The 411 on Toddler Communication: Milestones, Red Flags & Tips (w/ Dr. Ari Brown)

This week on Two Parents & A Podcast, we’re joined again by Dr. Ari Brown — board-certified pediatrician and author of the bestselling 411 series — for a conversation all about toddler talking and communication. You guys loved her last episode, and we’re so excited to officially bring her on as a RECURRING GUEST once a month!! Dr. Ari breaks down what toddlers actually understand before they can talk (spoiler: a lot), what counts as a real “word,” and the core language milestones between 12–24 months. We get into receptive vs. expressive language, nonverbal communication, and the difference between “they don’t understand me” and “they’re choosing not to listen,” which… hits home. We also cover the big “is this normal?” questions — pointing and waving, only repeating you, not responding to their name, mixing languages — and when it’s worth checking in with your pediatrician. Dr. Ari explains why early intervention leads to the best outcomes, and gives simple tools parents can use at home (talk time, books, songs, naming emotions, and turning off our own screens). And because communication and behavior are so connected, we talk through the toddler frustration cycle — the pointing, the grunting, the meltdowns, the boneless moments — and how to help kids feel seen and understood even before they have the words. We’ll go deeper on discipline NEXT MONTH, but this episode gives the foundation every parent needs to understand what’s happening in that little toddler brain!! Timestamps: 00:00:00 Welcome back to Two Parents & A Podcast 00:01:20 Reintroducing Dr. Ari Brown 00:03:45 How much toddlers actually understand before they can talk 00:05:10 The speech and language milestones from 12–24 months 00:06:35 Do toddlers really understand the word “no”? 00:10:55 What counts as a “word”? (mispronunciations, animal sounds, sign language) 00:13:10 What toddlers don’t understand at this age 00:15:55 When to bring communication concerns to your pediatrician 00:17:05 How pediatricians evaluate & support a child who isn’t speaking 00:18:30 Rewarding early communication 00:20:55 Why it’s so confusing and frustrating to be a toddler 00:23:58 Handling tantrums and “boneless” moments 00:27:45 Why “no” becomes their favorite word 00:29:50 What toddlers can understand when it comes to discipline 00:34:20 Audience Question: Babbling but no pointing/waving — when to worry 00:38:35 Audience Question: 1-year-old ignores “wait/come here/stop” 00:42:42 Audience Question: Only repeating words — does that count? 00:43:33 Audience Question: Discipline with a speech delay 00:44:27 Audience Question: Multilingual or bilingual schools 00:45:23 Audience Question: Do bilingual kids talk later? 00:46:47 Audience Question: Helping kids feel seen and understood 00:50:10 Understanding communication red flags & early intervention 00:53:45 Summary of communication red flags 00:54:55 Top 3 things parents can do at home for language development 00:57:30 Thank you for listening! Thank you to our sponsors this week: *Chime: Join the millions banking fee-free. Visit https://www.chime.com/TWOPARENTS *ZipRecruiter: Find the best people for your roles at https://www.ziprecruiter.com/ALEX *Skims: Shop at https://www.SKIMS.com and select “podcast” + our show in the survey *GOODLES: Available nationwide at Target, Walmart, and major grocery stores Find our guest: Website | https://www.draribrown.com/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/aribrownmd TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@aribrownmd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices