5 Language Mistakes You Make With Your Baby
Even those of us with the best intentions sometimes do the wrong thing when talking to Baby. These are the most common missteps.

1. You talk too much.
I recently spent time with my friend and her toddler son at the park, where she never stopped speaking to her child. "Tree! This is a tree! Trees have leaves! Look at the leaves! They are green! Look at the squirrel! Squirrels eat nuts! We eat nuts too! Nuts are crunchy!" She seemed to be trying to squeeze those 30,000 words a day into a single hour. By the time we left the park her son had barely spoken a word. Her mistake is one that well-meaning parents often make, but with a few subtle changes in her approach, she and her son will be on their way to a lifetime of good conversation together.

2. You talk at your baby.
Most people are not great listeners. In fact, researchers have found that many parents miss their kids' first words! It's easy to do when those words are often mispronunciations. By pausing to listen to your baby's babbles, you may actually pick up on the fact that "ba" means "bottle."

3. You try to force the words.
This is what not to do:
Baby (reaching for the ball): "Uhh."
Parent (holding the ball out of her reach): "Say 'ball.'?"
Baby (getting frustrated): "Uhh."
Parent (still holding the ball out of baby's reach): "If you want the ball, say 'ball.'?"
Baby: "Waaaah!"

4. You fix your child's speech
Have you ever talked to a know-it-all friend and been corrected mid-sentence? It completely takes the wind out of your sails and makes you feel like not saying anything at all. That's the last thing you want for your child. So if she uses a word the wrong way, simply say it the right way when you respond to her.

5. You use baby talk.
Your job is to model correct speech, and baby talk can be misguiding. Keep in mind that baby talk is not Motherese. If a child says, "I want my milkey!" a parent speaking baby talk would say, "Here is your milkey!" A parent using Motherese, on the other hand, would say, "You want your milk."