When does babbling turn into actual speech?

[GiraffeAHolic]

DD is nearly 16 months and has no recognisable words.

She occasionally says something that sounds like 'daddy' but it's not directed at dp.

She does 'what's that'/'who's that' but has been doing it for months.

Apart from that it's just babble and sounds.

At what age do they start making some sort of sense?

She understands a lot, can follow instructions (get me your shoes? where is your tummy/nose? etc).

We read multiple books per day and name everything she has, but even with all the repitition she still isn't vocalising things

[FizzyLiz]

my son (23 months) has only in the last 6 weeks started vocalising and making sense. up until then he understood everything but if he was having difficulty getting his point accross he made up his own signs instead of making any attempt to verbalise(took us a while to work out what they were too!).

We were trying not to worry but its hard, especially when others seem streets ahead. Once he started though he hasn't stopped, has new words everyday and is repeating everything we say.

I'm sure it'll happen in the next few months, just keep talking! x

[GiraffeAHolic]

Thanks for the reassurance, it's just so frustrating when I can't work out what she wants.

Maybe I should make the most of the peace and quiet!

[HilaryG2]

My DD is 12m and very quiet. She babbles sometimes and giggles lots, but spends most of her time running around and looking into cupboards / digging up flowers / generally grabbing whatever 'stuff' she can lay her hands on!

She can hear OK, but I concluded that as she was an early walker and had loads to investigate, she didnt really need to bother communicating too much because she is always so busy. However, today my mother in law mentioned how little she babbles and now I am a bit worried.

Is your DD also a fairly easy-going nipper? Perhaps contentment and lack of frustration means they dont really see the need to communicate too much?

[ShowOfHands]

Different for each child and of little importance where in the spectrum they fall. It is more important that they make their needs known and understand what you are saying to them. Communication is more important than actual language. In general terms obviously, just the spectrum is enormous.

My dd never really babbled at all and it used to worry me. She was fairly quiet apart from giggling and just started talking, single words from about 7 months, short sentences by 18 months and at 2 could talk normally and be understood by everybody. But, she never babbled! Odd.

They're all so different.

[Lilyloo]

My dd 18 mths and no3 syas the same 3 words that she said before she was 1.
mama and her siblings names (of a fashion)
She usually drags me by the finger to what she wants.
She understands also directions i give her.
Am not worried but her siblings had a much wider vocab by now.
Given she can communicate in her own way i wouldn't worry , that's more important. Hopefully a laid back lo!!!
Here's hoping