Your 13-month-old (week 3): Can we talk?
Whether your toddler is constantly repeating his favorite words or having trouble getting out anything you can understand, he's eager to communicate with you at this age. If he has a limited vocabulary, he'll express his desires through the few words he knows, along with sounds, babbling, mimicking, and body gestures (notice how the rhythm of his hand gestures matches his attempts to speak). Avoid the temptation to use baby talk around him: You'll help him build a good vocabulary by using the correct words from the start. Researchers do, however, recommend talking to your toddler in a singsong pattern of high- and low-pitched sounds to help promote his natural tendency to copy the melody of language. And don't be surprised if your child has more meltdowns than before; he's just frustrated by his inability to get his point across.
