18 month old only has 2-3 words, should I be worried?

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DS understands a huge amount, can follow instructions, helps to dress himself, brings things to us etc I have no other worries about him at all.
But he only has 2-3 words. He’s very “chatty” he jabbers a lot and makes a wide variety of sounds and he tries to mimic words when we say them so “re” after we say “red” etc but he’s just not quite there yet

The health visitor wasn’t really interested and just said I should encourage him more but didn’t say how

I wouldn't worry. My DD was very similar at the same age and then at 21/22 months just suddenly started say new words almost everyday. Now at 2.5 she never shuts up
Maybe just keep an eye and see how it goes over the next couple of months. And you can always repeat the word back when he tries to mimic it to help him learn.

I had two like this. They can both talk perfectly well now. My son was slow to learn to read but is expecting straight 7s plus at GCSE (fingers crossed and all that). My daughter finds English and maths quite hard and is likely dyslexic but certainly not unintelligent. She is younger and has struggled for longer than he did. The health visitor was quite interested in both and kept coming back but we never got referred. Maybe have a read of a speech therapy book for children book for some ideas or push for a speech therapy referral.

Children’s brains develop at different rates. My other daughter had no problems with speech but her maths was a big worry in year 3 ish and now she is in top set maths in senior school.

You will probably be falling over soon with shock at just how quickly toddlers develop. My little one had a language explosion around 20 months and all of a sudden would talk non stop. By the time she reached 2 she was forming short sentences. All toddlers develop at a different rate, he sounds smart and follows and understands instructions so be patient!
www.parents.com/baby/development/talking/baby-talk-a-month-by-month-timeline1/?slide=slide_798e6825-d2bb-47eb-8882-c83355c8aa0c#slide_798e6825-d2bb-47eb-8882-c83355c8aa0c

Thank you. I wasn’t overly worried until his cousin came to stay and he’s two months younger and saying lots of words!

I’ll see if I can find any good resources to give me some ideas on how to help him. He definitely understands a lot, will take himself up to get his blankie or to the bath if asked, knows dinner time and lunchtime and will fetch his coat and shoes and our shoes.
He recognises the titles of books if we ask if he wants to read a specific one and will go and find lots of different toys if we ask for them specifically

He’s also pointing to things he wants and things of interest and brings us things constantly.

He’s quite shouty and screechy at the moment and I think it’s frustration - he’s so delighted when he communicates with us I think he’s getting cross that he can’t do it more!

He sounds exactly like mine of the same age. He’s a wonderfully clear communicator in terms of showing what he wants (and shaking his head when he doesn’t want something, which is helpful). But he only has maybe three or four consistent words, though can repeat no problem.

I don’t remember DC1 having many words at the same age, though DC1 was a bit of a slow talker - but then his vocabulary exploded around 3 and I don’t think he’s drawn breath since.

I think if you’re confident there are no issues with his hearing and you talk to him lots, I wouldn’t worry.

I wasn’t worried, no. He doesn’t shake his head or nod yet but we haven’t done that much around him so going to start but has his own way of showing yes or no.

No!

My mum says walk by 1 talk by 2. Anyways DC1 talked by 3 and is doing great at school!!!

If by 2.5yo he's still not talking you can speak to a speech and language therapist just to make sure there are no other issues

Yes that’s what the health visitor said, said he’s too young at the moment as he’s only just 18 months. She seemed reassured that his comprehension is there and the fact that his hearing is good, he can hear me coming through a shut door and immediately starts squawking for me to go in!

He was also walking just before 13 months and has always seemed more interested in the physical side of development - climbing etc - than talking initially

My little boy is 21 months and says nothing. Zero. He has said mama and dada and yes a few times but nothing in months. His understanding is brilliant though and he has his own ways (sounds) to make it clear if he means yes or no.
Health visitor and nursery aren't concerned so I'm trying to to be but I completely understand what you mean about seeing others a similar ages talking lots!
You could always check in with the GP/ health visitor if you're still worried in a few months.

I agree with the PP - don't worry, he obviously hears and understands well, he'll speak in time. My DD was like that until she was about 2 - she is now 36 and teaches secondary school English.

Thank you! He’s my first so I’m never quite sure with what’s normal range and try not to get hung up on apps and books as I’m prone to health anxiety and don’t want to end up obsessing!

@yellowspot I know what you mean, hopefully reassuring for you that they aren’t concerned at the moment and as previous posters have said maybe he will have a language explosion very suddenly!

He sounds absolutely fine. Please don't worry. I knew a young woman who told me she didn't say one word until she was three! She grew into a highly intelligent and capable girl - still is.

Your baby will talk soon, he already says a few words and jabbers in baby talk, bless him.

Thank you @Maggiesfarm yes he certainly jabbers away constantly!

@Maggiesfarm

He sounds absolutely fine. Please don't worry. I knew a young woman who told me she didn't say one word until she was three! She grew into a highly intelligent and capable girl - still is.

Your baby will talk soon, he already says a few words and jabbers in baby talk, bless him.

Totally.

This was my DD (now almost 13) and like many have said once she started, she didn't shut up!

She's still more of a listener than a talk-for-the-sake-of-it type but thanks to a love of reading her vocabulary is wonderfully rich.

Try not to worry OP. I know it's difficult not to as I did but this point in their lives is so brief I think we forgot to enjoy it. I miss those days

DD was exactly the same. A year later and now I wonder what I was worried about! The key for me (and nursery when I asked if should be concerned when she was about 21 months) was that her comprehension was very good so they weren't worried.

My son, now 30, didn't say a word until he was three, just made a sound I could understand which version of the sound meant what but to everyone else they sounded the same. Then one day he spoke in a full sentences, huge vocabulary. He was the same about cooking too.

They always say that babies either walk before they talk or talk before they walk.

It sounds like your baby has put all his learning energy into the physical things. He will talk in his own time and 18 months this is nothing to worry about

Completely normal. Ds didn’t say anything till he was two then launched straight into full sentences. They do things their own way.

Just narrate your life to him, loads of language input. My sister's a speech therapist & this was her advice to me for language delayed child. I did a lot of "potatoes, peel potatoes, mummy is peeling the potatoes, look at the brown potatoes, oh it's dirty, let's wash it etc etc etc”
She would say to not question him/put pressure on him to talk. That you should use the 5 finger rule and have commented/given language input 5 x for every one question you ask e.g. if he's playing with cars "red car, big red car, the red car is driving, the red car is driving up the ramp, the red car is driving up the ramp quickly" "can I have the red car?" You'll feel ridiculous at first but it soon becomes easier and it really does help.

Thank you @MistyFrequencies that's really interesting and useful. I have been asking him questions - where are the flowers? Where's the cat? As he usually points or goes to fetch the item but I don't put pressure on him to 'say mummy' for example, I just tend to talk to him and make sounds or repeat words he seems to like (sometimes he watches my mouth very intently!)

If you go to www.talkingpoint.org.uk they have lots of resources.

18 months is nothing.
My Gdd of that age has no words yet, but understands so much and is clearly as bright as a button. The 2 elder were the same - their language exploded with a vengeance sometime around 2 - 2 1/2.
Please don’t worry!

Might add that a BiL of mine barely uttered at all until he was 3. MiL told me she’d been getting very worried, but once he started it came out in whole, correct sentences. He’d just been taking it all in and biding his time. He later won a scholarship to Cambridge.

Thank you everyone :)