when do toddlers say their own name?

[strangerthanfiction]

I was just reading the other thread about when babies first say mama and dada and throckenholt's comment about 'mummy blindness' struck me in relation to my dd who has 'self blindness'! I mean she has no name for herself at all. If we show her a photo of herself she points at it and just says 'baby' or maybe 'girl' (neither of which I call her as fond names) and in the mirror if we point at her and say 'who's that?' she just looks away as if there's no-one there! So what sort of time did yours start to find some kind of name for themselves?

[strangerthanfiction]

Also, whenever people meet dd who don't know her, they always lean down and say 'so what's your name then?' Up til now I've thought they were just being a bit silly because even though dd's a good talker in general and fairly friendly she wouldn't be able to say her name yet and / or might not perform to order in that way. But maybe other kids do?

Oh yes, she's 20 months.

[Lonelymum]

Three of mine have gone through that age and although I can't remember exactly how old they were when they said their own name, I know it was later than 20 months. Presumably she knows who you are talking about if you say her name?

[cathncait]

Hi there. just thought 'd let you know that my dd is 22 months now and has only just this week started to name herself. Well, not even so much herself but more her stuff! Suddenly everything is hers! But I was wondering only a few weeks ago myself when she would 'name' herself. would never expect her to answer someone if they asked her what her name was though. She just wouldn't. hth

[strangerthanfiction]

Yes, she answers to her name unless of course I'm asking her to do something she doesn't want to, then she answers more readily if I scream 'ooh, look at the flying doggy!!!'

[Mum2Ela]

DD has recently started saying her own name, as in she will point to me and say 'mummy', point to herself and say 'Ela'. She likes to look at photos a lot but haven't recently tested what she would say when looking at a pic of herself.

[NomDePlume]

My DD, who is now 22 months also doesn't know her own name, or rather she knows her name, but doesn't use it in relation to herself. She responds to it if we use it, but can't make the connection herself. She is the same as your DD stf, in that if we show her a photo of herself she'll say 'Baby', the same with the mirror, although she will occassionally say 'pretty!' when faced with a mirror !

[Lonelymum]

Nice one!

[codswallop]

about 2?

[CountessDracula]

stf my dd started saying her own name quite a while ago - if she sees photos of herself she immediately says her name and baby photos she says "Baby XX". She is 21 months, I guess she started at about 15 months? She can now say her full name and says it when people ask who she is.

However, I wouldn't worry as all children develop differently (as we all know!)

Does she say her name for eg when she wants to do something herself (my dd will say "XXX do it" if I am doing something she wants to do)

[Galaxy]

message withdrawn

[Northerner]

Hi stf! My ds is 26 months and started using his own name a few months ago. For example he will say, Josh do it, or Josh come to. Then they move on to saying me and I apparantly.

[strangerthanfiction]

Thanks cathncait. So when you say she names her things does she say 'cait's toy' (imagining cait is her name for a min.)? I'll look out for maybe dd starting to do that kind of thing. But you know how some kids are fascinated with their reflections and mirrors and stuff, well dd really isn't at all. But maybe that's just a common thing too.

[oxocube]

Ds 2 was about 2 when he actually said his own name although he responded to it quite a bit earlier. Can't remember with the older two.

[strangerthanfiction]

Hi Galaxy and Northener. Northener the funny thing is I think dd went through a brief stage of saying 'me' as in v. simple things like 'me eat' 'me up' etc. but then she stopped it. It was a good few months ago so maybe she was saying it without really knowing what it meant though.

[Lonelymum]

Just looked it up in the baby books I keep for my children:
DS1 (late speaker) did not say his name until about 29 months
DS2 (exceptionally advanced for age) used I and me well before saying his own name. Seemed rather embarrassed to say his own name but finally did so at 23 months.
DD (in the middle in terms of speech development) said me, my and mine all before saying her own name. Not sure what age but after two certainly.
I agree with some of the later posts: they all do things in their own time and there is probably nothing significant about any of it.

[Lonelymum]

P.S. DS3 (15 months) has just had a lovely time looking at himself in the mirror. I repeatedly said his name which made him grin broadly as if he was thinking "Oh I am a handsome devil!"

[Fio2]

well my soon didnt start saying it before he turned 2, maybe he said it a couple of months ago. He has only just started saying me. He is 2yr6mn these threads make me paranoid

[Lonelymum]

No Fio! Why? Don't get hung up about other people's kids and their achievements. Haven't you realised that some parents exaggerate or have selective memories? Your son sounds fine.

[CountessDracula]

Absolutely, and all kids really do develop at different paces. My dd for eg speaks really well but is not very physical, I see some children of her age who are like monkies in the playground, she is much more tentative and undeveloped physically.

[throckenholt]

my boys have no interest in mirrors - I thought they were all supposed to love looking at themselves. See all these myths we soaked up when we were childless just ain't true

DS1 said his name round about 2, 16 month old twins - showing no sign of it at all yet.

[Tommy]

My DS1 calls himself Dan (although no-one else does and all his friends call him derivations of Daniel - Dadul being the cutest one!)He has just started saying "Me" instead of Dan as in "Me do it". He's 29m. Don't know if that's good, slow, or average - am not really bothered! If he can't say his name when he goes to school 'll let you know!

[strangerthanfiction]

My dd has such a divine face I can't understand why she doesn't want to look at it in the mirror either. Fio, I really NEVER compare dd any more with other kids. She's pretty good at speaking but like Countessdracula's dd is v. slow and tentative at all the physical stuff. And if I compare her sophistication in diet with other kids I'd literally be in tears every time I saw another kid pop a hunk of sandwich in their mouth while my dd sniffed a corner of hers then handed it to me with the word 'bin.'

[CountessDracula]

Ahhh stf that's so sweet (but annoying I know!)

Dd's latest which really really made me laugh last night, I was dancing around the kitchen to music and running up and kissing her, she grabbed me, beamed and said "Ahhh, mummny SO sweet"

of course I became a blubbering heap instantly so guess she won't be doing that again

[strangerthanfiction]

We've got a lovely thing at the moment when dd says 'lie down mamma, cuddie' and she snuggles up into a ball in my arms on the bed ... sniff ...

[CountessDracula]