by Veronica Losh

Created on: March 24, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

If you think your baby is falling behind in speech, talk to your pediatrician. If he or she was born more than a couple of weeks before your due date, there may be a slight delay in development, but most babies catch up by one year. If your baby suffered a serious illness in the first few months, this can also cause delays, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

Speech development problems in babies and toddlers often come from unnecessary pressure from adults to speak early. Parents think that if they speak to their children in highly intellectual terms, and require the same from the children, that they are helping them sound smarter and more educated. Unfortunately, this practice may have the opposite effect.

Talking to babies is very good for them and their language development, especially when it is on their level. When your baby babbles, babble back. If you say something in a high-pitched voice, and the baby smiles or giggles, make a note of their response and talk to them that way often. Babies will let you know when they feel overwhelmed or stressed by what you are doing or saying. They will turn away, lose eye contact, or even sneeze or hiccup when they have had enough.

Reading to babies is a great way to develop their speech. Picture books with bright or contrasting colors are best. Many parents purchase dozens of books and insist on reading a different book every day. This is a mistake, as repetition fosters speech development as well as other cognitive skills. Choose about three books and read them to your baby for several weeks. You should only add about one book per month for a child under one year, and gradually increase to a new book every week by eighteen months. Any more than that is "information overload."

Rest assured, most children are caught up with their peers in speech and other development by the time they go to kindergarten, so don't worry about what everyone else is doing at their specific age-just have fun and spend a lot of time interacting with your child, and you will both reap the benefits!

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