Podcast
Talking Toddlers
Hosted by Erin Hyer · EN
Calm, developmentally grounded guidance for moms of babies and toddlers.
As a mom of a baby or toddler, it can feel like everyone has an opinion - and very few answers that actually make things clearer. The noise is loud. The pressure is real. And the uncertainty can be exhausting.
Talking Toddlers is a podcast for moms who want calm, trustworthy, developmentally grounded guidance - without fear, guilt, or unrealistic expectations.
I’m Erin Hyer, a licensed speech-language pathologist with nearly 35 years of experience supporting young children and their families. I’ve spent my career on the floor with toddlers, partnering with parents, consulting with early educators, and training graduate students to understand how children truly grow, learn, and communicate - through relationships, everyday routines, and meaningful language experiences.
This podcast breaks down how the young brain learns, why certain behaviors or challenges show up, and how parents can gently support development before small concerns become bigger ones. I believe parents are in a powerful position — not to do more, but to understand more.
Each episode offers:
- Practical, real-life strategies you can use during everyday routines
- Gentle explanations of the why behind toddler behavior and development
- Supportive conversations that help you feel less alone and more confident
My goal is simple: to help moms feel empowered and toddlers feel supported - so learning, communication, and connection can grow naturally at home.
New episodes of Talking Toddlers are released weekly.
This is a space for clarity, connection, and courage - where moms come to slow down, trust themselves, and support their child’s development with confidence.
54episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Is My Child Really a Late Talker? Use This Checklist to Find Out Ep 156
Yesterday00:42:31Summary readyIs your child a late talker? Or is something else going on? After 40 years working with toddlers and their families, I can tell you that the term "late talker" gets thrown around so loosely — by pediatricians, educators, and early intervention teams — that most parents are left more confused than helped.In this episode I'm giving that term its definition back. We walk through a six-area CHECKLIST you can use today, in your own home, to get a clear and honest picture of where your child actually stands. Not a diagnosis. Not a label. Clarity.We cover what a true late talker looks like, the THREE RISK FACTORS that change everything, why the alphabet and counting don't count toward your child's word total, why gestures matter more than most people realize, and the real TIMELINE for getting help through the system — because most parents don't know it, and not knowing it is exactly why wait-and-see is so dangerous.Download the free checklist that goes with this episode: 🔗 CHECKLIST CLICK HEREIf you want to talk through what you're seeing with someone who has been on the floor with toddlers for 40 years, I have a few openings for a Clarity Call — 20 minutes, no pressure, one question: what does my child actually need right now? 👉🏻 Book here: [CLARITY CALL LINK]========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: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
SummaryIs My Baby Behind? What Milestones Really Mean Ep 155
3w ago00:27:26Summary readyIs 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.========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: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
SummaryThe Problem Isn’t the Meltdown - It’s How You Respond Ep 154
May 500:28:32Summary readyYour 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: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
SummaryThe Baby Gear Mistake Almost Every Parent Makes Ep 153
Apr 2800:39:09Summary readyYour 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 containmentThe connection between floor time, gross motor development, and speech — and why it's more profound than most parents realizeWhat co-regulation actually means and why your presence outperforms every product on the marketThe clinical origins of weighted blankets — and what happened when they crossed from therapy rooms to AmazonWhat the research actually says about white noise and the developing auditory brainThis 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: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
SummaryThe Hidden Skills Your Child Needs Before They Talk Ep 152
Apr 2300:29:44Summary readyIf 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: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
SummaryListening Is a Skill - Here’s How It Develops Ep 151
Apr 1400:44:24Summary ready"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 deeplyWhether 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: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
SummaryWhy Your Toddler’s Behavior Isn’t Really About Them Ep 150
Apr 700:27:33Summary readyHave you ever reacted to your toddler… and then immediately wondered, “Why did I just do that?”In this episode, we look beneath the surface of toddler behavior and explore a truth that can feel both confronting and freeing: sometimes our reactions have less to do with our child - and more to do with our own history.I share how early patterns, survival strategies, and emotional wiring can quietly shape the way we parent. When we begin to notice the cycle - overwhelm, reaction, guilt, repeat - we open the door to something steadier.Toddlerhood doesn’t need a perfect parent.It needs a present one.If you’ve ever felt caught between being too soft and too strict… between patience and frustration… this conversation will help you pause, reflect, and begin again.Because lasting change in our children often begins within us. ❤️👉 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.📥 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.📩 Questions: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
SummaryYour Toddler’s Brain Is Built at Night (Most Parents Miss This) Ep 149
Mar 3101:05:33Summary readyWhat if the most powerful thing you could do for your toddler's development happened while they were asleep?In this episode, licensed pediatric speech-language pathologist Erin Hyer breaks down the neuroscience of sleep in early childhood — and why it is the most underestimated factor in your child's brain development, language acquisition, and emotional health.Drawing on Dr. Matthew Walker's landmark research and nearly 40 years of clinical practice, Erin explains what is actually happening in your toddler's brain overnight, why the science community is only now catching up to what clinicians have observed for decades, and what you can do — starting tonight — to protect it.Note: everything in this episode applies to adults too. Dr. Walker's work is a lifetime argument for sleep. Erin just happens to believe the earliest years are where it matters most.You'll hear: the glymphatic system explained in plain language · why toddlers wake more — and why that is normal · the 3 words that change bedtime entirely · 10 simple steps organized into three groups · and a story involving a 6'6" ex-Navy husband that every parent will recognize.Grab the free 10-step printable guide below:🔗 10 Simple Steps To Support Toddler Sleep 👉 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.📥 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.📩 Questions: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
Summary5 Well-Meaning Habits That Delay Speech - And the Simple Fix (Part 2) Ep 148
Mar 2400:45:29Summary readyLast week I introduced the first two habits quietly getting in the way of your toddler's speech.This week we go deeper.In Part 2 I'm sharing Habits 3, 4, and 5 - and these are the ones that tend to stop parents cold. Not because they're complicated. But because nobody told them these things mattered.We start with the neuroscience - and I mean real neuroscience, the kind that completely changes how you see your child's developing brain. Your baby arrived in this world already wired for language. Not for any specific language. For all of them. Once you understand that, everything else in this episode lands differently.Then we talk about the pacifier. Who it's really for. And why the transition is almost always harder for the parent than the child.And finally - screens. After 40 years in this field, I have a clear position. I'll share it plainly, without apology, and with the clinical evidence to back it up.In this episode:The neuroscience of the developing brain — and why flashcards at 18 months are knocking on the wrong doorCitizens of the world — what this term means and why it changes everythingThe pacifier question nobody asks honestlyWhat I really think about screens — and what I told families back in the early nineties that still works todayThe thread connecting all five habits — and what Marcus taught me about what children actually needMissed Part 1? Start with Episode 147 first — it'll make this one land much deeper.👉 Book a Discovery CallThese 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.📥 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.📩 Questions: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
Summary5 Well-Meaning Habits That Delay Speech - And the Simple Fix (Part 1) Ep 147
Mar 1700:29:58Summary readyIf you've ever watched your toddler at a playground - wanting to join in, but not quite knowing how - this episode is for you.After nearly 40 years as a speech-language pathologist, I've worked with hundreds of families whose children were bright, loved, and well cared for - and still not talking the way they should be.In most cases, it wasn't a diagnosis that was getting in the way.It was a handful of everyday habits. Common ones. Well-meaning ones. The kind that develop naturally in busy, loving homes - and quietly remove a child's felt need to reach toward language.In Part 1 of this two-part episode, I walk you through the first two habits - including one that will surprise almost every parent who hears it.This episode is not about blame. It's about clarity.Because once you see these patterns, you can't unsee them. And the moment you start making small shifts - something opens up.In this episode:Why being too helpful can silence your toddler's speechWhy 200 words is not the finish line - and what happens when parents think it isThe snack table story that still stops me coldPart 2 drops next week - or join my email list for early access. Link below.--------------------------🔗 Join Talking Toddlers email list to get early access to part 2. 👉 Book a Discovery CallThese 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.📥 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.📩 Questions: contact@HyerLearning.com 🌐 www.HyerLearning.com
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