At what age can kids do a 'th' sound. And when do pot bellies flatten?

[imaginaryfriend]

Dd's nearly 4 and I'm always wondering about various things to expect. At the moment she uses 'f' or 'v' to replace 'th' sounds although she can do a 'th' sound if I ask her to. When do these transitions happen and should one help or just sit back and let it happen.

and the lovely little pot bellies, dd's gorgeous round tum, when's that going to flatten out?

Dd's 5 and still sometimes uses "f" (or usually a sort of "fththth") for "th" - she can't say "teeth" no matter how she tries, but she can say the "th" sound when she really concentrates. I'm not worried about it; she knows that the sound is "th" and I have every confidence that she will get it right eventually, once she finds it easier to say.

As for the pot-bellies, I can't help you because, sadly, dd never, ever had one.

th at the end of a word comes before th at the beginning as does sh etc.
Not sure what age.I know they revert back to f around 12!!!!

SE London so lots of 'nuffink' and 'aww ... fanks' around us Funnily enough dd tends to use a 'v' as much as a 'f' sound. She'll say vat or vhe for that or the.

DS2 still does this (just 5). DS1 was still doing it at 7, so I did some practice with him and he is sorted now. I think these are 2 of the latest sounds to come, and, though some children have them by 4 or 5, they sometimes don't fall into place until 7 or 8.

and tummies?

Dd had turned 5 before she could say th and we are East London/Essex borders so I have to remind her to pronounce th even though pals may say v of f. She is 6 next month and still has a pot belly though but I think it will go this year.

dd who is almost 5 lost her round belly at about 3. she's v skinny and always has been tho

My DS1 (4.1) still says f instead of th. Think it is quite common. Dont know when it changes though. I live in SE London too imaginaryfriend so maybe our little ones will always speak like this!

Not sure when tummies flatten out but they are round because children's livers and abdominal organs are bigger relative to body size than adults. So I guess you'll have to wait a while for the rest of her body to catch up!

edam, how interesting I didn't know that. My ds2's tummy is humungus! Actually looks quite abnormal - he had an xray aged 2 because of constipation problems, and I convinced myself there was a tumour the size of a grapefruit in there. He's 5 now and it's still outrageously big, very noticeable at swimming lessons etc. Arms and legs like twigs. I think he's quite pigeon chested too, bless him.

Fabulous replies, thanks.

ss!

edam I didn't know that either. I thought it was something to do with their not having proper muscle tone anywhere but particularly in the tummy muscles, thus the tummy looks reasonably flat first thing in the morning but after breakfast it's gone almost impossibly round.

scotchick, my dd's a bit like your ds - very thin arms and legs, virtually not bottom or hips then this big 7-months pregnant-looking belly!

naswm, where abouts in SE London are you? (if you don't mind my asking)

Lewisham Borough imagineryfriend - you?

My dd2 is 3 1/2 and has a huge belly which to be honest really does concern me & dh. She also has a very big appetite and easily eats more than her nearly 7 year old sister. During the day she constantly says she's hungary but I will only give her fruit snacks inbetween meals. I am thinking of taking her to the docs to get her checked out!

Re pot bellies - I read somewhere that it's only in the Western world that tummies flatten - ie it's down to peer pressure to suck tummies in! If you look at pictures of poeple in some countries eg Amazon Indians, often the adults have rounded bellies too. Guess they dont worry too much about the abdominiser or 200 crunches before breakfast there.

Th - dd aged 5 has just realised she can say it, but only uses it when saying "the". I've caught her practising, she opens her mouth wide to show her teeth with her tongue behind, and goes "the the the" like a shakespearean actor getting ready to go on stage. Shame she says "ve" the rest of the time!

I'm Southwark naswm, but we frequently pop to Lewisham shopping centre for the Clarks kids shop and the cheapy clothes shops!

DS is 4.1 and doesn't say 'th' sound.

He says "anuzzer" for 'another', or "de" for 'the' and if the th is at the beginning of a word he'd use f, eg thistle would be 'fistle'.

so he has quite a repertoire

he hasn't got a pot though, he's a skinny little thing!

cant believe we are so close imaginarfriedn!!

Yes, naswm, we may have passed in the street some time!

I know 6 year olds how can't do a "th" and 3 year olds who can.