LilSugar

Tell Mommy: When Did Your Child Start Chatting?

babysugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:00:31 PDT

It's only natural for parents to pay attention to their children's developmental milestones and how he or she measures up to playmates. That being said, each child has his or her own pace and in most cases, they catch up or eventually, level out their Olympic speed. A recent study on language emergence has shown that 80 percent of children with language delays at age two will catch up by age seven. Of course that also means one in five "late talkers," stay delayed for a while longer.

I always tell friends how important I think it is to not put your children on a timetable and just enjoy the proud growth and accomplishment moments when they happen. Of course, there are certain milestones - like your child becoming a chatty Cathy - a parent will never forget. When did your child begin completing full sentences and carrying a conversation?

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Trendtotting: Tees that Speak the Twooth

babysugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:00:44 PDT

Ever have a hard time deciphering what your lil one is trying to tell you? After a while, a mother can clarify to others that "waga" translates to "water" and "peas" does not connote the green veggies, but "please." Take one of your tot's most mangled vocabulary words and memorialize it with a Temporary Language tee.

Parents choose an image from a gallery of 100 plus pictures, enter their child's version of the word along with the legitimate translation. For $30, your babe will be a walking talking self–identifying dictionary for those surrounding him. And, you'll have a tangible memento of his "faborit whuurd."

Do You Sign With Your Babe?

babysugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:00:53 PDT

Most baby stores now carry sign language merchandise from books to DVDs and flashcards to placemats.

I only taught my lil one the sign for "more," but my friends have been more diligent in their efforts. Advocates say that children who sign are less likely to throw tantrums since they can communicate earlier. On the flip side, others argue that signing can delay speech development as tots learn to rely on their hands.

When it comes to sign, what's your stance?
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One Language or More?

babysugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:00:39 PST

In many bilingual families, parents make a conscience effort to teach their babes both languages. If one parent is proficient in one language and the other in another, it is normal for each one to talk to their tot solely in that tongue.

I try to chat in Spanish with my babe, but I'm not as diligent as I'd like to be. Luckily, her nanny is teaching it to her every day. And, at this age, she is soaking words up like a sponge.

Just the other day we were on a walk and she looked up at me and said, "Mano!" A little puzzled, I thought to myself, "Mano?" Then it hit me, "Hand! That means hand in Spanish!" So I reached down and her tiny palm met mine and off we went.

Will your child be bilingual?

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Tracking Baby's Words

babysugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:00:35 PST

In Sunday's New York Times Magazine, I came across an interesting piece on baby talk.

Most parents are curious about how their child measures up to the developmental milestones and physical growth charts.

While some parents brag about their tot's precocious behavior, others secretly worry about their lagging babe, especially if the lil one isn't talking much.

To learn what these parents can do about it,

Terrance Paul from Infoture created LENA (language environment analysis) for $400. According to the article:

Terrance Paul's current venture (LENA) was inspired by a well–known study that found that professional parents uttered more than three times as many words to their children as did parents who were on welfare. The children in the less talkative homes turned out to be less verbal and to have smaller vocabularies. Other studies have suggested that these gaps affect later professional success.

LENA is a voice recorder that attaches to the kid's clothing and reportedly assesses children's verbal skills as well as their exposure to verbal stimulation. In the future, they hope the device will also be able to account for speech entropy, which is the adding of new words, phrases or sounds to their skill set.

Critics of the LENA system have legitimate concerns about how words, syntax, and verbal growth can actually be charted using a recorder. Others argue that parents of LENA children will converse more than normal in efforts to better their child's LENA scores. And, some lil ones who may just be slower to mature in dialogue could be identified as "having a problem" when their timing is off in comparison to their peers.

But many agree on one simple idea – the more you speak with your children, the more you provide them the tools and confidence from which their language can evolve.

Tell us, would you buy a LENA if you were concerned with your babe's language development?
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Geek Grad: How to Land a Web Developer Job

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:13:32 PDT

Tech-minded 2012 grads are eager to pursue a job in web or computer programming, named one of the year's top 10 best jobs. We spoke to a web development recruiter for tips on landing that first entry-level job. From the most important coding languages to industry expectations, check out these tips to get closer to your web developing dreams.

Education

Earn the degree: Almost all web developers have some sort of degree in computer science, whether that's an associate's or bachelor's degree. However, it's not necessary to pursue a career in web developing. What is important is becoming proficient in coding languages.
Learn coding languages outside of school: A solid computer science education is important, but mastering the ins and outs of coding requires time outside the classroom to teach yourself more than just the basics.
Develop your passions: Some developers are more visual and prefer front-end engineering (building visible products/creating code that runs in browsers) while others may prefer back-end engineering (writing the code on the server). Develop your skill set according to your interests; it'll get you through future long nights of coding!
Learn the languages: Front-end engineers should know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Back-end engineers are best off with PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, Database Skills, Sql, Drupal, Ruby, Django, Cake PHP, and Spring knowledge.

Click here to read more résumé tips and interview how-tos.

You're Fired! 20 Signs That a Pink Slip Is Coming

Wise Bread — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:54:53 PDT

If something feels off at the office, you may want to brace yourself for the worst. Wise Bread shares signs to look for when a pink slip is coming.

There are two types of employees. One has a good idea of what they do, who they are, and what position they play in the company. They are savvy. They know the score. They are under no delusions, and will no doubt leave for another job long before they are ever considered as cannon-fodder.

And then there's the other kind. The guy who could get Gandhi to hate him. The woman who spends most of her day chatting on the phone to friends or doing online shopping. Or the nice chap in sales who is completely oblivious that the recent merger means his job is now obsolete. They all have Ostrich Syndrome. They couldn't see a pink slip coming if it was 8ft tall and glowing in the dark, screaming "you're fired!"

You want to avoid being in that second category at all costs. So I've compiled a handy list. If you can answer yes to THREE or more of these questions, you may want to think about sprucing up your résumé and dry-cleaning your best interview attire.

1. Are you no longer in the loop about, well, anything?

This is a huge telltale sign. Suddenly you're finding out about company news from the cleaning lady or the new girl in accounting. If you were formally in the know about all things business related, but now suffer from "the company's doing what??!" disease, the writing is probably on the wall.

2. Did you recently screw up big-time?

We're not talking a minor faux pas here. Did you lose money on an account that was previously bulletproof? Oh dear. Were you caught having sex on the boss's desk with the boss's spouse? That's probably not a career-enhancing move. Unless you're a real dope, you know if you have screwed up. And if you know, HR knows. It may not be the final nail in your coffin, but it's a nail in the coffin nonetheless.

3. Are people avoiding you at all costs?

Eye contact is difficult to make with someone if you know his or her head's on the chopping block. Small talk is just as tough. It's best just to avoid that person altogether. So if people are no longer doing that fun "stop 'n' chat" in the hall, or the coffee room empties when you arrive, then guess what . . . you may be a marked man or woman.

Read on for more.

10 Ways to Encourage Babies to Develop Language Skills

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:16:33 PDT

Don't tell the producers of The King's Speech, but a few "ums" and "uhs" in mama's daily lexicon may actually be beneficial when talking to tots! According to a new study just released in Developmental Science, the little stumbles in adult language actually help tots learn language more effectively – signaling toddlers' minds that they are about to learn something new.

To ensure that your talking tyke is growing his language development skills as much as possible, parents and caregivers must incorporate speaking directly to their children as part of their daily activities. Check out our 10 tips for aiding the development of language in tots.

14 Geeky Languages to Learn With Your Love

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:15:00 PST

Love may be a universal language, but we're not sure that phrase includes the sci-fi alien races and fantastical creatures that rule the far depths of the galaxy, who express love in words beyond our human comprehension. When you're thinking of a unique way to woo your valentine this year, plan a tutorial to learn together one of these 14 geeky languages. While several of these Trekkie, Tolkien, or computer gaming-inspired languages have enough depth to warrant a university level class, many are not fully realized, so have fun discovering select words and phrases to bring to future geeky date outings.

Wookie - Made up of three dialects, the main Wookie language is Shyriiwook. As you'd expect it consists of lots of barks and grunts, but don't you dare say that to Chewbacca. The Star Wars Christmas Special has detailed examples of this mystifying tongue.
Klingon - The language of Klingons, the sometimes ally of the Federation, is arguably the best known of the imagined star languages. Described by its Hollywood creators as gutteral in tone, dedicated Trekkies maintain the Klingon Language Institue, preserving the galaxy's "fastest growing language."
Vulcan - Known as the language of Spock, one version of Vulcan looks like musical notes. Much of the language is available online today as Gene Roddenberry was insistent when making Star Trek: The Motion Picture that the Vulcans receive their own linguistic treatment.
Romulan - As biological cousins of the Vulcans, the Romulan language is difficult to differentiate from Vulcan to the untrained ear. The Central Institute of the Romulan Language ensures you get the right training to one day know the difference.
Cardassian - Residents of the Alpha Quadrant, Cardassians are a fearsome foe of the Federation. Little is known of their language, maybe because of its rectangular-shaped letters and script.
Andorian - The blue-skinned moon species from Andora appeared throughout the Star Trek series and would of course show up in the directory of a PADD.
Elvish - With a background in linguistics study from Oxford, Tolkien did not take the creation of the Lord of the Rings languages lightly. Based on Welsh and English, you can study Liv Tyler's Arwen in the film trilogy for pronunciation and read the many online Elvish resources, including an English to Elvish dictionary.
Dwarvish - Also called Khuzdul, Tolkien is said to have drawn inspiration for the secret language of the Dwarves from Hebrew, reflecting many of the same sounds and structure. As many Lord of the Rings languages, it's been almost fully realized and you can study up with the Dwarvish dictionary.

Check out even more languages to geek out over after the jump.

Can You Feel the Beat? Toys For Musically Inclined Tots

LilSugar — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:16:29 PST

Bono once said, "Music can change the world because it can change people," and the experts seem to agree. Numerous studies link tots' exposure to music - especially in infancy and toddlerhood - to everything from a child's language development to their motor skills and even how children adapt to the culture in which they live.

Check out the following selection of musical toys for tots to inspire and encourage a lifelong love of music.