Talking

[alicatsg]

DS is just 16 months and although he chats away in his own language he isn't really showing any sign of interest in trying words other people might understand. Should I be worried?

We talk to him and read with him a lot and do all the things books tell you to do. Am I just being a pushy mom here??

[Twiglett]

calm down

he's fine

[nasa]

agree with twig, I don't think you need to worry

[Gwenick]

Too early to worry yet

[handlemecarefully]

I agree with Gwenick - way too early to worry.

One of my friends daughters seemed to trail behind the rest of our kids (there are 6 of use with toddlers of the same age), and started speech late (btw I am talking 2, not 16 months), however within a few weeks of starting she caught up with her peers.

[PiccadillyCircus]

I was feeling a bit worried about DS (nearly 15 months) as some of his friends' mums have been going on about "all the words" they say.

Having spent the afternoon with them all on Friday, one of them said "na-na" when I was eating a banana, and that was it for anything recognisable.

I love DS's own language - it sounds a lot more sensible than anything we say to be honest

[Gwenick]

Also boys do tend to be 'slightly' slower than girls on things like talking

[alicatsg]

Phew.

DH just rang very excitedly to tell me that DS has just said "digger" while pointing at his digger book. Its not the first word I'd have chosen but it'll do.

Thanks ladies for the support

paranoid mummy

[handlemecarefully]

Lol Piccadillycircus - that's familiar - mums who claim that little cuthbert is bilingual or has a reading ability of 6 at age just 18 months or something daft like that.

One of our group of friends is a bit one upman- ish about developmental milestones which is a bit tedious because the rest of us aren't. So it was sweet revenge when my dd and another friend's daughter toilet trained before her golden boy! Delighted in telling her (although personally I don't think these things are a big deal)

[Rarrie]

No don't worry, altjhough the average at this age is about 4-6 words, and I was just reading some research the other day that said babies who have no words even into their third year (so 2 - 21/2) usually go on to having no speech problems later on in life!

So absolutely nothing to worry about - they all get there in their own time, and your lo is probably learning to do somethign else instead!

[elliott]

pc, yes I think some people have a rather elastic definition of words!
ds2 is 14 months and I am waiting anxiously(!) for some words to appear. But he can do a kind of 'woof-woof' noise to anything four legged, and has definite sound combinations that he uses in different situations, some of which might just be defined as 'words' at a stretch!

Unfortunately I can't claim to talk to him much or read him lots of stories - second child syndrome I'm afraid!

[Wallace]

My definition of a word is any sound that is used as we use a word. So "woof" meaning "dog" IS a word. So is "B" meaning ball, of course "B" might also be their word for "Ben" or "bounce".

Does anyone agree with me? Even though it may not sound like a word to us, it is a word because it is their label for that object or action?

As you can imagine my babies had a large number of words at a young age using this criteria

[Twiglett]

nope .. my definition of a word is something that is obvious to all who hear it

can't help laughing at parents who go on about how much their child speaks and you hear a series of unintelligable vowels and consonants and then the mother / father preening and saying 'See did you hear him say antidisestablishmentarianism' or some other such dross

[Twiglett]

'nana' is obviously banana

'es' is obviously yes

they are words and used in context

'ooeeaprrrbb' does not mean 'would you mind passing me the butter mater darling'

[roisin]

Ooh I disagree quite strongly Twiglett. Most children learn only a few sounds at a time, and some (still within 'normal' ranges) take a several years before they have a full set of sounds.

If the primary care-givers to not recognise, respond to and reward their attempts at language, they may become frustrated or alternatively they may not persevere with their attempts at language.

For example 'mooma' was a satsuma in our house. I don't think it is 'instantly recognisable' to outsiders, but it would be churlish in the extreme not to recognise it.

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Ds2 is 19 months and still only has a few (perhaps 5 )recognisable words. Lots of unintelligible chattering in between. Ds1 was exactly the same and is now incredibly articulate - he suddenly came on leaps and bounds at about two and a half.

[Twiglett]

and in our house mange meant milk but I wouldn't go on about it to other parents

[Frizbe]

apparently in our house, a high pitched narrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhh meant I'd like some ketchup mummy please

[motherinferior]

Dd2, aged nearly 20 months, is only just starting to do words (ie 'jooozhe' for shoes/juice, 'ba' for bear, and so on). I've not been worried mainly because communication per se isn't a problem for her - she just hasn't been arsed to articulate. She can understand really quite complex statements involving the word chocolate, that's for sure

[mishi1977]

ali
exactly same as my ds who is 16mths..he says mum dad and dog but thats it..he doesnt stop babbling and like u i read to him etc..but he understands if i ask him to get his shoes etc..so i wouldnt be worrying

[mishi1977]

twig i agre about sound a like words..as ds does say ish for fish and eassseee for please

[Wallace]

We used to have "da-daa" meaning granny, which no outsider would have understood, but it was a word. Also until recently my dd (3.5) used to call a dalmation "puppymission" agian obviously a word, but not to anyone who didn't know. And then of course there was "antidisestablishmentarianism" at aged 9 months

[Amanda3266]

The HVs in the town where I have just been transferred are thinking about sending out a "what to expect from your 2 year old" info sheet to go with the 2-2 and half year check. It suggests that a 2 year old can say 50+ words and link two or more words together. I don't know who devised it but they have not met my child who at 2yrs and 2 months has a vocab of about 15 words (which I can barely understand) and doesn't join any together.
I think that speech is different for every child - my son understands what we say and has done for a long time, speech is slowly coming and his latest phrase is "Scooby dooby doo"! Not as clear as that but we get the gist.
He also has the most wonderful gobbledigook language - HE knows what he's saying - we don't though. It is however highly entertaining.

Mandy

[tigi]

my ds never really said much of anything until over 2.3yrs, and started playschool, but now never stops! I would now say he has a good vocabulary (age3).
when i voiced my concern to HV, she said as long as he understands what you say to him, don't worry, such as 'get your shoes'. Also, he has 2 older brothers who 'spoke' for him.

[SofiaAmes]

Don't worry. It really depends on the child and their personality. Is your ds walking? My dd spoke in full sentences at 12 months, but didn't start walking until 18 months. And in any cases all her sentences involved ordering me around ("mummy I want my milk now") so I would have been just as happy if she'd not been speaking!