The Expecting and Empowered Podcast

63. Building Communication With Our Kids Through Connection with @playtalklove

Amy Kiefer + Krystle Howald

Today on the podcast we are happy to host Chelsea Swopes. Chelsea is a baby and toddler speech language expert (SLP) with over 15 years of experience. Chelsea is known on her Instagram page as @playtalklove and is a mama herself! Chelsea’s goal is to help families build strong connections in order for those kiddos to grow into functional communicators. 


Reading to your baby isn’t just a sweet thing to do as part of a bedtime routine, it’s also a great way to build a strong bond and expose them to hundreds of words. Including your baby and toddler in your everyday routines also helps support their language development too! 


Lots of parents experience anxiety over whether or not their child is meeting the appropriate milestones, including speech. Know that if you are helping your child grow and develop, you are doing a great job. And if you feel there may be cause for concern, Chelsea encourages you to familiarize yourself with the age related milestones we’ve linked for you below and also shares how to seek help from a professional. 


If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @playtalklove and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey!


Follow Chelsea Swopes on Instagram


Chelsea’s Website


Links & Resources


The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s website


Chelsea’s Free Communication Milestone Checklist 


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