Mom left surprised after toddler starts mimicking sassy phrases from her vocabulary: 'Yeah, girl!'

Common speech is evolving, thanks to the internet, and guess who is picking it up best? Toddlers. TikTok mom Savannah Considine (@savconsidine) showcased how her baby girl had learned her vocabulary without her teaching it. Initially, all the baby did was listen and absorb her mother’s language and way of communication. Soon enough, she was repeating it after Considine, making for a hilarious and sweet moment that the mom shared with the world to enjoy. 

The now-viral video with more than 5 million views offers glimpses into the baby’s language development. Spending most of her time with her mom, the daughter quickly grasped her vocabulary and hit her with, “Yeah, girl mama!” to Considine’s surprise. Initially, the mom filmed herself saying the words several times, both at home, while driving, and outside. Eventually, the baby girl picked up the words and started randomly mimicking her mom’s vocabulary. The snippet that brilliantly charted the toddler’s journey into speaking resonated with many people, receiving 604,000 hearts online. 

A fellow mom (@abunchofcups18) shared, “My toddler calling his baby sister, ‘Girly pop’.” “Mine says, ‘Get out of the way nerd’ all the time, so I guess I gotta watch my road rage,” quipped a single mom (@chaoticwestern). @tjmaxx noted, “Certified hype girl in training.” It turns out that most parents had similar stories to share. “I remember the first time my daughter said, ‘Aw, my baby,’ when I wasn’t feeling good. It’s the best when the reflection of you turns out to be so positive,” penned @shelbycage1. While @mbrezilini was touched by the clip, and said, “Stop, this is adorable!” 

It is well known that toddler brains are like sponges, ready to absorb anything and everything they see and watch their parents do. According to the TMW Center for Early Learning, talking is one of the most important ways a parent can help build their child’s brain connections. The quality of conversation and use of rich words will significantly boost the child’s language and communication skills since brain development is more rapid in the early years. A baby’s brain matures and grows differently from adults until the age of six, functioning like a sponge absorbing vast amounts of information, often unconsciously, per the Blooming Tulips Montessori UK. 

Developmental psychologists call this process imitative learning, where children learn most of their skills. Meanwhile, mimicry plays an important role in their speech development, supported by neuroplasticity. It is the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections, enabling toddlers to learn and emulate their environments, per a study published in Frontiers in Psychology. Caregivers and toddlers are the primary participants during this process, and the interaction between them influences the child’s growth.

However, it is also crucial that parents and caregivers be mindful of the words they use and their means of communication. Toddlers can barely separate good and bad, hence, they will pick up all words regardless of it. At present, the internet largely contributes to our way of speaking and vocabulary, considering all the new emerging slang. While snippets of baby mimicking trending words are cute and funny, careless word usage can impact their speech in the long term. 

You can follow @savconsidine on TikTok for more videos.