Saying Dadda

My partner is getting really upset because our 11 month old daughter will not say dadda, but she has been saying mumma for a couple of months. Can you offer any tips on how I can encourage her to say dadda?

i find my 10 month old daughter will ask for whoever is not there. so when dad is there all we get is nanna or i'm out. daddy is bombarded with mumma. so just wait and see. one day soon she'll probably pop out daddad and wont stop. we have always refered to each other as mum and dad in the presence of our daughter, don't know if this helps but it will come with time.

babies find the m sound much easier to say than the d sound so that's why mum is most often first. don't worry, just enjoy her and encourage her and love her. she will get there soon enough! smile

My 8 month olds first word was dada and then buba he still hasn't said mumma although I have noticed when he was crying a couple of times he has said mummy. I am a single parent although babe sees his dad often. Thanks for your post Rebecca - it cleared a few thoughts!

Hi , I read a article about this in practical parenting and they said that babies will just say either mamma or dadda when refuring to both parent it wouldnt be to the parent (if you know what I mean) my son sings dadda all day long and I can sympathize with your other half but remember its just talk

My 6 month old son sais dad dad dad all the time. He has said mummm mummm mummm a few times but mainly when he is a bit grumpy and wants up off the floor.He loves saying dad and my husband loves it. We just talk to him heaps and constantly say our names when we pass him to each other.

And now at 7 months he has stopped saying them totally. It was so cute.How frustrating.
His new thing, he now shakes his head no all the time.

Hi Sasha,
I just saw your letter and wanted to ask about single parenting as my partner & i are talking of separating. We get along really well but the romance is no longer there. We have a 13month son. Do you find it difficult being a single parent? Any tips or advice on how to make separating easier on our baby as he & my partner are very close. It is also hard for me as my family all live ina different state but I wouldn't think of moving back there as my partner would be devestated if I took our son away. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi,
I am new on this site and i just read your above message. I know it was adressed to Sasha but I just felt the need to write to you about it.
You say that the romance is no longer there, but I would like to ask you to think back to when you first fell in love, could you still feel that way even now? I read about a couple who were going through a similar thing and the wife had a bit of a personal crisis about separating because they had a baby daughter, anyway she did a bit of soul searching and asked herself the above question, and she realised that she absolutely loved her husband and that they just had to find what they had before. It just took things like finding a baby sitter and going for dinner, or after the baby was asleep having a candle lit dinner (sometimes it was just a pizza, but there were candles!!!!), and just making the time to tell each other that you love them. She realised that they hadn't "fallen out of love" as they say, they had just misplaced it somewhere else.
If you and your partner still have a good relationship in terms of getting along, then it would be wonderful to hear that you have given finding romance again a try, for the sake of your baby and more for yourself. Having someone with you to help is the most wonderful thing. To see your child growing up, together. The possibility of having a brother or sister for your baby, all of these things are great reasons to stick with it and give it a go. Your baby deserves the best. I apologise if i have spoken out of turn, but I work with kids who have separated parents, and I always get told that they want Mum and Dad together.
I would love to hear from you.

Hi Janelle
I can't comment on your decision to separate, but I can share my experience. My husband moved out when my son was 6 wks old - my son is now 6 1/2 mths. The decision to separate was not mutual (husbands choice) and I would have to say the chance of reconciliation is slim. Though it has been tough, I have coped quite well - the main reason is that I have Reece to keep me going. My husband and I talk all the time and he spends a lot of time with Reece (very important). I have a good support network - my sister, close friends and (strangely) my husband. If I ever need time out or help with anything, I can call on anyone of them to help. Without that, I would find it much more difficult. I also work 2 days a week & have Reece in daycare which is a good sanity saver. Though the situation is not ideal, it is survivable. Unfortunately, you won't know how easy/difficult it is until its experienced. Just make sure you fully consider the issue and don't burn any bridges - you never know how you may feel 6 months or so down the track.

Hi Janelle,
Sorry to take so long to reply, I only just noticed your post. I met my partner when I was 25 and am turning 31 in a couple of weeks. I purchased property with my parents when I was 21 which I currently live in (2bdrm apartment in Sydney city). I was basically thrown out of the house when I was 4 months pregnant. Our relationship had been rocky for approx 1 year prior to this. I hadn't been using contraception for about 2 years and as I felt the relationship was coming to an end I was about to start taking it again when I found out I was pregnant. At the time I made the decision to be a single parent even if our relationship didn't work out, (I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into). I had a terrible birth 36hrs, lost over half my blood, manual removal of my placenta, I was very ill and in intensive care for a week. To top this off my son was then rushed in at the RNS hospital at 5 weeks with a narrowing of his aorta artery & hole in his heart. We stayed at Westmead for 2 weeks while he had surgery, I was also still trying to recover. I luckily lived with my mum & dad for 1 yr up until Jesse was 6months then moved into my unit. From Jan this year I started work full-time Mon-Fri, Jesse in childcare which he loves. Jesse still wakes during the night. His father and I are currently going through solicitors to make arrangements clear, I no longer get along with him on friendly terms & want to move on in my life. Things have been tough but we are all women and I believe we all have amazing inner strength - I'm one to prove it. Sometimes I suprise myself of my capabilities. My family have supported my in every way and I love them all dearly. I have been on a couple of dates but nothing I want to pursue as yet. It's also a bit hard to have a riveting social life. I can say I miss the intimacy of a relationship - but that's the only thing, my son provides me with everything else, smiles, friendship, love and affection. I wish you all the best in your decision.

They say whichever one they wish to. My third son is 5mnths old and is just starting to say da and occasionally ma. but dadda is usually what they say first but obviously your little girl has decided to say mumma first. My first son said mumma first.
My second and third sons both said dadda first. Just say to her when your partner has hold of her dadda and you never know she might just say it.