Talking Toddlers

Is my baby behind? Should she be crawling, walking, talking, or doing more by now?
If you’ve ever found yourself Googling developmental milestones late at night, this episode will help you breathe, think clearly, and know what to watch.
In this episode, Erin explains what milestones really are — not rigid deadlines, but guideposts that help parents notice progress, ask better questions, and support healthy development in everyday life.
You’ll learn why progress matters more than the “perfect” date, how to think about developmental plateaus, and why parents are not passive observers. Your daily rhythms, interactions, play, movement, sleep, and connection all help shape your child’s growth.
This is not about panic. It is about becoming informed, confident, and curious — so you can support your baby or toddler with more clarity.
If you’ve been wondering, “Is this normal?” this episode is for you.
🎓 Foundations Course enrollment opens June 1st. Get on the waitlist by signing up for INSIDERS:
📥 Free resource:
The Top 10 Essential Skills Every Baby Needs Before Talking
👉 Book a Discovery Call 
These are FREE, one-to-one conversations designed to help determine what to focus on first.
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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

Your baby fusses in the car seat and your chest tightens. Your toddler falls apart when the block tower tumbles. Every instinct says — fix it, fast. 
But what if rushing in is quietly preventing the very thing you want to build?
This week on Talking Toddlers, Erin pulls back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood pieces of early development: resilience.
After nearly four decades in private practice, Erin has watched two patterns play out in mom after mom — the 'Rescuer' who soothes every whimper, and the 'Reprimander' who expects her toddler to handle big feelings like a four-year-old.
Both come from love. Both miss the middle. 
And the middle is where resilient children get built.
In this episode you'll learn:
→ The clear difference between real distress and productive struggle — and how to hear it 
→ Why resilience and emotional regulation are not the same thing (and how confusing them works against you) 
→ How co-regulation actually works — your calm is the curriculum 
→ The simple 3-word framework — Acknowledge. Encourage. Wait. — you can use today 
Erin also shares the story of why she stopped doing direct therapy after watching the children walking through her door change — and what that pattern is teaching us about prevention vs. intervention.
This is the kind of episode every new mom needs in her ears before her baby's first frustration — and the kind every overwhelmed mom needs to hear right now.
🎓 Foundations Course enrollment opens June 1st. Get on the waitlist by signing up for INSIDERS:
📥 Free resource:
The Top 10 Essential Skills Every Baby Needs Before Talking
👉 Book a Discovery Call 
These are FREE, one-to-one conversations designed to help determine what to focus on first.
========
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

Your baby didn't ask for a nursery full of gear. She asked for you.
In this episode, Erin breaks down three of the most common baby products on the market — containers, weighted blankets, and white noise machines — and explains exactly why, after nearly 40 years of clinical practice, misusing them concerns her deeply.
You'll learn:
Why babies need movement, not containment
The connection between floor time, gross motor development, and speech — and why it's more profound than most parents realize
What co-regulation actually means and why your presence outperforms every product on the market
The clinical origins of weighted blankets — and what happened when they crossed from therapy rooms to Amazon
What the research actually says about white noise and the developing auditory brain
This isn't about guilt. It's about giving you the information the marketing never will.
📥 Free resource:
The Top 10 Essential Skills Every Baby Needs Before Talking
👉 Book a Discovery Call 
These are FREE, one-to-one conversations designed to help determine what to focus on first.
========
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

If you’ve ever wondered, “Should my child be talking by now?”  or "Is he talking enough?" -- this episode will give you clarity.
Before children use words, they build the skills that make talking possible.
In this episode, I walk you through the 7 stages of play in the first three years—and how each one helps your child learn to talk, listen, and engage.
You’ll learn:
 What your child should be doing before words 
 How play builds attention, understanding, and connection 
 Simple ways to support development in everyday routines 
This is not about doing more.
It’s about understanding what actually matters—and using what you’re already doing at home.
📥 Free resource:
The Top 10 Essential Skills Every Baby Needs Before Talking
👉 Book a Discovery Call 
These are FREE, one-to-one conversations designed to help determine what to focus on first - and 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.
========
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

"My toddler isn't listening."
If you've said those words - or thought them - this episode is for you.
In this episode of Talking Toddlers, speech-language pathologist Erin (with nearly 40 years in early intervention) unpacks one of the most misunderstood parts of toddler development: 
listening.
Spoiler: it's not what you think. And it's probably not what your toddler is lacking.
Erin breaks down why following directions is one of the most cognitively complex things we ask of young children - what's actually happening in their developing brain when we give a simple direction like "go get your shoes" - and why inconsistency is not defiance. It's development.
You'll also hear a story Erin tells on herself - the night she gave her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter a full lecture about "blessed language skills" and "remarkable comprehension"... and was met with a look of pure bewilderment. Because even the expert gets it wrong sometimes.
In this episode:
→  Why listening is a skill, not a behavior — and what that changes
→  What the developing prefrontal cortex actually means for your daily life
→  10 practical, daily habits that genuinely build listening (backed by 40 years on the therapy floor)
→  Why "fewer words" works better than any explanation
→  How routines and repetition build understanding from the inside out
→  The difference between "won't" and "can't" — and why it matters deeply
Whether your child is 18 months or 4 years old, this episode will change the way you see those moments when they just… don't listen.
And if you find yourself wanting more personalized support - Erin offers Discovery Calls for families who want clarity on where their child is and what they actually need right now. 
Not therapy. Not a diagnosis. Just a real conversation with someone who has been in this field for decades.
You're not alone in this.
🎧 Subscribe to Talking Toddlers wherever you listen to podcasts.
📥 Free resource:
The Top 10 Essential Skills Every Baby Needs Before Talking

👉 Book a Discovery Call 
These are FREE, one-to-one conversations designed to help determine what to focus on first - and 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.
========
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