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Beyond Babbling
Cultivating Toddler Conversation
By C.J. Johnson
Jeffrey Paulsen of Ogden, Utah, loves to chatter with his daughter. "My wife calls me the family walkie-talkie," he says. "My baby girl loves to talk with me so much she strikes up a conversation every single time I walk in the room. My wife has banned me from entering the kitchen during feeding time."
For Paulsen, the development of language in his daughter came naturally. "I always start by getting eye contact with my daughter and then making her favorite sound," he says. "Then I laugh and respond to her sounds, trying my best to mimic her to keep the conversation flowing." To keep it a playful time for both of them, he takes a break to tickle her belly and blow on her neck in between sentences.