To be surprised that a woman I met's daughter was talking at 7 months?

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I met a woman today who I'd met briefly when we were both last pregnant. She was saying that her daughter was speaking from 7 months and can now (not quite two) say the alphabet and count to ten in several languages.

I hadn't realised that children could talk as early as seven months (and I still can't say the alphabet in any language other than English).

My dd started talking at 7 months and hasn't stopped since (2.11 now). She also knew the alphabet by 2 due to that sodding Fridge Phonics thing. Never get one, the song is so irritating!

Apparently I was exactly the same and spoke fluently by 2. I think children just do things at their own pace and early speech is not necessarily an indication that the child is a future astrophysicist.

Hmm...well, it depends on her definition of talking. DD could say mama, daddy, nan, mouse, car, and up at seven months. I wouldnt have said she was "talking" though. At 19mo she can count to ten (as she picks up each object), string three words together, uses "thank you", "sorry", "hot/cold/heavy" in context and has started to pick up colours too. Cant say a word in another language though!

Mind, Im only saying this on here, would never tell anyone in RL as it feels like bragging, as being typically british I cant for one second say anything gushong about my child for fear of being branded a boaster

In short, some babies/toddlers are just good at remembering - thats all it is with dd.

I talked at seven months and I am an astrophysicist.

Only half of that sentence is strictly true.

DS could say a few words at 8 months, bye bye, mama, dada, ta, that sort of thing but its not really talking IMO, he could hold a proper conversation by 18 months though, he could do lots of stuff before he was 2 that was unusual for children that age in relation to speaking/literacy stuff. DS2 . . . well didn't ! All in their own time eh!

Some babies develop certain skills before others, some babies crawl at 5 months, 7-9 months is more usual. Some babies walk at 6 months, others not until they are 18 months. Same with talking. Ds didn't say his first word (banana) until he was almost a year, dd1 clearly said "otzy"
(Horse) at 7 months (and hasn't bloody well shut up since) you could hold a full conversation with her by 18 months. they are both similar intelligence but developed different skills at different times.

My friend was a late talker (3 years old!!!) and now has a PhD is English so it all evens out in the end. DS is 8 months and I can just about make out mama/dada :)

Mine was 8 months but then she couldn't walk till she was nearly two

Tosh. No baby is talking at 7 months. Parents hear "mama" and claim it's a word. It's not, it's a babbling sound they make by mashing their lips together. Just because she looks at you when she says it doesn't mean she gives any specific meaning to the sound. She's playing with her voice.

ds1 had some proto words before a year. And a wide repertoire of animal sounds - qua ssss etc. Then he lost the lot and well over ten years later has never regained them so yeah whatever. Some talk early then lose it, more talk early & keep it and some talk late and well and truly overtake those like ds1.

I certainly didn't notice anything as early as that in my two - just what PeriodMath says, sounds that could be interpreted as words. My DDs started talking properly at 13 months or so, and were speaking in complex sentences by about 20 months, which gobsmacked me a bit with DD1 as I was not expecting it.

DD2 did the same but refused to cooperate at her two year assessment - she wouldn't say a word until we left, at which point she piped up with 'Thank you nice lady, can I come and play with your toys again?'

They all do it at their own pace and aren't performing animals.

I met a woman who claimed her baby could read at 10 months before he could speak. Some people talk a lot of crap.

No seriously periodmath, my dd said otzy. She said it loudly and clearly when she saw my horse, and frequently when we turned into the lane to the stables. In fact she usually spent the time riding down the lane to the stables bouncing up and down in her car seat squealing otzy otzy otzy at full volume. She could also say mama and dada at about the same time, but they don't count really as they are just babbling sounds as you say. She was quite clearly saying bottle, nappy, and "no bed" by 9 months, and made a fairly coherent attempt at names of horses she knew at the stables and would say their names when she saw them.
It is unusual, but not impossible, all babies are different.

period and of.course Daddy Car Mouse etc are the same - just random noises that we take to mean something.

Period - I can't speak for a child of 7 months of my own but DS very clearly would say words at 8 months, would very clearly say bye bye plus other words in context so definitely just not accidental babbling. My friends DD would say mama and dada to them when she saw them, very much in context so it definitely can happen.

It doesn't always have any relevance with what happens later in life but then again it can!

DD2 was saying words at 8months and putting little sentences together at 1.

No one believed us

DD had about 10 words by 7 months that were recognisable by other people. At 8 months she shouted 'duck go quack quack' at the HV who nearly shit herself (wasn't expecting a talking baby)

She used these skills to make up for refusing to pull herself up, stand or walk until she was 15 months.

Everyone is different

As for the reading, my friends son could read fluently by 18 months. It was really odd watching him sit there and read a book out loud at an age where my sons idea of high entertainment was hitting an upturned saucepan with a spoon. He could also count to 20 (probably more) and By that I mean counting objects rather than just knowing the words in sequence. His mother was the most un pushy parent ever, in fact she was quite embarrassed by all the attention.

Why would anyone lie? My DDs first word was clap (whilst clapping) and I had witnesses! It doesn't mean anything though she is now 6 and not at university so I wouldn't worry

Mil and oldest sil swear blind that youngest sil was talking at 2-3 months. She said 'air' which was apparently her saying oldest sil name (claire)
Both my ds' made a similar noise at a similar age. Sil has always been annoyed that I never counted that as their 1st words

But 7 months? Maybe. I honestly can't remember when my 2 started talking!

My DD talked at 7 months, could say about 10 words. It really shocked people. DS, not so much! Not at all in fact til 15 months.

Twatty, that sounds like my DD. She could read fluently by 2 She'd also read book that she hadn't read before in shops and libraries.
The sad bit is that by 3, she'd started to lie about it because other mothers got annoyed and told her that she couldn't really read, she'd just memorised it. She wasn't upset, she didn't see the point of arguing with a 'grup'

DS1 also said egg when he was about 3 months old, he was just babbling and it came out so clearly, never did it again though, my nephew said hello over and over again one day when he was a few months old but it was just babbling but amused us of course.

It makes me laugh when people say that their DCs know their alphabet or times tables at really young ages but in fact all they are doing is reciting something they have learnt in the same fashion as a nursery rhyme. There are some very young children who understand the alphabet at 18 months/2 YO but not as common as people will lead you to believe. In the preschool I ran in, 5 years, there was 1 child who could do this!

DD2 had a good few recogniseable words at 7 months and had quite long sentences by a year. People would constantly stop me and ask "how is that baby talking?" as if I'd worked some sort of magic trick on her!

It doesn't mean anything, though, so don't let your friend get too boasty She's 13 now and doing quite well academically, but no better than DD1 who didn't say anything much until 22 months.

I didn't talk till i was over 2. Barely a recognisable utterance.

Our DD was the same. She had amazing intonation.... but no vocab to fill it in till she was over two. She was, however, amazing and communicating. We knew exactly what she wanted.

Our family frequently tell us that we have made up for it since. i reckon both of us are articulate.

Tell you what though, she walked at 8 months - running round the house, this tiny little thing, at 9 months. And she now reads big kid paper back books and just got 100% in that annoying phonics* thingy.

Have friedn whoe kid started talking at about 7 months, and was reading at 18 months,... she is like a mega genius. But lots she can;t do too!

All different.

its the comparing that is awful..

*Shameful showing off. Sorry. I haven;t told anyone and its bursting out of me.

both mine could say some words by 7months like mum, dad, yes, no etc. dd also said poo a lot then giggled as it had amused ds to teach her. They could both count to 10 in french and english by 2 and knew a few songs in other languages. ds also knew his alphabet at 2, dd at 4 is still convinced its 'mnlo' but can recite her 2 and 3 times tables (we think she picked it up from us constantly practicing it with ds as he struggles with times tables).

My now 13 year old brother however didn't speak at all until he was nearly 2 and is now top of his class for everything at a grammar school and is already a lot smarter than me

Different children learn at different rates.