The First “I love You!”

At a random time, on a random day, it happens, and it makes your heart explode: 

“I nub u, baba” 

You’re not imagining it. There is no doubt about its meaning. Because Boo just said it again! Whether it was “dub” or “nub” that came out, it definitely meant “love”. 

That’s the thing about early words: they’re cute and fun AND they’re OK. Little ones don’t have the ability to shape their tongues and lips to make all sounds. That precision normally comes as they age. As long as they use the same bunch of sounds to refer to the same thing all the time, we have a winner! That counts as a word. 

In my practice, many parents share concerns that their tykes – between 1 and 3 – aren’t saying words exactly like they’re supposed to be said. At those ages, when language skills are exploding, incorrect pronunciation of sounds is normal. I don’t expect little Boo to say the “L”-sound until he’s 4 or the “V”-sound until he’s 3 ½ . Speaking is very complex, so we need to just smile and enjoy the little window of time we have to enjoy how a toddler says “nub” for “love”.

Generally, what we need to look out for in the toddler years are the total number of words and whether or not those words form sentences. In the preschool years, those sentences need to be clear enough for a stranger to understand most of the time. As kids get older, they have more to say, and if they have more to say that isn’t understood by us, we’re going to see some frustration. Speech clarity then becomes an important focus.

So, go ahead and let your toddler tell you that he “nubs” you. It’s gonna go by in a flash, so may as well enjoy it. But if Boo’s about to go to school and he’s still saying it that way, then it’s time to visit your Friendly Neighbourhood Speech Pathologist. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Mohamed (Mo) Oshalla, MHSc.,
Speech-Language Pathologist & Executive Director,
Ontario Speech & Language Services