How many words should your toddler be able to say?
The average vocabulary at 18 months is about 50 words, but toddlers can say far more or fewer and still be on track.
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Combining words: a big step in language learning
Try these easy tips from language experts to encourage your toddler to say two-word phrases.
What to do when you don’t know what your toddler is asking for
Before the frustration gets to both of you, try this approach to make your toddler feel heard and build their vocabulary in the process.
When will your toddler learn their colors?
Learn the timeline of color understanding and 5 fun ways to help your toddler learn colors.
Why not to correct your toddler’s speech—and what to do instead
How you respond to mispronunciations can make a difference in your child's language development.
Boost your toddler’s language skills by getting face-to-face
Try these 3 simple ways to get more valuable face-to-face time with your toddler.
5 ways to get your toddler talking as you read together
Research shows that reading can be a powerful way to boost your toddler’s expressive language skills. Try these simple strategies.
10 tips and activities for better video chats with toddlers
Find tips for planning a successful video chat as well as five activities for better video chats with toddlers.
The best potty books for toddlers
Even before your toddler is ready to start using the potty, reading books about the experience can help them understand what the process is all about.
Pointing: a simple gesture with big meaning
Research shows a close link between pointing and toddler language development. Learn how to build on this social-communication skill.
3 subtle signs your toddler’s language skills are developing
Many parents underestimate how many words their young toddler understands. Watch for these non-verbal signals to get a better idea of what your toddler knows.
Toddlers benefit from ‘crib talk’
It's a good thing when toddlers talk to themselves. Here's why.
How to ease your toddler’s fears
Your toddler may be comforted by one (or more) of these six strategies.
When do babies wave?
Waving ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye‘ combine at least three distinct types of skills for your baby. Learn more about these skills and how to encourage waving.
Activities your 6-month-old will want to do again and again
Help your baby practice and expand their skills with these simple games and activities recommended by Gabrielle Felman, Lovevery's child development expert.
A top way to help develop your baby’s vocabulary, according to research
When it comes to developing your baby’s vocabulary, it helps to be a broken record. Here are 4 tips to maximize your baby’s language development.
10 easy ways to build your 10-month-old’s brain
Your 10-month-old's learning is more complex, and they can now coordinate input from different sensory systems. Read our activities to help boost their brain connections.
4 ways to encourage your baby’s first coos
Your baby’s earliest forms of communication are crying, eye contact, and smiles. Then they may begin to coo. Read these 4 ways to encourage cooing.
Encouraging Montessori independence in babies
The Montessori method is rooted in the idea that babies and children should be empowered to do things on their own. Here are 3 ways to promote early independence.
Is your baby smiling on purpose?
Your baby’s eyes and entire face light up when they smile, sometimes with noises and gestures. Learn how to encourage more social smiles.
Parentese improves children’s vocabulary
Read the characteristics of parentese, an exaggerated speaking style, and understand how it benefits your child's vocabulary and conversational skills.
How to handle your baby’s fears
Between 6 and 18 months, your baby’s growing cognition and awareness may also trigger sudden fears and insecurities. Read our tips for dealing with these new fears.
Did my baby just call me ‘Dada’?
The second stage of babbling is known as reduplicated babbling: simple double-consonant sounds such as 'baba' and 'mama.' Find out more about your baby babbles!
Mindful baby massage
Massaging your baby can be a great way for you both to relax, interact, and bond. Read our tips to understand if your baby is being overstimulated.
The power of eye contact with your baby
Eye contact with your baby isn’t just important for building an emotional connection—learn how it also affects early communication and learning.
When do babies start laughing?
After cooing and smiling, laughing comes next. Learn how to encourage your baby's giggles.
How to help your toddler or preschooler adjust to a new baby
A new baby brother or sister can be exciting for a young child, but their perspective can change quickly. Read our tips to help with this big change.
Your 6-month-old’s language development
At 6 months, your baby’s expressive language is transitioning from those sweet early coos and squeals to more experimental babbling. Read about what your baby may be working on.
Your toddler’s on top of the world when they make you laugh
A toddler's budding sense of humor is a sign of their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Learn five ways to help nurture your child's funny bone.
A simple way to teach your child gratitude
A study conducted at UNC Chapel Hill concluded that gratitude has four separate parts. Learn them all and how to help your child put them in practice.
5 things happening with your child’s language development right now
A lot of exciting language development happens between your child's second and third birthdays. Here's what you can expect now in terms of language development.
How to help your 2-year-old overcome new feelings of fear
Between the ages of 24 and 30 months, many children can suddenly start to develop more pronounced fears. Here's how to respond.
Sing along with Lovevery on Spotify
From developing neural pathways to encouraging language development, music is almost magical in its impact on your baby's brain development. Listen to Lovevery's playlists for everything from bedtime to dance parties.
Kids whine because… it works
Studies have shown adults are hardwired to react to whining more than any other sound a child makes. What does the whining mean and how should you respond?
8 tips for talking to your baby who doesn’t talk back yet
Your baby listens to the intonation, rhythm, and patterns of your voice. Learn 8 ways to talk with your baby that support their speech development.
This powerful activity can change your child’s brain
Back-and-forth conversations with your baby have a significant impact on language development and are important for social, emotional, and cognitive growth.
The very best thing you can do for your baby – no toys involved
Learn how common household objects build stronger, more relevant neural pathways for your baby than toys with loud sounds and flashing lights.
How eye contact affects your baby’s brain development
A study showed that babies' brains synch with their parents’ when they learn about their social environment. Read about how eye contact plays a crucial role in developing emotional connections.
Lyrics to the best lullabies are here
Here are the lyrics to classic lullabies to sing to your newborn, including Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, You are My Sunshine, and others.
11 best Montessori toys for baby’s first year
Montessori is about tapping into a child’s natural inclination to learn. Here are 10 of the best Montessori toys for your baby's first year.
Clap and sing along with the best playtime songs for baby
Clapping and singing to music provides early lessons in pattern recognition and language. Try our list of songs and lyrics to incorporate into playtime.
Beyond the bedtime routine — why everyday rituals are important for your baby’s brain
Learn about how predictable sequences in your baby's everyday life help them begin thinking in more advanced ways.
How doing mundane tasks like laundry can be full of meaning for your child
There is an art to narrating, explaining, and including your baby in everyday tasks. Watch Lovevery CEO Jessica Rolph model how.
Picture book project! 🌈 Preserving your toddler’s first words
This DIY project captures your child's first words and builds their vocabulary as their language develops.
The toddler game of who, what, where, why, how?
Introducing who, what, where, why, and how in little lessons empowers your toddler to begin explaining what interests them the most.
The magical teaching powers of words like ‘humongous’
Learn how to build your child's language skills and comprehension with plenty of rich vocabulary, back-and-forth conversations, narration, and repetition.
First, next, then—giving your toddler comfort and structure
For toddlers, routines provide comfort, structure, and a way to predict what’s going to happen next. Learn how to establish and maintain toddler routines.
8 ways toddlers start to talk between 18 and 24 months
Here are 8 ways your toddler is learning language right now, even if they're not saying much yet.
4 funky ways to make music a part of your toddler’s life
Music is a great way for toddlers to express creativity. Lovevery provides 4 fresh ways to make music a part of your child's life.
Why labeling your toddler’s intense feelings can actually help calm them down
Dr. Dan Siegel "name it to tame it" philosophy helps children calm down by acknowleding and labeling their strong emotions.
What Montessori families put in “treasure baskets” for their babies
What is a Montessori Treasure Basket and what do I put in it? Lovevery provides a list of household and outdoor items that your baby can play with.
Your baby can actually learn to drink from a cup now
Open cups help babies build the muscles in their mouths used to form sounds (and lessen drooling). Learn how to introduce an open cup to your baby.
Squirming and grabbing pages: what reading looks like at this age
Reading with your toddler probably doesn't feel much like "reading." Don't give up—here's why even a minute of reading is still worth it.
It’s okay to cry—letting your child know they can feel sad
It’s a fact of life: babies and toddlers cry. Here are some ways to help your toddler work through big feelings.
The do’s and don’ts of saying ‘no’
Describing for your child the behavior you do want to see avoids reinforcing what you don't want them to do. Here's how to say "no" less frequently.
When will my toddler learn to sort?
Sorting is the beginning of pattern recognition, a foundational math skill. Here are some ways to practice sorting with your toddler.
The 10 best ways to grow your newborn baby’s brain
Lovevery's experts share 10 techniques you can use to protect and grow your infant's developing brain.
4 signs toddlers understand language even if they aren’t talking much yet
Your toddler likely understands more than they can say. Here are 4 ways your toddler is communicating without words.
“Throw the ball to Mama”—what’s up with the third person, anyway?
Do you speak to your toddler in the third person? "Illeism" may help your toddler develop their language skills until they understand pronouns.
Screeches and first babbles
As your baby starts to babble, you can play an important role in their speech development. Learn how to have "conversations" with your baby.
Your baby wants to tell you something
Babies can understand language before they can speak. Here are ways to communicate with your baby before they say their first recognizable words.
Mouthing and speech development (there’s a connection)
By mouthing objects, your baby builds a solid foundation for speech and sensory development. Find out what is safe for your baby to mouth.
It can last less than a minute, but makes a big difference
Books expose your baby to new vocabulary, rhyming and rhythm, and new language structures. Here's what to expect from reading at this age.
Why house tours are your baby’s No. 1 favorite activity
Husband of Lovevery CEO Jessica Rolph demonstrates how to talk slowly during a house tour, a baby's favorite activity in their first year.
Who is that cutie in the mirror?
Your baby doesn't recognize their own face in a mirror yet, but mirror-gazing is a favorite activity for babies. Here's how to get the most out of it.
Why a simple light switch is better for your baby than those flashing-light toys
There is art to house tours. Learn from Esther as she introduces baby Freya to the different elements of her home environment by narrating and demonstrating.
What is my baby’s brain working on at 11 weeks old?
At 11 weeks, your baby may start responding to your voice and inspecting their own hands. Discover what else is developing right now.
6 tips for how to talk to someone who doesn’t (yet) talk back
Talking with your baby can feel awkward, but it's so beneficial. Lovevery shares 6 tips for how to talk to someone who doesn't talk back yet.
5 fun ways to play with your baby from 4 to 12 weeks old
Your 4- to 12-week old baby is fed, rested, and alert. But how do you play with them? Here are some easy ideas for baby’s first playtimes.
