Listening to a toddler speak can be endearing, if not a little confusing. But the next time you "ooh" and "aah" over your little one's jumbled jargon, keep your ears open to make sure you're hearing at least a few real words.

Researchers from the Child Study Institute at Bryn Mawr College have identified a list of 25 words that every toddler should be using by the age of two. Find out what those 25 words are.

As the study pointed out, an average toddler uses around 75-125 words, and can string words together to form phrases. The minimum number of words a "late talker" should be using is 25.

Although late talkers, or children with normal delayed speech, usually catch up to their peers by the age of 4 or 5, a lack of vocabulary at the age of 2 (i.e., using less than 25 basic words), can be a red flag for a hearing problem, dyslexia, or autism.

Using basic vocabulary is a great way to help late talkers develop their language skills. Among the 25 words listed are some toddler-faves, like:

-ball

- juice

- mommy

- daddy

- cookie

- "all gone"

(For the complete list, click here.)

We've also got tons of activities to help your toddler's language development:

- Helping Your Toddler Build His Vocabulary

- "Talking About Me" Activity

- Typical Language Accomplishments in Children

My daughter is a baby hoarder. She can spot an old raggity doll in a church nursery from 30 feet away, So of course we asked Santa to bring her lots of babies, and he did. This activity wasn't a planned post instead it was playroom fun that was going so well I grabbed my camera.  The best kind of post in my opinion!

You will need some babies ( call me if you are short we have  a few extra), a laundry basket, something to pretend to be water like a blue blanket, some bath toys that are familiar to your child, wash cloth ( or old dried out baby wipe), and a towel.

Go through the bath routine you have with your child with the dolls. I was in awe at how my 18 month old loved taking the role that is normally her dads. She carefully undressed, washed and even rinsed each baby's hair. Of course this was all free of water and just pretend but still incredibly fun!

We often think of pretend play as needing to be some fantastical imaginary play when young kids are simply wanting to practice being in our shoes.

When her dad came home from work in her broken toddler words she explained what she did and my the excitement in her recount I know we will be doing this again...and again!

If you often suffer from "momnesia" or if your baby is going through a two-diapers-an-hour phase, you might rejoice in this new invention that's popping up across the country: "Nanny Caddy" -- a fancy vending machine that carries diaper bag essentials to help moms-on-the-go in dire need.

My nephew Johnny is almost 7 months old, poised to crawl, and probably walk in a matter of a few months. (My sister skipped crawling and started walking around 8 months old, so who knows how soon her little one will be on the move!).

Toddlers who are newly on-the-go bring great joy and entertainment (especially for proud aunties who don't need to watch after them every firghtening moment of their curious lives!). They also bring great fear -- what will they fall on, what will they eat, what will they destroy? Oh my.

My son and I used to do this all the time. Rubber duckies are great for young toddlers to make prints with because they are large enough for fumbly hands and make a squeak when they are pressed down, so it encourages the child to keep doing it. What I didn't know was that at 3.5 he'd still love it.

1. Gather your materials. You will need a rubber ducky, some paint, a plate and paper.

Denim diapers? Skinny jeans and leggings for babies? What is going on here?

Apparently young children now have more fashion sense than I do!

Trendy infant fashions are quickly becoming a hot commodity, with stores stocking up on mini versions of denim diapers, trendy designer skinny jeans, and even mini high heeled shoes made to fit tiny toddler feet.

Really? High heels? I can't even suffer for more than an hour without wanting to take my heels off and slip into a nice pair of comfy flip flops. How do kids have a higher foot pain threshold than me?

My sister welcomed her first baby into the world early this morning! She and her husband went with a traditional name, John, which was easy to settle on because both grandfathers have that name.

As a proud aunt, I'm biased, but I think it's a refreshingly simple and traditional name in this age of Zanders and Barrons and Maddoxes (no offense to kids with those kinds of names!). John is just a name that stands the test of time and trends.

I'm sure you've seen this on the news: the 2-year-old who smokes two packs a day (that's 40 cigarettes). He's in Indonesia, where the government has reportedly offered his parents a car if they can get the boy to quit smoking. In this country, his parents would be jailed and get some serious counseling, we can only hope. It's such a sad story.

Swimming lessons can start as young as age 1, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently said. This is a change from their old guidelines encouraging swimming lessons to start at age 4. Check out this article about the shift.

What's with the policy change? Some studies have shown that a toddler might be less likely to drown if he's had some swimming lessons.

But the AAP says not all kids are ready for swimming lessons when they're 1, so it's up to parents to decide the right time.

Literacy doesn't start in kindergarten , it starts from the very beginning when we talk to our little bundle of joy. Board books are a great way to introduce books without worrying about ripped pages or fumbly fingers.

Here are some of our favorites!