Mami & Me: Sensory labels and their effects on toddler development

It is very likely that our toddler’s first word wasn’t their first name but actually Mama or Dada and there’s probably other milestones in my son’s speech development that need to happen before he is able to say his name.

Generally babies recognize their name by 9 months-old, which is much younger than they are able to say their name. But when it comes to toddlers there's always a pattern of understanding something before actually saying it. My son, Levi, who is two years old, already recognizes his name, but when it comes to saying it, he says everyone else's but his.

In my recent column on speech development, I explained how repetition of words can be helpful when it comes to increasing our toddler's vocabulary. What if I told you that the same technique can also be used when teaching our child their names. Just with visuals this time.

Mabel’s Labels offer kids name labels that are both kid-friendly and durable. Their labels are waterproof and dishwasher safe as well as kid-friendly and will stick on literally anything.

These labels are also designed perfectly for finger tracing adorable icons and patterns, which includes our toddler's names. You can stick them to pencil boxes, binders, water bottles, phones, computers, notebooks, classroom supplies and even sippy cups. 

I recently spoke with Claire Ibrahim, a speech language pathologist and director of PLTA Center on how these labels are a sensory learning tool for our kids.

“These sensory labels are tools that help with multi-motor learning,” she said. She explained how children learn differently. “Some kids are visual learners, some other kids are auditory learners and some kids learn by touching tactiles and others learn by putting things in their mouths.”

Based on my experience with my son’s learning development, he has a variety of ways in learning new things. He is very hands-on and really enjoys anything with visuals.

Ibrahim also spoke on the importance of children accessing learning from all different modalities. “The sensory labels are just a different modality to help kids, who may learn more from touching more tactile learning than from visuals or auditory. They're just a way to reinforce the visual learning by touching,” she said.

My toddler really enjoys tracing his name on these labels. Additionally, they can work as a distraction on a short car ride. These labels are also a unique solution for parents seeking practicality and sensory support.

Ibrahim has been practicing as a pediatric speech language pathologist in the East Bay for twelve years. Prior to opening her practice, she worked for Oakland Unified School District and Kaiser Permanente. She also specializes in bilingual and multicultural therapy, and family advocacy.

Some other ways that I try to reinforce my son to learn his name is by just saying it a lot. I  also ask him, "What is your name?” You can also mention their name to get their attention before you ask a question for example “Levi, Do you want the blue dinosaur or the yellow dinosaur?” 

Just know that if your toddler is 2-years-old and they aren’t trying to say their name or they can’t pronounce it perfectly they are still on the right path of getting to that milestone. It just takes patience and lots of practice.

If there is anything I can help young mothers and fathers with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at amairani@latinomedia.org. Follow my Mami & Me column here.