Getting 2.5yo to talk on the phone

In article , dragonlady
says...

In article ,
Banty wrote:

In article , Robyn Kozierok says...

In article ,
Banty wrote:
In article , Ignoramus12517 says...

Thanks. I agree that there is no need for pressure. I was just hoping
that there was some magic trick that could make him interested.


But why would you want a trick? Why do you need him to talk on the phone?


If you have distant relatives, they really like talking to the kids on
the phone. It is disappointing to them when the kids don't want to talk.
To the extent that we can encourage the kids to talk without pressuring
them, it is a good thing.

--Robyn

I do, and they do, but really, this is the auditory version of
must-kiss-Grandma. If they want to, fine. If not, I think that has to be
respected, too. It isn't so much a physical thing as must-kiss-Grandma, but
it's still intrusive to expecte a little kid to have to say something on cue.
The relatives really shouldn't take it personally if a toddler won't talk to
them on this weird disjointed voice thingy.

Banty


No, but the OP wasn't asking for a way to force the kid to do it --
just if anyone had any handy "magic" that might encourage the child to
enjoy talking on the phone. I think one can put too much of a spin on
the word "trick" -- I just use it as a quick way to refer to some
technique or approach that works.

In this case, can't think of one.

meh


I think what the little kid picks right up on is that they're expected to do it,
trick or not, and freeze up. They're not dumb. Indeed, I wonder if this
happens now as a developmental thing, when they 'get' that there are
expectations, while before they just were fascinated by this voice and the
responses they'd get when speaking.

Then they get past that and like the other poster said you can't get the phone
back :-)

If ther were a 'trick' it would have to do with taking the expectation out of
it, maybe putting the phone under something and having the caller yell out.
(Hey, OK that's dumb but trying here...)

But, really, it isn't a problem.

Banty

On 13 Nov 2003 18:07:55 GMT, Ignoramus12517
wrote:

So ask him if he wants to talk, and if he doesn't, smile and say
'OK'. After awhile, this reluctance, should wear off if you take
the pressure off. Might take on the order of months, though -
perhaps more development is needed to get past it. He might have
gotten this way no matter what you do.

Thanks, I tend to agree.

i

And then you could always let him type into your email
and send it to the grandparents.

I have one from my granddaughter that was fun even though
it is all just letters in random order.. g


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

"Ignoramus12517" wrote in message
...
I have a 2.5 year old son, and he used to be better at talking on the
phone than he is now. He used to stay on the phone, answer simple
questions, listen, sometimes tell some news like "the weather is bad,
it is raining" etc. Now he just more or less refuses to talk on the
phone. What gives? He is a very good talker in general.

i

Maybe it is just a phase of "i don't like/don't want xyz" of toddlers
getting bored with a toy or activity.
Our 3 yo DD had these phases for all kinds of things, for instance she loved
slides and then for a month she did not want to go down a slide, with
certain people, songs we were not allowed to sing although she was singing
them constantly for weeks.

Slightly OT - I wish I knew how to get my daughter off the phone - she does
not talk on the phone however, but she sings and sometimes the repertoire is
as long as a whole CD album - our phone bills have soared! This is also
because she treats the phone like a push-button toy or remote control and
just loves the "speaker phone button"

--
Lejla/Lyla
DD 02 Nov 2000

In article ,
Ignoramus12517 wrote:

I have a 2.5 year old son, and he used to be better at talking on the
phone than he is now. He used to stay on the phone, answer simple
questions, listen, sometimes tell some news like "the weather is bad,
it is raining" etc. Now he just more or less refuses to talk on the
phone. What gives? He is a very good talker in general.

i

I've had the same problem. My 2.5yo DS is usually too busy playing with
toys, or trying to get my attention, to bother. And sometimes it just
seems that he gets shy. But I can usually get him to say a sentence or
two on the phone if I make it specific - "do you want to tell Grandma
what you're playing with?" or "come tell Aunt D how you helped me make
dinner." If he doesn't, I'll tell them myself, which he loves to listen
to (DS loves to listen to me talking about him), and he'll sometimes
grab the phone and chime in afterwards.

Sometimes, though, he too engrossed in trains or whatever to want to
talk. I let it go with no pressure, and average about 50%.

- Lynn