Talking Toddlers

Most tantrum advice starts after the meltdown begins. This episode starts before it.

When your toddler is overwhelmed and you have to say no, what does he already know about being with you? 
Erin Hyer, early child development specialist and speech-language pathologist  explains how the ordinary moments of your day (shoes, breakfast, the hundredth interruption) shape how he responds when things get hard.

In this episode:
• Why the history between you matters more than the perfect thing to say in the moment
• The three things your toddler needs from you (warmth, structure, and a little say), and how to tell which one he needs right now
• Why simply enjoying your child isn't wasted time. It's doing real developmental work.

This episode includes clips from an interview with Dr. Adriana Molitor, Associate Professor of Psychological Science at the University of San Diego, on the podcast At the Edge of It All.  🔗  CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

FREE GUIDE: Should My Toddler Be Talking More?
Stuck on a moment you keep replaying? Book a free CLARITY CALL today.
✅  CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE

Website: www.HyerLearning.com
Instagram: @erin.hyer
Contact: contact@HyerLearning.com
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Educational and coaching information only. This episode is not a substitute for an individual speech-language, developmental, behavioral, or medical evaluation. Please consult with your family's healthcare provider for recommendations.

💜  FREE Guide: Help Your Toddler Learn To Play Independently
Does your toddler need you to entertain him all day? Does he lose interest in toys quickly, follow you everywhere, or struggle to figure out what to do next?
You might be surprised by what's really involved in learning to play independently.
In this episode, Erin Hyer explores the power of open-ended play and how everyday experiences help young children develop imagination, problem-solving, communication, and confidence.
You'll learn how to create simple opportunities for meaningful play, recognize your toddler's growing abilities, and gradually step back without leaving him to figure everything out alone.
With over 35 years of clinical experience, Erin explains why the most valuable learning often happens when children have the freedom to explore, experiment, and discover.
Because we're not simply teaching toddlers to entertain themselves. We're helping them become capable, independent thinkers.
Download this week's free guide for five practical ways to begin at home.
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If you have a specific situation with your toddler that you keep replaying, Erin offers free 20-minute Clarity Calls to help you look more closely at what may be happening underneath the behavior.
🔗 Click here for CLARITY CALL HERE
Helpful links:
▶ Watch Talking Toddlers on YouTube:  Click HERE
🌟 Grab Your FREE Word Guide: Building Vocabulary
📘 Download Erin’s free guide: 10 Essential Skills Before Talking

🌿 Visit Hyer Learning:
www.HyerLearning.com
Educational and coaching information only. This episode is not a substitute for an individual speech-language, developmental, behavioral, or medical evaluation.

Does your toddler understand what you're saying? And how can you help him become a better listener - even before he's talking in sentences?
Between 12 and 24 months, your toddler is developing important listening and understanding skills. But these skills don't develop simply by memorizing words, colors, or numbers. 
Real understanding grows through everyday experiences, meaningful interactions, and opportunities to participate in family life.
In this episode of Talking Toddlers, Erin Hyer, speech-language pathologist with more than 35 years of clinical experience, walks you through key developmental building blocks of receptive language - your child's ability to listen, understand, and make sense of spoken language.
You'll discover:
How toddlers learn to understand and follow simple directions.
Why learning what objects do is just as important as learning their names.
How familiar activities build listening, memory, and the ability to distinguish between words.
Why playing with toys and sharing picture books help children practice what they've learned in real life.
Why memorizing letters, colors, and numbers doesn't necessarily mean your toddler understands everyday language.
The best part? You don't need flashcards, fancy toys, or formal lessons.
Your toddler's everyday experiences—getting dressed, helping with chores, sharing books, and playing alongside you—offer wonderful opportunities to strengthen understanding.
Because before your toddler can use language confidently, he needs opportunities to understand what those words mean.
Listen in and learn what to watch for, what to practice, and how to make everyday moments count.
🎁 FREE COMPANION GUIDE
FREE Companion Guide CLICK HERE: Helps you remember these key listening skills so everyone wins.
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If you have a specific situation with your toddler that you keep replaying, Erin offers free 20-minute Clarity Calls to help you look more closely at what may be happening underneath the behavior.
🔗   Click here for CLARITY CALL HERE
Helpful links:
▶  Watch Talking Toddlers on YouTube:  Click HERE

📘  Download Erin’s free guide: 10 Essential Skills Before Talking

🌿 Visit Hyer Learning:
www.HyerLearning.com
Educational and coaching information only. This episode is not a substitute for an individual speech-language, developmental, behavioral, or medical evaluation.

Should my toddler be talking more?
It’s an understandable question, but word count alone does not tell you how well your child is communicating.
In this episode, I explain the developmental skills sitting underneath talking — including initiation, shared attention, turn-taking, and the different jobs language begins to do in everyday life.
You’ll also learn what to watch for instead of only counting words, why too many questions can sometimes make toddlers quieter, and one simple way to create more opportunities for your child to communicate during routines you are already doing.
And if you are genuinely concerned about your toddler’s speech, hearing, or overall development, I’ll also explain when I believe it is important to seek an evaluation rather than simply wait and see.
The goal is not more pressure or more practice. It is learning to see your child more clearly — and knowing what to do next.
 👉🏻  Click here for this week's GUIDE: Should My Toddler Be Talking More?
🌟   Word List Guide - Click Here: Building Vocabulary
===================
If you have a specific situation with your toddler that you keep replaying, Erin offers free 20-minute Clarity Calls to help you look more closely at what may be happening underneath the behavior.
🔗   Click here for CLARITY CALL HERE
Helpful links:
▶  Watch Talking Toddlers on YouTube:  Click HERE

📘  Download Erin’s free guide: 10 Essential Skills Before Talking

🌿 Visit Hyer Learning:
www.HyerLearning.com
Educational and coaching information only. This episode is not a substitute for an individual speech-language, developmental, behavioral, or medical evaluation.

Does your toddler seem able to focus deeply on a screen, but struggle to stay with a book, sit through a meal, play independently, or listen when you need him to?
In this episode, Erin looks beyond the surface and explains what attention actually asks of a developing child. A screen may be very effective at holding attention, but real-world attention is built through movement, participation, repetition, curiosity, problem-solving, connection, and everyday life.
You’ll also hear why sleep, nutrition, routines, background noise, movement, and the overall pace of the day matter so much. Toddler development does not happen in separate categories. Language, motor skills, regulation, feeding, attention, and behavior are constantly developing together.
Erin also explores why simple play is often more valuable than it looks, why boredom can create room for imagination and curiosity, and why screens are never developmentally neutral for very young children.
Most importantly, this episode will help you stop asking only, “Why won’t my toddler focus?” and start looking more carefully at the environment and experiences shaping his attention every day.
Because attention is not simply something your toddler either has or doesn’t have.
It develops through experience.
===================
If you have a specific situation with your toddler that you keep replaying, Erin offers free 20-minute Clarity Calls to help you look more closely at what may be happening underneath the behavior.
🔗 Click here for CLARITY CALL HERE
Helpful links:
▶ Watch Talking Toddlers on YouTube:  Click HERE

📘 Download Erin’s free guide: 10 Essential Skills Before Talking

🌿 Visit Hyer Learning:
www.HyerLearning.com
Educational and coaching information only. This episode is not a substitute for an individual speech-language, developmental, behavioral, or medical evaluation.