My almost 2 yo has a serious lisp. Most experts say that the lisp will resolve itself by 7 yo without any intervention but it's a catch 22. Children are cruel and if I don't do something to help it resolve itself before school, she could be the butt of lots of teasing at school.

So, I've been researching it to see if there is anything I can do to help her with it without really drawing attention to it. One thing they say is if your child is a binky baby, you need to get them off the binky as soon as possible. Sucking on the binky encourages the forward thrust of the tongue and it can push the front teeth out - all of which makes a lisp worse.

This is so hard for me because I know kids have a very strong need to suckle well into their 2nd year and I hadn't planned on making her wean from the binky but I also don't want to set her up to be teased and ridiculed in school.

Uggg, what to do?

How much time does the binky spend in her mouth? Could you limit it to bedtime and naptime, and maybe some other time of the day that she needs soothing? I recently heard someone bring up good point: It's a good thing when parents recognize their toddlers' needs to suck, and let them have a pacifier, but nursing toddlers don't nurse constantly, the way many kids do with paci's. I would think that limiting the binky use might help, especially if she's using it during quiet times and not talking with it in her mouth.

You could have her evaluated by early intervention. I did that when my then 2 yr old was stuttering. She didn't qualify for help but the evaluator (a speech therapist) gave me things to do at home (no sippy cups - straws only to strengthen muscles; speak to her VERY VERY slowly, etc).