10/25/2026
🚨 WAIT… THOSE COUNT AS WORDS?! 👀
If you’re counting your toddler’s words, don’t forget these 3 things!
🐮 Animal & vehicle sounds: “Moo,” “woof woof,” “vroom” and “beep beep” count when your toddler uses them meaningfully!
🗣️ Word approximations: “Wa-wa” for water or “ba” for ball count, even if the word isn’t pronounced perfectly.
🤟 Signs: Meaningful signs like “more,” “eat” and “help” count toward your toddler’s expressive vocabulary, too!
As a speech-language pathologist, I see parents underestimate their toddler’s vocabulary all the time because they’re only counting clearly spoken words.
✨ The key? Your toddler needs to use the sound, approximation or sign intentionally and consistently to communicate a meaning.
Save this for the next time you’re counting words, and send it to a parent who needs this reminder! 🫶