When did your toddler start to say words / talk?

[friedgoldeggs]

I'm not sure if I should be worrying yet or not about this, but my DS is almost 17 months and still doesn't have any words apart from "mum/mumma" (and not in context either.) He does understand certain requests and instructions (please pass mummy your dummy / can you put it in box / where's your ball etc)

He doesn't gesture very much, if at all. Can point and wave and clap, just never ever does! Doesn't always respond to his name either. He's super active and into absolute everything.

We do lots of baby groups, songs, reading books, modelling clear language, back and forth games, etc. We also use very basic makaton signs but he's never tried to use them himself.

At what age would you flag it up? It doesn't help I'm on groups of Facebook where lots of the toddlers are now saying and mimicking lots of words, I can't help but compare (which I know is the worst thing to do!) many thanks.

My little boy was 1 on the 1st of May and says mum and dad yesterday he was stroking the dog and said ‘dog dog’.

I forgot to add that he babbles LOADS and is very noisy in that respect! Just no actual words or sounds yet that we recognise.

Ds could put 2 or 3 word sentences together at 13 months but sat up on his own really late, way behind all the others. They all do things at different stages. I don't think you need to worry at this age.

My son is 18mo and very similar to yours, he does imitate words sometimes but then never repeats them 🤦🏼‍♀️

My almost 18 month daughter doesn't say much either. Dada, hiya, chicken but no imitation regularly. Also babbles lots and loudly

All babies do things in their own time. My little one could sit up unaided by 4 months old. However, she wasn't saying words til she was turned 2 🙂

Both of my DDs didn't speak until they were two. By the time the started reception they were both described by teachers as being very articulate. However it's difficult to judge from your post. This charity is really helpful and you can telephone them and speak to a speech and language therapist for free if you are really worried. https://www.icancharity.org.uk/i-can-help/

My DD was the same and babbled with the odd word. She's 2 in July and the last month or so has reached started talking more and has sentences now.
She was the same with rolling/crawling/walking, she did them all within a month of each other around 9 months.

They all do everything in their own time so don't worry just yet x

My oldest had a few recognisable words just after 1, and by 18 months I'd stopped counting new ones.

BUT 1) he didn't walk till 19 months, so I spent my time fretting over that and had a couple of raised eyebrows at such a big "baby" still not walking.
2) he's now (aged 6) undergoing ASD assessment, and despite his speech always being relatively good for his age, there are other aspects of communication and development which he isn't up to speed with.

My second started a bit later and was less clear for some time. All kids are very different with speech. If his understanding is good and he communicates in other ways, try not to worry to much at the moment. He should have a HV review around 2ish where they'll go through all this.

Mine wasn’t saying much at 2y 4m, and then had a speech explosion - 4 months later repeats everything, uses 5 word sentences and I wish we hadn’t spent all that time worrying x

22 months. First thing was Baa Baa.
Developed very slowly over the next several months.
He's 3.5 now and you can't shut him up. 🤣

My little one at that age has about 3 words and only inconsistently followed simple requests; in my area you can self refer to speech and language who were great. He was at the bottom end of the ‘normal’ curve (though they phrased it much more nicely!) and were very reassuring that they weren’t worried but that standard process was to refer for a hearing test. Turns out he has low pressure in his ears and they suspect he had glue ear (though no diagnosed ear infections ever) and likely couldn’t hear that well. Over the summer when he was 18 months or so he went up to 70+ words in 2 months. From 3! We’re still under audiology (though they’re not actually doing anything, just monitoring the low pressure) and he speaks very clearly in long sentences and says complex (for a 2 year old!) ideas. I’d look into self referring for the speech and language team maybe as they were brilliant for us and it was great to be reassured. Ultimately though nothing has actually been done so he would have come on as he has regardless!

It's hard not to worry I totally get that. I'd say most kids at 17 months can't say a lot. It can come very quickly.

My eldest was 6 months when she said first word mum. Not sure she even knew it was just a noise to her. By a year old she had a gd few words. She was very quick with it and by 18 months had started to join words to make little sentences. By 20 months u cld have proper conversations with her, she was amazing.

My second, I was worried about as she didn't say much at all, at 1 only really said mama, dada. I actually started noting what words she cld say as I was concerned. Suddenly at 18 months she started saying lots of words and repeating. After that she was great. Sentences were around 20/21 months. By age 2 u cld have conversations.

I have lots of nieces and nephews too and it's all so different. There's one that hadn't said a word at age 3. U cldnt have a conversation with her until 4 and by then u wld never know she had delayed speech. I've got a 2yr old in family just now and comparing her to my youngest she also doesn't say very much. Although her sister was the one that didn't speak until 4 she she's way more advanced than that! More words are coming all the time. Joining up some words now too.

Mine was similar to yours at that age OP. Now he's a very bright 13yo.

My DS is 2 and a half and has a ‘speech delay’. He’s saying words but struggles with most consonants. He’s seeing NHS speech therapy this week after me referring him 11 months ago.

I definitely wouldn’t worry at this stage. I think even speech therapists don’t do much before they turn 3. My nursery also says quite a lot of the kids in the age 2-3 room are struggling with communication.

Maybe call your HV for advice?

He sounds fine, OP. Language acquisition is so stressful because there’s such a huge variation at this age.

At 18 months, my DS had five words I think - mama, daddy, hiya, cat and tractor - and so many of his friends seemed to have a much more varied vocabulary. Over the next six months he picked up so much. I kept a list (neurotic!) and he had seventy by his second birthday, and I kept reading most two year olds had at least fifty and unclenched a bit. Now he’s amazing, just repeats everything I say (often with hilarious results!)

I was looking back at pictures from this time last year (DS is now two and a half) and I can’t believe what a baby he was and how much I expected from him really. Not criticising you of course! But if he’s gesturing and understanding and communicating he’s fine, I promise. He’s so very young

My nephew is 16.5 months and doesn’t really have any proper meaningful words in context yet. But it feels like he is understanding and is right on the cusp of starting to say a few. If your DS is understanding you I’d not be worrying yet, just keep it encouraging it!

That said, I understand it’s hard not to obsess when yours seems behind - my DD was ever so late getting on the move, didn’t really crawl until about 11 months and I was desperately worried. But she is almost 2 now and you’d never know she was behind. She had a few words at your DSs age if I remember rightly things like apple, ball, dog and some animal noises but she wasn’t chatting away. She is now though it’s amazing how quickly it explodes.

Ive also heard that boys are quicker to move and girls to talk, certainly proved true for DD and her cousin!

As many PPs have said, all children really do develop at completely varying speeds. But my advice would be is if it is worrying you to contact your health visitor.
My DS is 19 months, walked at 15 months and has maybe 10 words at his current age (excluding mama and dada). That being said, he is actually under paeds at hospital for delay as he is very delayed in other areas, such as social side of thing, he doesn't grasp a lot of basic instructions etc. So just goes to show you whilst he might seem to have quite a few words etc he is still delayed in other areas

DS is 13 months and doesn't have any words (he says mama and dada but I'm not convinced it's in context at all!)

However he walked at 8.5 months so I'm expecting a bit of delay with speech!

Dd1 was 3.5, dd2 was 2.5. Dd1 is autistic, dd2 is not. Both fully verbal within the year of first words

Hello everyone! I feel much more reassured now, thank you so much. It really does vary hugely doesn't it. I will also try to stop comparing as it's doing nobody any good. I am going to give it a few more months and see how he gets on. I'll try and update this thread if there's any progress!

My son is 3 and is just starting to talk. We did private speech therapy which didn’t help at all. He’s getting there in his own time and is doing better with his speech now he’s in nursery :)

I need to read this today as I'm trying no to worry about my 21m old but it so hard!

Our DD will be 2 next month and her language only really kicked off last two months. You are fine! :)

My son didn't really say any specific words until he was around 18 months and then it was very sparse. He babbled constantly and had speech style cadence but he'd only come out with the odd word occasionally and rarely repeated them.

He had a language explosion in the last month (he's 20 months now). So many words we've lost count and he uses them repeatedly and to actively communicate. That seems to be how it's gone for my mum friends as well.