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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Toodler talks too much

34 replies

mezzer · 25/01/2008 19:04

Recently, my dd (just turned two) won't stop talking. In the last few weeks, the language flood-gates seem to have opened. Part of me is thrilled to see her language developing and hear what she thinks about the world. The other part of me may end up in the looney bin. At night, it takes HOURS to get her to fall asleep because she just won't stop talking. I've always laid down with her until she falls asleep (that's for another thread!) so I don't know what to do to get her to be quiet and go to sleep. Should I ignore her string of questions and observations? Any other tricks?

It's mostly an issue about sleeping but sometimes I just want 5 minutes of silence during the day. Am I being unrealistic?

OP posts:

eidsvold · 28/01/2008 03:02

this is how she learns and figures out the world around her.

Last week we had to phone dad at work for dd2 (3) cause she wanted to know what 'gordons' eat? We finally worked out gordon was the name dh had given to the gekko that lives on our kitchen window.

It takes some getting used to - even more so as our eldest child has sn and has only now at 5 1/2 started asking questions and why? SO it is like having twins!!!

scully · 28/01/2008 07:52

ha ha, we have 2 dd's and they could both talk underwater
dd2 has just turned 2 and the language floodgates have also just opened. We live in Brisbane and have annual passes to Australia Zoo (think Steve Irwin). We have been there quite a bit during the summer school holidays here so her latest words are crikey mate, snappy, snake and bindi
But given how much her 5.5yr old sister can talk, we're a little nervous, but not surprised at her constant chatter since her 2nd b'day last month.
At least it's not arguing and backchat though, I am enjoying the innocence of it all, compared to dd1 at times

yurt1 · 28/01/2008 08:00

needmorecoffee you sound like my Mum & one of my best friends. If I ever moan about ds3 to either my Mum or my friend they both say 'well you'd be bloody moaning if he wasn't talking' & they are right. And it is much, much harder to have a completely non-verbal child. Does your dd have a way of expressing yes and no - that makes a huge difference (ds1 doesn't- we keep trying but he really doesn't understand the concept of yes & no - I think he'll get there eventually and suspect it will make life easier)

needmorecoffee · 28/01/2008 08:10

dd can express 'yes'
My older 3 were all chatterboxes (they were all born within 3 years) and yup, I told them to shut up and complained. So now I feel like I'm being punished by dd being born with cerebral palsy. Everything I complained about - carrying a toddler, pushing a wheeled device, feeding mush and changing nappies - I'm having to do for ever and ever and ever now.
Not logical probably.

yurt1 · 28/01/2008 08:35

oh it's the 'forever' feeling that's the most exhausting I think. Certainly the one I find hardest.

How does she express yes? (sorry for questions we're working on this at the moment). DS1 can express 'no' as in pushing away something he doesn't want but can't answer yes no questions iyswim so doesn't really have the concept. We're trying to teach him by showing him pictures we know he has the vocab for then saying 'is this a dog' (when its a tractor or something) then prompting him to touch yes or no written on a piece of paper. We've been going with this one on and off for a year though and we're not getting very far Weird as he's so switched on in so many ways. Must be something cognitive. Or one of those odd gaps they get through not being able to take part in conversations (amazing how much is learned by being part of those).

needmorecoffee · 28/01/2008 08:40

dd can't do 'no'. But then, in 4 years, no-one has ever said NO to her as she can't do anything physically to warrant a no. Hence she hasn't learnt it.
dd first (when she was 2) made a mouth shape when she wanted something. We called it her 'yes-mouth'. In the last year I encouraged her to make a sound for yes. Showed her how to make an 'ah' sound and every time she did a 'yes' mouth in answer to a question I asked her to 'say' yes. It takes whole minutes of straining before a sound pops out then we praise her and do the thing.
A few weeks back we got yes and no cards from the SALT and we're just doing the yes one. Getting her to look at it as well as make the sound. I'm sure she's rolling her eyes but then other poeple will understand her and she'll learn to use symbols.
Still can't figure out how to teach her no.

Othersideofthechannel · 28/01/2008 08:41

Not at all logical. Of course there is no link. So sorry you feel this way.

(Although I can see that I would probably think this way if I was in your situation as I have a tendency to feel guilty when I complain about any aspect of DCs which could also be endearing in short bursts but is SOO frustrating because it is continual.)

To the others on this thread, I suspect I was rather like your DCs as a child. I used to get a sweet in the car if I could be quiet between two roundabouts on the journey to grandparents (in defence of my parents there were fewer roundabouts in the 70s)

My mum encouraged me to write stories as soon as I could. I presented her with exercise books full of them which she 'read' in her own time. Sadly she is no longer around for me to know whether she actually read them.....

I don't talk all the time anymore.

yurt1 · 28/01/2008 08:47

Yes-that's a problem isn't it (other people understanding- god so many people need it s p e l t out to them ) We find that too.

If you know she has mastered vocab you could do it the way we do perhaps- does she have enough vision to look at pics and then yes/no cards as well? Are you getting access to any sort of AAC device- there are so many out there now that surely there must be something that would help her? The inclusive technology catalogue is AAC porn! Maybe worth finding one you like the look of then applying to a grant body for funding (apparently local rotary clubs are always on the look out for things to fund). Of course you should get in on the NHS- but surprise surprise it depends where you live (ds1 can't access anything like that & I don't want to apply for charity funding for one without trying it first in case he just goes all stimmy over it).

yurt1 · 28/01/2008 08:49

Oh nmc- the logical thing- I feel like someone was laughing at us the whole of ds1's first year because we were all so happy. I look at photos of that time (and there are many; he was a PFB!) and feel like a complete idiot. Not logical either. Just goes with the territory (and perhaps indicates some embarrassment with your previous self iyswim- think it does in my case)

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