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Original poster

14 month old talking in sentences?

208 replies

Foal · 18/02/2023 15:58

Does anyone have or know of a just turned 14 month old who speaks in sentences?

A woman on a WhatsApp group I'm in is often mentioning how her DC talk in sentences from 13/14 months old (and not just simple things but telling someone about their day was one example she gave). I don't know why she would lie about this in a random WhatsApp group but it just seems so far fetched and of course there's never any videos to back it up! So, to the wisdom of Mumsnet...is it possible that a 14 month old could do this?!

OP posts:
MargaretThursday · 18/02/2023 19:16

MargaretThursday · 18/02/2023 19:12

Dd2 did if you count putting 3 words together.
Ds had some phrases he'd

Posted too soon
Ds had some phrases picked up from his big sisters, "did it by purpose" was one, which sounded impressive but was literally just imitation rather than putting a sentence together.

PinkTonic · 18/02/2023 19:29

We have video of my eldest telling my dad he’d just picked this tomato from mummy’s greenhouse, it’s the first to be ripe and he’s going to have it for lunch. He’s an adult now, did very well at school but not genius level and he’s nt. He’s done very well in life generally. My others were on the early side for speech but not precocious.

Yfront · 18/02/2023 19:56

Can't remember when my first two started. My 3rd is 16 months and says 'cat'. She said that from about 11 months but hasn't added any other words to her vocabulary. She's all about the cats. 🤦🏻‍♀️ She doesn't even say mama!

Interested in this thread?

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1 year olds Behaviour & development Families
LeSpleendeParis · 18/02/2023 20:11

Yes our eldest could form sentences and had a good vocabulary at that age - we had learned baby signing at home which seemed to help with communication / speech development.

NannyGythaOgg · 18/02/2023 20:12

My daughter walked at 8 months (son 13 months)
She was dry (without training) at 12 months - same time as son who was 30 months. And was talking in full sentences before he was (15 months between them).

Guess who talks more and earns more now - both in their 40s.
(It's not her) - different things click at different times for different kids. It's just how it is.

(I still think she is, to say the least, exaggerating but *shrug she must be very insecure to need to do so.)

Marylou62 · 18/02/2023 20:49

Apparently according to my DM (and verified by my Dad) I walked up to someone on the beach before I was one, wearing only a nappy (which must have been loose?) and asked them to put the pin tighter... I was apparently dry before my first birthday.. reading before age 4.. definitely precocious.. I'm still a chatterbox!

PurpleButterflyWings · 18/02/2023 21:17

Both of mine were speaking sentences before they were two... about 14 to 15 months for one and about 19 to 20 months for the other. They could recognise quite a few colours and count to 10 by the time they were two as well. But also read the first Harry Potter book by the time they were four. Could also play video games - not skilfully and properly, but got the jist, and could use the controller, and play platform games by the age of 3.

Just both very advanced children. The problem is people whose children aren't 'advanced' and are a bit academically average, don't start talking properly til they are 2 or 3, and can't read a single sentence until they are 4 or 5 don't like to hear it.

I think it annoys some people, as it hits a raw nerve. So I never tell people this in real life and I have never bragged about it in real life. When people saw it for themselves they were shocked. Some were annoyed as well - when their children were about two years behind mine. Wasn't my fault mine were advanced. But yeah, people whose children are advanced don't want to hear about your more advanced children, and they scoff and deride and refuse to believe it when you mention it online. It's jealousy.

Aria2015 · 18/02/2023 21:31

My son was any early talker. First words at 9 months and then by about 14 months he could say a few words together like 'ready, steady, go' when going down a slide and 'mummy do it'. People were always commenting on how good his speech was, especially for a boy (🤷‍♀️). By the time he started school though it had all evened out and his time in the sun was over lol!

MrsRandom123 · 18/02/2023 21:39

My daughter could really well by 14 months not full on big sentences but things like “want a drink please” “a big blue car” “read a story book now” she was my 1st and seemed “advanced” compared to her peers - she’s nearly 13 & never shuts up.

My son on the other hand couldn’t even say book or car or things like “woof woof” he could mumble a kind of mama sound and i remember being really worried about him and talking to the hv as by 2 he didn’t have half the speech my daughter had at 1. He’s 8 & never shuts up either. When he did start talking that was him but he was a lot older than my daughter was and slower to learn they are all different

ScrumpyTree · 18/02/2023 23:31

Yes my eldest did.

Not NT though.

And was very behind physically.

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 19/02/2023 01:33

My DD was saying words by 10 months.

Sentences at 17 months.

I was smug as fuck.

Until DS came along and the most he said for the first 2 years was ‘ugg’ 🙄

Original poster
Foal · 19/02/2023 02:18

PurpleButterflyWings · 18/02/2023 21:17

Both of mine were speaking sentences before they were two... about 14 to 15 months for one and about 19 to 20 months for the other. They could recognise quite a few colours and count to 10 by the time they were two as well. But also read the first Harry Potter book by the time they were four. Could also play video games - not skilfully and properly, but got the jist, and could use the controller, and play platform games by the age of 3.

Just both very advanced children. The problem is people whose children aren't 'advanced' and are a bit academically average, don't start talking properly til they are 2 or 3, and can't read a single sentence until they are 4 or 5 don't like to hear it.

I think it annoys some people, as it hits a raw nerve. So I never tell people this in real life and I have never bragged about it in real life. When people saw it for themselves they were shocked. Some were annoyed as well - when their children were about two years behind mine. Wasn't my fault mine were advanced. But yeah, people whose children are advanced don't want to hear about your more advanced children, and they scoff and deride and refuse to believe it when you mention it online. It's jealousy.

It doesn't annoy me, although she often brings it up at odd times like when someone else has just shared that their baby doesn't talk or whatever. That I do find annoying and unpleasant.

I'm sure that her kids are verbally advanced but I don't think I'll believe it's to the extent she claims until I see a video! She shares plenty of videos of them doing "normal" things but nothing so advanced.

My baby neither talks nor sleeps well 😂

OP posts:
sashh · 19/02/2023 04:12

Some children start to talk in sentences, then they 'regress' and start saying things like "I eated dinner".

What happens is they repeat the sentence in a similar way that most children learn one word at a time.

Then as they start working out the grammar rules they apply the rules even when they don't make sense.

It's not about their intellect it is to do with control over their mouths, voice box etc.

Deaf children often sign from 6 months, not fluently but odd signs.

Oh and if you have a sign language using child they sometimes sign in their sleep, just as other children might talk in their sleep.

sashh · 19/02/2023 04:14

Link to a deaf granny teaching her grandchild sign, at 9 weeks.

Yfront · 19/02/2023 09:37

Just both very advanced children. The problem is people whose children aren't 'advanced' and are a bit academically average, don't start talking properly til they are 2 or 3, and can't read a single sentence until they are 4 or 5 don't like to hear it

This is wildly, massively wrong.

Your kid might be bright, sure. That's great. You can use their early speech development as a little smug blanket to keep yourself warm at night.

It does not mean that other children who have developed different skills at different rates to yours, are lesser intellectual beings.

Dyslexicwonder · 19/02/2023 09:41

Yfront · 19/02/2023 09:37

Just both very advanced children. The problem is people whose children aren't 'advanced' and are a bit academically average, don't start talking properly til they are 2 or 3, and can't read a single sentence until they are 4 or 5 don't like to hear it

This is wildly, massively wrong.

Your kid might be bright, sure. That's great. You can use their early speech development as a little smug blanket to keep yourself warm at night.

It does not mean that other children who have developed different skills at different rates to yours, are lesser intellectual beings.

Hmm, not sure that there is no link between early development and later achievement. I agree it is not perfectly proportional but on average bright DCs will speak early, read early and have a generally greater understanding and curiosity about the world.

Yfront · 19/02/2023 09:50

Understanding and curiousity yes. Speech and reading in babies, toddlers and preschoolers... Not so much.

My own experience, and that of lots of replies on the thread, is that children develop at different rates and that it is not an indicator of future intellectual or academic achievement.

DanceMonkey19 · 19/02/2023 09:51

Yep. As per some of the pp with early talkers he has asd.

Goingundergroundagain · 19/02/2023 09:54

My grandson is just over 2 doesn’t say a word but can walk for miles and his motor skills are like a 5 year old.

Mumoftwoinprimary · 19/02/2023 10:23

Needmorelego · 18/02/2023 16:26

@Rachelthesellotape mine was a late walker.
Someone said to me "they either walk or talk not both".
Not sure how true that is 😂

Fits with my Dd.

When she was nearly 18 months I was late meeting friends for a night out because a Very Exciting Thing had happened - she had stood for the first time!

That night I also said that I could have a decent conversation with her. Which my friends (who had similar aged children - who could walk easily) were amazed about.

Not sure it means anything - 12 years later dd is academically able but physically very very gifted. (National level at her main sport and the type of child who goes to football club one lunchtime at school as her best friend is going and she has fallen out with her other friends and is immediately put in the school football team.)

Abraxan · 19/02/2023 10:31

Dd could speak in sentences at that age. She was very vocal fairly early on, was putting worlds together early and moving into shirt sentences not too long after, and remained so. Never shut up 😂

But it's like anything. Some children walk really early - friend's Dd was walking at 7.5 months. Some do other stuff early. Some do it late. At the end of the day, the majority end up the same later down the line - all walking and talking with no real difference in ability in either.

Abraxan · 19/02/2023 10:36

I love you daddy

Perfectly possible with an early talker I'd have though.

Talking about her day

Well unless she gave specific examples then it's fairly like to be sentences such as 'I goed to park. I falled over' rather than 'we went to the big park in the village and whilst getting off the roundabout I fell and banged my knee.'

Both examples would be the toddler using sentences but clearly the latter is highly unlikely, if at all possible.

Abraxan · 19/02/2023 10:42

Whilst I do have the odd video I wouldn't necessarily have posted it, especially to a group of other mums.

Other than that the other 'proof' I have is in her red book where her speech is commented on by the health visitor. There's a comment when she is around 14/5 months and one just after being 2 at her review.

MyNameIsErinQuin · 19/02/2023 10:59

My friend’s son spoke in sentences at that age. Walked at 8 months. Now at 15, he’s just a normal teen, less than averagely academic, good at sport.

PauliString · 19/02/2023 12:19

sashh · 19/02/2023 04:14

Link to a deaf granny teaching her grandchild sign, at 9 weeks.

Oh Sashh, that’s beautiful