Talking Toddlers

Epizódy

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  Stop Telling Your Toddler to Share --Teach This Instead. Ep 163 28.07.2026 32min

  Your toddler snatches a toy. The daycare flags it. Another mom clocks it at a playdate. And somewhere in the back of your mind, a question starts to form: is something wrong with him? Nothing is. He's just being asked to do something he isn't built for - yet. In this episode, I break down the real difference between turn-taking and sharing — two skills that get talked about like they're the same thing, but develop on completely different timelines. You'll learn: Why turn-taking can star...
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  You Already Do the Most Important Thing — You Just Don't Know Why Ep 162 21.07.2026 31min

  You've been narrating everything. Labeling. Reading. Filling the room with language. And nothing seems to be sticking. That's because your words only land when your child's attention and yours are on the same thing, in the same moment. It's called shared attention — and you're already doing it without knowing how much it matters. In this episode I unpack what shared attention actually looks like between 12 and 24 months, the difference between a request and a shared moment, the co...
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  Why Your Toddler Hits and Bites — It’s Not a Discipline Problem Ep 161 14.07.2026 38min

  Why does your toddler hit, bite, or throw things—even when you are trying to parent calmly and consistently? Toddler hitting and biting may look like a discipline problem, but for many young children, it begins as a communication gap. Your toddler is not necessarily choosing to be “bad.” He may be using his body because the language, regulation, and impulse-control skills that should replace the hitting have not developed yet. In this episode of Talking Toddlers, Erin Hyer, licensed speech-la...
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  Stop Chasing Words. Here's What Comes First. Ep 160 07.07.2026 29min

  Your toddler isn't talking yet — or at least not as much as you think he should be. And every piece of advice you've found tells you to do more or wait it out. Neither one is the answer. There's a sequence to how talking develops. It doesn't start with words — it ends with them. And if nobody's handed you that sequence, you're either frozen or doing everything at once with no idea what's actually moving the needle. In this episode, Erin walks you through the staircase that leads to talk...
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  He'll Talk When He's Ready — Why Waiting Isn't a Plan Ep 159 30.06.2026 41min

  Everyone keeps telling you not to worry. "He'll talk when he's ready." You smile, you nod — but somewhere underneath, your gut isn't buying it. Trust that. Because "ready" is the wrong word — and "wait and see" is not the gentle, neutral choice it pretends to be. After almost forty years with toddlers and the families raising them, Erin Hyer, speech language pathologist, takes on the second big myth worried parents are handed: that talking just shows up on its own, once a child decides ...
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  How to Help Your Late Talker — Without More Words Ep 158 16.06.2026 36min

  You talk to your toddler all day long. You narrate everything. And still — he's not talking, or not very much. So you do what everyone tells you: talk to him even more. After almost forty years with toddlers and the families raising them, here's what Erin Hyer, speech-language pathologist, can tell you: talking more isn't the fix. Language isn't built by the number of words you pour in during the day — it's built by the back-and-forth between you and your child. In this episode, E...
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  Why "No" Doesn't Work for Toddlers Under 3 — And What to Say Instead Ep 157 09.06.2026 50min

  If you've ever said "no" to your toddler and watched them do it anyway — you're not failing. You're just missing one piece of information that changes everything. The developing brain under three cannot reliably process negation. "Don't throw" registers as "throw." "No hitting" registers as "hit." And the more you escalate, the more you reinforce the exact behavior you're trying to stop. In this episode, Erin breaks down why throwing, hitting, and grabbing are not three separate problem...
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  Is My Child Really a Late Talker? Use This Checklist to Find Out Ep 156 03.06.2026 42min

  Is your child a late talker? Or is something else going on? After 40 years working with toddlers and their families, I can tell you that the term "late talker" gets thrown around so loosely — by pediatricians, educators, and early intervention teams — that most parents are left more confused than helped. In this episode I'm giving that term its definition back. We walk through a six-area CHECKLIST you can use today, in your own home, to get a clear and honest picture of where your child...
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  Is My Baby Behind? What Milestones Really Mean Ep 155 12.05.2026 27min

  Is my baby behind? Should she be crawling, walking, talking, or doing more by now? If you’ve ever found yourself Googling developmental milestones late at night, this episode will help you breathe, think clearly, and know what to watch. In this episode, Erin explains what milestones really are — not rigid deadlines, but guideposts that help parents notice progress, ask better questions, and support healthy development in everyday life. You’ll learn why progress matters more than the “perfect”...
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  The Problem Isn’t the Meltdown - It’s How You Respond Ep 154 05.05.2026 28min

  Your baby fusses in the car seat and your chest tightens. Your toddler falls apart when the block tower tumbles. Every instinct says — fix it, fast. But what if rushing in is quietly preventing the very thing you want to build? This week on Talking Toddlers, Erin pulls back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood pieces of early development: resilience. After nearly four decades in private practice, Erin has watched two patterns play out in mom after mom — the 'Rescuer' who soothes...
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  The Baby Gear Mistake Almost Every Parent Makes Ep 153 28.04.2026 39min

  Your baby didn't ask for a nursery full of gear. She asked for you. In this episode, Erin breaks down three of the most common baby products on the market — containers, weighted blankets, and white noise machines — and explains exactly why, after nearly 40 years of clinical practice, misusing them concerns her deeply. You'll learn: Why babies need movement, not containmentThe connection between floor time, gross motor development, and speech — and why it's more profound than most parents real...
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  The Hidden Skills Your Child Needs Before They Talk Ep 152 23.04.2026 29min

  If you’ve ever wondered, “Should my child be talking by now?” or "Is he talking enough?" -- this episode will give you clarity. Before children use words, they build the skills that make talking possible. In this episode, I walk you through the 7 stages of play in the first three years—and how each one helps your child learn to talk, listen, and engage. You’ll learn: What your child should be doing before words How play builds attention, understanding, and connection&nb...
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  Listening Is a Skill - Here’s How It Develops Ep 151 14.04.2026 44min

  "My toddler isn't listening." If you've said those words - or thought them - this episode is for you. In this episode of Talking Toddlers, speech-language pathologist Erin (with nearly 40 years in early intervention) unpacks one of the most misunderstood parts of toddler development: listening. Spoiler: it's not what you think. And it's probably not what your toddler is lacking. Erin breaks down why following directions is one of the most cognitively complex things we ask of young child...
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  Why Your Toddler’s Behavior Isn’t Really About Them Ep 150 07.04.2026 27min

  Have you ever reacted to your toddler… and then immediately wondered, “Why did I just do that?” In this episode, we look beneath the surface of toddler behavior and explore a truth that can feel both confronting and freeing: sometimes our reactions have less to do with our child - and more to do with our own history. I share how early patterns, survival strategies, and emotional wiring can quietly shape the way we parent. When we begin to notice the cycle - overwhelm, reaction, guilt, r...
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  Your Toddler’s Brain Is Built at Night (Most Parents Miss This) Ep 149 31.03.2026 1h 5min

  What if the most powerful thing you could do for your toddler's development happened while they were asleep? In this episode, licensed pediatric speech-language pathologist Erin Hyer breaks down the neuroscience of sleep in early childhood — and why it is the most underestimated factor in your child's brain development, language acquisition, and emotional health. Drawing on Dr. Matthew Walker's landmark research and nearly 40 years of clinical practice, Erin explains what is actually happenin...
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  5 Well-Meaning Habits That Delay Speech - And the Simple Fix (Part 2) Ep 148 24.03.2026 45min

  Last week I introduced the first two habits quietly getting in the way of your toddler's speech. This week we go deeper. In Part 2 I'm sharing Habits 3, 4, and 5 - and these are the ones that tend to stop parents cold. Not because they're complicated. But because nobody told them these things mattered. We start with the neuroscience - and I mean real neuroscience, the kind that completely changes how you see your child's developing brain. Your baby arrived in this world already wired fo...
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  5 Well-Meaning Habits That Delay Speech - And the Simple Fix (Part 1) Ep 147 17.03.2026 29min

  If you've ever watched your toddler at a playground - wanting to join in, but not quite knowing how - this episode is for you. After nearly 40 years as a speech-language pathologist, I've worked with hundreds of families whose children were bright, loved, and well cared for - and still not talking the way they should be. In most cases, it wasn't a diagnosis that was getting in the way. It was a handful of everyday habits. Common ones. Well-meaning ones. The kind that develop naturally in busy...
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  What Our Kids Lose When We Stop Eating Together - And How to Get It Back Ep 146 10.03.2026 45min

  What if one of the most powerful things you can do for your child's brain, language, and emotional development isn't a program, a therapy, or a curriculum — it's dinner? In this foundational episode, speech-language pathologist and child development expert Erin Hyer, unpacks the science behind what we lose when family mealtime disappears — and what our children's behavior, attention, and language are quietly telling us about it. After 40 years working with young children, Erin connects dots t...
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  The Most Overlooked Disruptor in Your Child’s Development (It’s in Almost Every Home) Ep 145 03.03.2026 1h 8min

  There's something running in the background of most homes with young children right now. Not something dramatic. Not something you'd even think to question. The TV. Just on. Nobody watching. Life happening around it. And after nearly four decades of clinical work with children and families — I can tell you that this one thing is quietly doing more damage to early development than most parents have ever been told. In this episode I walk you through five things the research tells us about backg...
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  Are We Making Toddlerhood Too Complicated? Ep 144 24.02.2026 25min

  Parents have never had more information about early childhood than they do today. We track sleep, research milestones, optimize toys, and fill our days with activities meant to help our toddlers thrive. And yet - many parents quietly wonder why their child still feels overwhelmed, dysregulated, or unsettled. In this episode, I explore a difficult but hopeful question: Have we made toddlerhood too complicated? Drawing from nearly four decades of clinical experience, I unpack how environm...