When my child wants something, they cry before using words or pointing. How should I respond while they're crying?

First make sure they're safe and acknowledge their feeling with "you want it, don't you." Don't try to make them say the word before they've calmed down; show the real object or a photo and confirm with "this one?", treating their gaze or reaching hand as an answer too. After they've settled, try just one gesture or card for "please" together that they can use next time. Rather than ignoring the crying, the goal is to help them regularly use another way to communicate that gets through.