enough, etc etc.
As far as reading goes I sit in the chair in her room while she plays on the floor and that's how I read paper paged books to her. For board books I'll give her one to hold while I read a different one.

This is a great idea and I'm going to steal it. My baby seems to love books. She loves them so much she wants to smack them, turn the pages, try to eat them, etc, and it makes it nearly impossible to actually read to her without losing all my patience.

And no, OP. I totally don't worry about it. I talk to my kid all day long, whether she likes it or not

If I'm out with a friend, she's there with me and though we aren't always talking directly to her, we are constantly talking right by her and I know she hears it. And she's never ignored, my friend and I both definitely talk to her here and there.

I wouldn't worry about it. As long as a kid isn't being straight up ignored all day long, I think they will likely be fine. Reading and talking to them is a plus though, and I'm sure it helps, but I don't think there needs to be a minimum to try and meet. Just talk to them when you can, and read to them when you can, and you'll all be fine!

starz57182 · February 2012

swimiz500:
I talk to DD constantly, but that is probably mostly because it is just the two of us at home all day, and it would be awfully quiet if I didn't talk to her! Sometimes it will be about our day or what I am doing or something, but sometimes I seriously just chit-chat with her because I really think if I didn't have someone to talk to, I'd lose my mind!

Also, all of this

hecallsmecat · February 2012

Read "Brain Rules for Baby" by John Medina. Reading to LO's is good, but talking to them is the most important things. I know the number of words they are supposed to be hearing sounds intimidating, but it's the equivalent to moderate conversation so I think we are all doing just fine. I narrate a lot of what I am doing to Saoirse. Just last night I taught her how to make meatballs, not that she'll ever remember that but it was what I was doing so I taold her about it. Most of the time I just talk to her like she understands because I figure eventually she will. I talk to her in publc too, like in the grocery store as pp said. People must think I'm insane!

MilMom2B · February 2012

By the way I call BS on the woman who stated that ... here's why ... (yes I'm a nerd for looking this up)

The word count in The Cat in the Hat (1629) times 18 = 29322

Then I did some research on the average number of words a person speaks in a 24 hour period. There are some differing opinions on this and I found 3 different studies done. The conclusion of them being that WOMEN speak anywhere from 8500 - 20,000 words a day.

So even if you're talking your maximum number of words a day you're still falling short by almost 10,000 words, and certainly those aren't all directed at LO.

Like most of the other PPs said, don't worry about it at all. Talk to your baby often, read to your baby as often as you can. But, don't beat yourself up over "falling short."

Your LO will be just fine because s/he has a loving and attentive mother!

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