Talking Toddlers

Send us a text
If your toddler isn’t talking much yet, this episode is for you.
Many parents worry about words — how many, how clear, how often. But long before speech shows up reliably, something else is being built underneath.
In this episode, Erin Hyer — speech-language pathologist with over 35 years of experience — explains what actually matters before words take off, and why so many well-intentioned parents miss it in today’s busy, overstimulating world.
You’ll learn:
Why talking and understanding develop together — but don’t always show up evenly
What’s really happening in your child’s brain when language feels “slow”
How listening, regulation, rhythm, and play create the conditions speech grows out of
Why modern life quietly works against development — and what parents can do upstream
How to support strong foundations without pressure, panic, or labels
This episode isn’t about diagnosing your child.
It’s about helping you see what matters first — so you don’t wait too long, and you don’t worry too soon.
If you’re ready to move beyond milestones and into meaningful support, you’re in the right place.
👉 Book a Discovery Call
📥 Free resource:
The Top 10 Essential Skills Every Baby Needs Before Talking
Disclaimer: 
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your pediatrician or a qualified health provider with questions about your child’s development or health. The views shared are based on Erin Hyer’s professional experience and are intended to support informed parenting, not to replace individual consultation or care. Every child and family is unique — please use your discretion and consult trusted professionals when making decisions for your child.

Send us a text
If your toddler isn’t talking much yet, you may have found yourself asking, “What’s this?” — hoping to hear a word.
But for many late talkers, that well-intentioned question quietly shuts things down.
In this episode, Erin Hyer — speech-language pathologist with over 35 years of clinical and real-life experience — explains why asking for words too early can work against development, and what actually helps toddlers feel ready to communicate.
You’ll learn:
Why silence doesn’t mean your child won’t talk — just that the foundations are still forming
The difference between 'testing' and participating in early communication
The five key areas that support speech before words appear
How attention, imitation, play, daily rhythms, and nervous system regulation all shape language development
This episode isn’t about doing more or pushing harder.
It’s about creating the conditions that make communication feel safe, comfortable, interesting, and worth the effort.
🎧 You’ll also hear a simple metaphor that reframes speech development — and reminds parents why patience, presence, and trust matter more than pressure.
📥 Free resource mentioned:
The Top 10 Essential Skills Every Baby Needs Before Talking
🔗 Discovery Calls: Looking ahead 
As we move into the new year, I offer Discovery Calls for parents of babies & toddlers. These are free, one-to-one conversations designed to help determine whether a focused 6-week parent coaching format would be helpful for your family at this time. Not evaluations, not therapy - just space to reflect and be heard.
There’s no pressure and no obligation. 
January is now open, and you’ll find the details here: 👉 Start here to request a Discovery Call
CLICK HERE FOR: Building Vocabulary: Single Words to 2-Word Phrases
Because the little years are the big years.
=====
Disclaimer: 
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your pediatrician or a qualified health provider with questions about your child’s development or health. The views shared are based on Erin Hyer’s professional experience and are intended to support informed parenting, not to replace individual consultation or care. Every child and family is unique — please use your discretion and consult trusted professionals when making decisions for your child.

Send us a text
Many parents enter early parenthood expecting exhaustion — but not the constant feeling of being on edge, unsure, or reactive, even when they’re trying their best.
In this episode of Talking Toddlers, we take a step back from tips and tactics and look at what often gets missed in conversations about parenting young children: where we place our effort matters just as much as how much effort we give.
Through real-life stories and a prevention-first lens, Erin explores how everyday rhythms — including sleep, food, play, movement, and pace — quietly shape a child’s behavior, attention, learning, and emotional regulation.
Rather than encouraging parents to do more, this conversation focuses on becoming more intentional — starting in the places that support a child’s nervous system and create steadiness for the whole family.
If parenting feels harder than you expected, this episode is designed to help you understand why — and to offer a calmer, clearer starting place.
🔗 Discovery Calls: Looking ahead 
As we move into the new year, I offer Discovery Calls for parents of babies & toddlers. These are free, one-to-one conversations designed to help determine whether a focused 6-week parent coaching format would be helpful for your family at this time. Not evaluations, not therapy - just space to reflect and be heard.
There’s no pressure and no obligation. 
January is now open, and you’ll find all the details here: 👉 Start here to request a Discovery Call
🌟 Join the Inside Talking Toddlers community for exclusive deep dives and get Erin’s free guide: Top 10 ESSENTIAL Skills For Talking.
CLICK HERE FOR: Building Vocabulary: Single Words to 2-Word Phrases
Because the little years are the big years.
=====
Disclaimer: 
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your pediatrician or a qualified health provider with questions about your child’s development or health. The views shared are based on Erin Hyer’s professional experience and are intended to support informed parenting, not to replace individual consultation or care. Every child and family is unique — please use your discretion and consult trusted professionals when making decisions for your child.

📩 Questions: [email protected]
 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
Thank you for being here — and for caring so deeply about your child’s well-being.

Send us a text
After more than 35 years of sitting on floors with babies and toddlers - and walking alongside thousands of mothers - I’ve learned something that still surprises people.
The children who thrive in the first three years aren’t raised by parents who do everything “right.”

They’re raised by adults who stay in sync — who notice, respond, and adjust in real time.
In this final episode of the year, I’m not offering a checklist or another set of milestones to track. 
I’m sharing three anchors that have held steady across decades of real families and real development — long before social media, parenting trends, or performance pressure entered the picture.
In this episode, we explore:
Why attunement and rhythm matter more than rigid schedules

How language grows best inside real life, not through testing or pressure

Why the brain grows through the body, and how movement and sensory integration shape regulation, attention, and speech

What stress, cortisol, and nervous-system overload actually look like in babies and toddlers

Why looking away can help a child listen better - and what we’ve misunderstood for years

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by noise, advice, or expectations - this episode is an invitation to slow down, zoom out, and reconnect with what truly supports your child’s growth.
You’re not behind.
You’re just surrounded by noise.
🔗 Discovery Calls: Looking ahead 
As we move toward the new year, I offer Discovery Calls for parents of babies & toddlers. These are free, one-to-one conversations designed to help determine whether a focused six-week parent coaching format would be helpful for your family at this time. Not evaluations, not therapy - just space to reflect and be heard.
There’s no pressure and no obligation. January is now open, and you’ll find all the details here: 👉 Start here to request a Discovery Call
🌟 Join the Inside Talking Toddlers community for exclusive deep dives and get Erin’s free guide: Top 10 ESSENTIAL Skills For Talking.
CLICK HERE FOR: Building Vocabulary: Single Words to 2-Word Phrases
Because the little years are the big years.
=====
Disclaimer: 
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your pediatrician or a qualified health provider with questions about your child’s development or health. The views shared are based on Erin Hyer’s professional experience and are intended to support informed parenting, not to replace individual consultation or care. Every child and family is unique — please use your discretion and consult trusted professionals when making decisions for your child.
📩 Questions: [email protected]
 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
Thank you for being here — and for caring so deeply about your child’s well-being.

Send us a text
If Christmas feels overwhelming - for you or your toddler - you’re not imagining it.
And you’re not doing anything wrong.
For babies and toddlers, the holiday season brings more noise, more stimulation, more people, more stuff, and disrupted routines - often all at once. Little nervous systems aren’t built to manage that kind of overload, even when everything looks joyful from the outside.
In this episode, I explain why Christmas can feel like “too much” for young children, and how understanding early brain development can help you release guilt, lower expectations, and protect what matters most. 
We’ll talk about how toddlers actually process experiences, what they truly remember, and why simplicity and rhythm are not only enough - they’re protective.
You’ll also hear real-life stories from my clinical work and motherhood, along with gentle permission to keep Christmas simple for your little ones while still enjoying meaningful connection as a family.
This episode isn’t about doing more.
It’s about understanding what your child needs — and giving yourself permission to rest there.
In this episode, we cover:
Why Christmas can overwhelm babies and toddlers
How young children’s brains process stimulation and memory
What toddlers actually remember from holidays (and what they don’t)
Why fewer toys and simpler routines support regulation
How to prevent post-holiday dysregulation and sleep disruption
Permission to give your child a touch of Christmas - without the layers and pressure
Looking ahead: Discovery Call - for parents of babies & toddlers
As we move toward the new year, I also share a brief note about Discovery Calls - free, one-to-one conversations designed to help determine whether a focused six-week parent coaching format would be helpful for your family at this time.
There’s no pressure and no obligation. January is now open, and you’ll find all the details here:
👉 Start here to request a Discovery Call
--------------------
🌟 Join the Inside Talking Toddlers community for exclusive deep dives and get Erin’s free guide: Top 10 ESSENTIAL Skills For Talking.
CLICK HERE FOR: Building Vocabulary: Single Words to 2-Word Phrases
Because the little years are the big years.
=====
Disclaimer: 
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your pediatrician or a qualified health provider with questions about your child’s development or health. The views shared are based on Erin Hyer’s professional experience and are intended to support informed parenting, not to replace individual consultation or care. Every child and family is unique — please use your discretion and consult trusted professionals when making decisions for your child.
📩 Questions: [email protected]
 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
Thank you for being here — and for caring so deeply about your child’s well-being.