To think my 2yr old should be saying her sisters name by now?

[Tatteredlace]

Youngest DD is 2yrs 2 months. She says Dada and Mama and a few other words (cow, shoes, towel, biscuit etc) but they are not that clear.

She had a hearing test 4 months ago because we were worried about her speech and she was diagnosed with fluid in one inner ear. She has a follow up test next month.

Surely she should be saying her sisters name (its only 4 letters/2 syllables). Her sister says mummy (mother when she wants to be dramatic) and daddy so I thought the 2 yr old would have started saying mummy and daddy over mama and dada??

She has been referred to speech and language and we are on the waiting list but DH's family are saying im being a drama queen and she is just lazy and letting her sister chat for her.

Aibu? Am I being a drama queen?

Try not to worry OP.

Maybe if, like you said, DD didn't have her older sister to rely on, she would be speaking more. Could you try and spend more time with DD2 on your own, just you two, chatting about different things, and mentioning DD2's name?

My 2 and a half year old doesn't say a single word yet. So to me, the fact that she is talking would be enough. She might not be talking well but she is getting there. Speech and language around here won't entertain my sons speech until he's nearer 3!

Not a drama queen (that's mean), and you are right to follow up on it, but the chances are that she'll be fine. It's normal for children with hearing loss to have some speech delay (my DS had glue ear and was a late talker). I'm sure she'll catch up

My 2 and a half year old has about 3 words.

Well, until yesterday when he woke up talking. Was a bit weird.

You're not being a drama queen, but please remember that not all children develop in strict accordance with paediatrician's milestones.

My younger brother barely spoke a word until he was about 5, to my mother's great shame. She needn't have been worried, he's the brightest out of the lot of us! He's just not one to waste words.

I used to speak for my sister, she is 21m younger than me. She was referred to speech therapy at 3 when she started preschool. She is now 31 and shouts me down regularly haha!

And just to add my best friend's eldest barely said more than your DD. Then all of a sudden his vocab exploded. It was like he was perfecting it in secret but just had to say the essentials in the meantime to get by. See how she goes, if she needs extra help then so be it, it will aid her development, or she could just be going at her own pace.

Thank you so much mumsnetters. I know I am being paranoid, I just need a little bit of support I think.

Our bigger DD has just started school so little DD is relishing in all the attention. I am hoping it allows her to explore her speech a little more. I secretly quite like that she still says mama and dada anyway, its cute!

My just turned 2yo can't say my 1yos name (only 2 syllables) he's come up with his own nickname for him I'm not worried tho as speech in general is good

My son only said single wotds and not many at that until he was three and he suddenly started speaking in sentences. Everyone was shocked when they heard him.

It took my youngest until he was about three to master basic names. They weren't as important as toast and the cats. Even when he did master them, he couldn't actually pronounce them. He's now nearly six, and very rarely uses correct names.

Most of the children I know well, including my three dcs, were using nicknames or easy versions of the siblings names until age 3 ish or older, if using any name at all.

Sometimes it's just delayed speech but you're not being paranoid and it's important to check it out. My 2 year old's delayed speech looks like it might be due to asd so it's not always nothing to worry about. The speech therapist will help rule out anything else and if she's had ear trouble it's most likely just due to that.

My DS didn't say his twin sister's name until he was three. She was using his name from about two.

in every other way their speech was the same but (as is common with twins) a little behind their cohort.

They are highly articulate now.

BiL didn't speak until he was 5 and then it was in full sentences. One of my sisters has a slight lisp and so saying some of our names was hard for her. As for my brother.. he's had numerous problems with his ears, including fluid, burst eardrums (twice) grommets... and he didn't speak much as he had 3 older siblings. He did eventually learn to speak clearly and more often when we uses to wind him up about it after we went to school. Each child is different though.

My eldest gets Speech Therapy & I wish I had got it checked out sooner.
Her hearing is fine although she has failed 1 hearing test. She did have a fewcperforated ear drums as a toddler & I do think this has impacted her Speech even if hearing is OK. That said her vocabulary is excellent and her teachers have commented on how good it is. Her speech will get there.

My boy is also a bit late on the speech front (way too active children). He has been saying his sisters name for quite a while but it's not too difficult. But he's almost 3 and I would say it's only in the last 3 or 4 months that his speech has come on leaps and bounds. Can't shut him up now.

But a bit of paranoia does no harm. I wish I had been a bit more proactive.

I may still get my youngest assessed. Will see how his pronunciation goes.

My dd barely spoke until she was 3, because her older brother talked for her. When she finally started, it came all of a sudden and improved in clarity 100% in a couple of weeks. Try not to worry.

No, I think you're worrying unnecessarily. My son is 6 (he is an Aspie, I don't think that counts with this to be honest). Up until about four, he called his sister "Hoe". Her name is Holly. She is also 19. At 16/17 she didn't appreciate him shouting out "Hoe" everytime he saw her . He now says it properly. Language delay is not unusual. My friend has a perfectly neuro-typical child who can't speak properly at all, he is 4. School were not concerned at the beginning of term, he will "catch up". Indeed within a few weeks of being at the nursery, we now largely know what he's saying. Hopefully it will be fine! Totally understand your worries though

Another one who used to speak for her sister she didn't talk properly until she was 3+ because of me, she was referred to a therapist who said it was me communicating for her. (Don't know why I took over when there's 5 more of us)

Try not to worry, she will improve.

Definitely not a drama queen, OP, and you're right to get it looked at, but everyone is right when they say that some children just develop differently and it doesn't necessarily mean anything for the future. I always think of a boy I once taught in a super-selective grammar school who went on to do medicine at a very good university. Apparently he never said a word until he was three and he was an only child!

I worried myself to a frazzle when my eldest son didn't talk beyond absolute basics like Mama and Dada. Then I heard him in his cot one night talking virtually in complete sentences! It was weird. Once he started he never stopped.... he is now 35 and I don't think he has paused for breath yet!

I think that you are being responsible not a drama queen.

All three of my DC have been on the slower end of reaching their speech and language milestones (not sure what that says about me ). The eldest has an excellent vocabulary now at 8, middle is average and youngest too young to tell. I still find it tricky not to make comparisons between my youngest and other toddlers, despite knowing that she will most likely get there eventually.

Ds1 had glue ear and was saying nothing at the age of 2. He had grommets put in and all the language came at once. Get your dc's hearing checked, but don't worry yet.

No, you're not a drama queen, OP. I get it because DD1 has hearing loss and she was slow to speak. But she's now 8 and she speaks a lot and very clearly now. DD2 was quicker but she doesn't have the hearing loss.

It might be that she's letting her sister speak for her. My BIL and his DW have 5 DCs and their youngest, one of 6 DNephews, was very slow speaking. He used to rely on his older siblings to speak for him, he's now 9 and there's no problem at all.