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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask how verbal your 15 month old is?

26 replies

ethelfleda · 31/01/2019 14:06

DS has just turned 15 months and only says ‘mamma’ and ‘dadda’ And most of the time not in context. I’m not overly worried, he understands a lot of what we say to him and can certainly make it known what he wants by pointing and grunting etc.
I just wondered how many words your DC knows/knew at this age and when they started to become more verbal?

OP posts:

PseudoQuim · 31/01/2019 14:20

My son has just turned 21 months and still doesn't say much, although he understands quite complicated things. He doesn't say mummy or daddy but "oh no!" and "oh dear" are favourites Along with 'wow' and 'a car' that's about all he says.

According to my mum, I didn't do odd words and gradually build up like most toddlers do, but just started speaking in sentences. My son has followed me in a lot of the way he develops (and also does sudden leaps rather than gradually and practising) so we think he may do this with speaking as well.

Salmonpinkcords · 31/01/2019 14:22

Pretty much zero!
Mama dada gaga is about it to be honest.
His sisters both spoke super early and I have been trying to encourage him. I go over the same words and sounds but so far no progress! I’m worried though.

monkerina · 31/01/2019 14:23

DS was barely saying Daddy at 25 months, much less mummy, although he did use a few signs. By 26.5mo vocab was up to about 100 words and I couldn't even hope to count now at 34mo. Some prefer to take their time! But 15mo is tiny still

JustAnotherOneOfThemUsers · 31/01/2019 14:25

At 15 months, our DS said nothing. Didn't really start to say anything until 21-ish months, by which time we were a tad concerned. By 26 months, suffice to say all our concerns had gone.

PopCakes · 31/01/2019 14:29

My first had lots of words but only DH and I would actually be able to understand them - as his pronounciation was awful: around 18 months it suddenly became more intelligible and he started to speak in sentences. My second was much more of a babbler which gradually became real language. My nephew was almost completely silent until about 18-20 months then suddenly started speaking in quite a complex way. By the time they were about 2 or 3 any differences in their speech had been completely forgotten.

MoominMamaBear · 31/01/2019 14:31

15 months is still very little, OP. DS1 didn’t talk until he was 3yrs, and then pretty much only Incould understand him. He was diagnosed with Expressive Speech Disorder, and then, just before he started Reception, his language exploded into clear speech. After years of begging him to speak, we now beg him to shut up!
DS2 is 21 months, and saying nothing yet. Given DS1, I’m trying not to worry too much, but I do have days where I worry something is wrong. Only natural, I suppose!

PennyMordauntsLadyBrain · 31/01/2019 14:31

This thread makes me feel so much better- dd is 16 months and although she understands well and can follow instructions, she only says mama and up.

She’ll sit with a board book and “read” out loud to herself in jibberish, but not so much actual words.

I was checking the Baby Centre milestones and there was advice there to say if dc wasn’t talking by 15 months to get on to the health visitor, which I was really worrying about.

Camomila · 31/01/2019 14:33

I think DS could say about 8ish words then ....mamma, daddy, his grandparents and maybe nanna (sleep) and pappa (food)

BabloHoney · 31/01/2019 14:36

The only words my little boy could say at 2 were 'mama' 'dadda' and 'SarahAndDuckQuack'. He'll be 5 in the summer and literally never stops talking

I honestly wouldn't worry if he understands things... once you get to the 767 questions per day stage, you might look back and wish you'd enjoyed the peace more!! x

JagerPlease · 31/01/2019 15:02

DS said very little at that age, just made a lot noises! Anecdotally I found from meeting other children the same age that the girls tended to be more likely to be talking than the boys

PseudoQuim · 31/01/2019 15:04

@BabloHoney that's exactly what my parents said about the questions stage!

BabloHoney · 31/01/2019 15:21

@PseudoQuim this is a typical day for us... 'Is it my birthday today?' 'how old are you?' 'how old is Grandma?' 'how many days until Christmas?' 'what is outer space?' 'can i go to outer space?' 'do sharks like spaghetti bolognese?' 'can I have a snack?' 'can I have another snack?' 'what's your second favourite dinosaur?' 'how many words begin with S?'

Honestly I was so worried he was a later talker, I wish I'd relaxed a bit more hehe.

PopCakes · 31/01/2019 15:23

I should also add sign language is really useful for when they don't have many words. We didn't look up official signs or anything but used food, drink, more, all gone and up and it was great.

Itsnotmesothere · 31/01/2019 15:40

I think it's way too early to be worrying just yet. DS at his 27 month check said only mamma and dadda and perhaps ball. Not joking. Probably had less than 20 words. He babbled lots and HV said he had speech delay. She kept an eye on him to see if he would need a referral and each time she saw him, he had improved a bit. It was quite gradual; now at just 3, he speaks in quite clear short sentences and has a big vocabulary.

I was quite shocked the other day as I had to ask him to be quiet so I could finish his story. He was silent for so long, wish I had appreciated it instead of stressing!

Original poster

ethelfleda · 31/01/2019 15:50

do sharks like spaghetti bolognese?

This really made me laugh!!

Thanks for the replies. He is very good at making you aware of what he wants and will point to things and grunt to wait for you to tell him what they are. And his babbling sounds like he is talking with proper intonation and everything!
I shall stop worrying for the time being then
Love mn for things like this!

OP posts:

mammy0f0ne · 31/01/2019 15:53

My son it 25 months and doesn't say a lot. He's only just put his first in context sentence together.

Ijumpedtheshark · 31/01/2019 15:53

Don’t worry, my DS said very little until he was about 2 1/2. Now he’s 3 and has caught up with all the early talkers.

outnumbered4 · 31/01/2019 17:29

My youngest has just turned 16 months and doesn't say much yet. She's mastered mama when she wants me to do something. She's also been trying to say her siblings names but usually just shouts for them (must get that from me ) they all answer to a shout from her.
She meows when she sees a cat too. That's about it.

She understands most of what is said to her though and will pick up something if she's asked to, or bring something to you.

She also points to things she wants, waves hello and goodbye and claps herself when she does something she's pleased with which I think is more reassuring.

I do have 3 children with ASD though so I probably overthink it all with her

Bythebeach · 31/01/2019 17:39

They’re all different! My eldest had over 100 words at 14 months ( I wrote them down but gave up at 100) and spoke in complete sentences at 18 months “Why is your toe bleeding Mummy?”, I have been told of but never met another toddler with speech as his was. At 13 he is clever-ish but normal. By comparison, my second said much less (I have a video of him pointing at a picture in a book at 18 months and saying “Mummy, apple” which was typical of him so not even a short sentence and third said not a fraction of that. Younger two are both seemingly very able at school at age 10 and 6 and all 3 are articulate and good at talking non stop despite such varying toddler speech. Don’t fret at 15 months - it means nothing at that age!!!

Caterina99 · 31/01/2019 18:57

My DD is 15m. She has about 5 words (shoe, book, toast, cats name, siblings name and probably more) plus mama and dada. She babbles along to books and songs too.

My DS on the other hand had only mama and dada at 15m. I forget when he really caught up, but he went from the lower end of average at 15m to above average at 2. He’s 3.5 now and literally never ever shuts up. There’s a new question every 30 seconds and it drives me mad

HipHipHippo · 31/01/2019 19:01

My 14 month old pretty much only says 'pump' and that's usually right after he's pumped...

catlikefi · 31/01/2019 19:19

Ah I had the same concern recently. We just had our 13-15 month review with HV and one of the questions was whether DS knew five words. I don't think he really has any words (at 15.5 months old)! He chats away though (sounds like Klingon) points at things, makes it obvious what he wants but....no words. I've talked to other mums I know and they were all surprised that he almost 'failed' the communication part of his review because of this. They all thought (as did I) that it wouldn't be the case at all that most 15 month olds already know 5 words....I'm not worried though (well trying not to be), he's doing so well in all other things.

AwdBovril · 31/01/2019 19:26

DD aged 15 months had about 5 words, I think. Mama, dada, agga (all gone), dee (dog) & gaa (car). She soon started to increase her vocabulary... she pretty much never stopped talking from age 18 months to present day.

GrapesAndCheese · 31/01/2019 19:32

My DS is a real chatterbox and can say over 100 words. He can string a few words together too (dada work gone! Byebyeeee!') and he understands most of what we ask of him.

Though I'd say he isn't as social as other kids his age and prefers to interact with adults rather than his peers. Whereas I see other kids playing together he's more solitary.

They all do stuff at different rates I guess and sounds like your LO will be chatting away soon too.

Baconmaker · 31/01/2019 19:36

I was told by a speech expert that she mainly saw three types of kids in terms of speech. One type will attempt words long before they have the mouth control to actually pronounce them, so parents and carers might begin to understand them long before anyone else, they gradually become clearer. The other type are babblers. They'll babble nonsense as if speaking with intonation appropriate to their native language, over time this becomes actual speech. The third stay silent for ages, worrying their parents no end and suddenly begin speaking as if they'd been doing it for years.

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