To think a 13 month old cannot say 106 words?

[TinyChatterbox]

Just over a year ago I had my first child and like many did an antenatal group. As lockdown commenced several of us managed to track each other down on Facebook and we started a group chat. There are now 5 of us who were in the original antenatal group in this chat and its been lovely to catch up albeit virtually every now and again.

All 5 of us are first time parents and one of the group boastfully posted yesterday evening that her daughter (who is 13 and 1/2 months) can now say 106 words. Now I'm not disputing she may think her child says that many words but she's talking utter bullshit isn't she. There is absolutely no way her 14 month old actually says 106 words which could be understood by anyone.

It's really pissed me off and I'd love some clarification because one of the mums in the group, who is quite a young mother, has responded in a blind panic that her child who is also 13 months only says 8 words. She's understandably completely freaking out and has messaged the health visitor as there is clearly something wrong with her daughter.

YANBU - The mum is deluded to think her child says 106 words.

YABu - It's perfectly possible a 13 month old can say 106 words.

After reading the baby was walking early I'd be tempted to put "ooo let's hope they're not peaking too soon!" Obviously I don't actually think you should write that, just makes me laugh

An 'ante natal group' sounds dreadful. I'm glad no such things existed when I was pregnant. I just went to the ante natal clinic on my day, end of.

A group of fellow new mothers (who initally met when pregnant) meeting up in each others' houses, sounds dreadful? Far from it. Isolation is a major factor in PND, so having that social outlet and being able to share concerns, experiences and tips is hugely valuable.

An 'ante natal group' sounds dreadful. I'm glad no such things existed when I was pregnant. I just went to the ante natal clinic on my day, end of

This is such a typical shitty MN response

They’re not dreadful. Not all of them not by any means. As a first time mum I spent wonderful months lazing round the park with mine, swapping war stories, getting advice, but mostly getting fresh air, drinking wine and enjoying the company.

How does she keep count is what I want to know. My 16 month old says loads of words that we understand but they're kind of broken up so she say pash for bath time instead of splash, pease for please. Today she said kitchen and cheese but unless I'm keeping a log I've no idea how many she actually says properly!

I can't imagine how invested she is in her kids life, how boring counting words, who actually cares?

@NoSleepInTheHeat

I imagine most 13mo are closer to 100 words than to 8

No, not correct.

Average is that at 2 years old, they have 50 words.

I keep repeating this, because it is true, and no matter how many posters claim otherwise, being able to speak 106 words at 13 months is not common or usual.

My friends baby was incredible at talking. I don't think she counted his vocabulary but I remember it was a lot. He was speaking in sentences albeit short ones at one. He also declared when he was happy, sad and I'll never forget her saying 'oh he's moved onto emotions now . Meanwhile by son could say car, milk, drink and not a lot else! .

It's in the eye ( or ear ) of the beholder. Its very sweet that her mum is so proud

Yeah, one of my colleagues would recount long conversations she had with her grandson at about 19 months or so and I was thinking, he’s way more advanced thanDD at that age. Then her daughter brought him in one day and his speech was on a sort of dadada gagaga level. She was obviously putting her own interpretation on it.

I keep repeating this, because it is true, and no matter how many posters claim otherwise, being able to speak 106 words at 13 months is not common or usual.

Indeed. This thread is literally mind blowing. You would think that if it was as common as it appears on this thread the bar would be significantly higher for the 2 year check? I honestly had no idea so many incredibly verbally intelligent children existed.

and again, it is considered to be a 'word' if the same sound is repeated for the same item.

So they always use 'dun' for drink. And it doesn't matter if others can'e understand, if their main carer knows that that sound is always used for drink, then it counts.

It doesn't have to be correctly spoken clear words, the key is the repetition.

I wasn't in UK when my ds was 2, so I did spend a day writing down the words he had, to see if he had 50. I was surprised at how many he had at the time, but in my experience, once they take off, they go from 10-100 words very quickly and then just keep adding.

My eldest DD could speak in fluent, understood sentences at 18mths.

When she started nursery at 3yrs her vocabulary and how articulate she was, was commented on a lot.

In comparison my youngest DD didn't speak until 3.5. She's nearly 5 now and talks like your average 3 year old.

I believe it's possible.

@TinyChatterbox

I keep repeating this, because it is true, and no matter how many posters claim otherwise, being able to speak 106 words at 13 months is not common or usual.

Indeed. This thread is literally mind blowing. You would think that if it was as common as it appears on this thread the bar would be significantly higher for the 2 year check? I honestly had no idea so many incredibly verbally intelligent children existed.

It might not be common or usual but it definitely happens. Unless there's the insinuation that we're just lying?!

It might not be common or usual but it definitely happens. Unless there's the insinuation that we're just lying?!

Im not saying you are all lying but it's blowing my mind that for something which is apparently uncommon there are so many posters who have said their children were capable of it. So many children knowing at least 106 words is staggering to me.

I was just musing that if it was actually not as uncommon as some people had said that the target of 50 words seemed incredibly low for a 2 year old.

I’d just eye roll to myself and make sure not to talk to her again.😅

Exceptional precocity usually goes hand in hand with neurodiversity

My experience too. What comes across as parental competition and boasting may be a parent trying to understand what the hell is going on. Because it's unusual and attracts attention - strangers in the street doing double takes etc. I knew that development across the board is varied but I didn't understand that extreme strengths and extreme weaknesses often coexist. Or that extreme strengths can manifest first.

I wasn't in UK when my ds was 2, so I did spend a day writing down the words he had, to see if he had 50. I was surprised at how many he had at the time, but in my experience, once they take off, they go from 10-100 words very quickly and then just keep adding.

Yeas that was my experience. I’ve only just remembered what prompted me to write down DS’s words at 23 months (apart from being some kind of weirdo) It was reading that the average was 50 word at 2 and thinking he must have more than that. I got up to 300; this was from about 10 words at 18 months.

At that age children can be very different in more ways than one. My friend’s DS would tell these long narratives meaningful to him but incomprehensible to others but definitely much more than infant babbling, whereas DS just said individual words but very clearly.

One of my DS’s could read (by pointing at words) before he talked, he didn’t talk until nearly 4. Two of my DS’s crawled before being able to sit. All 3 DS slept through the night at 8 weeks and pretty morning never woke up (like once a year). They’re all regular guys now. Babies do some random stuff.

You would think that if it was as common as it appears on this thread the bar would be significantly higher for the 2 year check? I honestly had no idea so many incredibly verbally intelligent children existed.

No...it would be set at a level that reflects what the average achievement is for a two year old. It’s not like a target at work where you can just set it higher according to what some people have achieved - it’s a reflection of the average.

It also stands to reason that on a thread like this there will be more posters stating the counterpoint.

Maybe she's talking about receptive language, lots of 12 month olds know lots of words but can't necessarily say them meaningfully.

Either way, all babies hit different milestones at different times.
Some will be walking at 12 months, others are starting to chat, some are excellent at shape sorters, some are tiny Houdinis that can figure out child-locked cupboards with their eyes closed.

I'd just remind the group of that - and try not to get so wound up by other mums. She might be struggling and boasting to make herself feel better. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Either way, what someone else's child is or isn't doing, doesn't make a difference to yours. 🙂

And when I say my daughter was speaking in complex sentences by the time she was 18 months, I mean actual words and sentences, not just babbling that might only be understandable to me...people thought she had been very premature and that’s why she was so small, as they assumed she was 3 or 4 years old.

She also drew extremely advanced pictures for her age. Two or theee years above what her age norm was. It was just who she was, that was the way her brain and body worked.

Exceptional precocity usually goes hand in hand with neurodiversity

I would agree.

Both my girls are autistic. The late talker and the exceptionally early one.

They were both 2 months premature too.

Babies are amazing things

DS talked early - just turned 7 months. The first week he had 6 words which he used over and over. By 14 months he would've had at least 100 words and used them in short sentences. His favourite thing was to go around pointing at stuff and people and saying Whats that? Whos that? and then repeating the word.
He didn't walk until he was 16 months. Worse he didn't sleep night or day from he was a newborn- so he had a shit load of time to fill. I'd rather he had slept than spoken so much.
It fucked a lot of the other mothers at our village baby group off and we were ostracised by a large group of them. I didn't point out he was talking as it was quite obvious. I eventually left the group as it made me feel quite shit that people were so nasty and I was on my knees mentally having had no sleep for a year. I did meet a couple of nice people.

My oldest spoke in full sentences by their first birthday. I can’t say I ever counted the amount of words they knew but I suppose it could’ve been 106. I was a little smug about it until my next child couldn’t talk at all til past two.

* Comparing babies’ achievements is a recipe for heartache. They all get there in the end. Enjoy your babies they grow up too quickly.*

^This is really great advice.