Can you say Uhgwah?

I wonder if this is a national phenomenon or just limited to the greater Silver Lake/Echo Park/Eagle Rock area: parents teaching their toddlers to say "agua" instead of water. I had to ask and was told it's cause it's just easier to say than water. And I thought "wadder" was already pretty easy to say---say as opposed to the more proper British "waTer," but I was wrong (of course, I'm always wrong). But why stop there? Isn't pan easier than bread? And so forth?