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.

My eldest could speak in sentences at a year and a half. We thought we had an extremely precocious child. Super proud. However, at three years of age he developed a severe stammer.

Several therapists later, it turned out he had autism and his "sentences" were actually echolalia. The Speech and language therapist said his expressive language was off the charts but his understanding was way below average and because his brain did not understand all the words he was saying the connection between brain and spoken word became faulty which in created the stammer.

So, yes, 106 words are entirely possible. But proceed with caution.

My DIL had a reunion with her NCT group when all the babies were a year old, give or take a week or two.
Suddenly one of the babies said, 'Look, Mummy, there's a helicopter.'
I guess there was one VERY smug mother in the group.

Unlikely but possible. It doesn’t mean anything anyway, my eldest didn’t speak until he was 3 and he’s in the top set for everything.

Very unlikely but not impossible. I knew a little girl, she must have been around 2. She could talk full sentences, you could have a proper conversation with her and she understood and could tell jokes! Her speech and understanding was amazing, I've never known another child like it.
Doesn't mean she'll be particularly clever in later life though. Sometimes I think precocious children can peak early and too much is expected of them.

I voted YABU as my oldest was exactly like that. It felt like she was pretty much born talking and hasn't stopped since (she is now 5). Sometimes I would like a bit of peace 😂. I remember her starting nursery at 12 months and her picking up a toy dinosaur and saying dinosaur. Her key worker nearly fell over in shock. She actually kept a list of her words because I guess it was so out of the ordinary. On the flip side she didn't walk till she was over 2 years (mild hypomotility). I naturally worried, but you wouldn't know now. I have nieces who were late talkers and are now late primary age and are top of their class now. It's all a bit irrelevant in the big scheme of things.

Sometimes i think this is possible sometimes not but children develop at different rates . This is in no way a stick to beat anyone with .

At 6 month check, my daughter wasn't making any of the sounds needed for speech, but cried constantly- so after a recommendation from my health visitor (for Baby Talk by Dr Sally Ward) I religiously followed her daily program designed to promote speech development in babies. By 9 months my daughter could string 6 or 7 words together to make sentences. I never counted how many words she could say in total but I think 100+ words at just over a year is definitely possible. Fast forward to now and my daughter is 11. She is slightly above average academically (she does have a good vocab!)- So whilst I definitely think it is possible, I don't think it really makes much difference to long term outcomes

Do you think? If she had absolutely no previous experience of babies (and that is quite possible) she could have investigated what was normal considering the rather large discrepancy.

As I understand it, There was nothing to go off originally. The mother said her daughter spoke 106 words, then the other mother said mine only speaks 8, so no, before making the statement she should not have done research as it was just a comment to start with, before the other mother offered up her 8 words from her child.

'Only 8?’ definitely sounds like a put down.

Yes it probably isn't the best response if that was all she sent, (but we don't know) she very well may have just been shocked but for the other parent to be ringing the health visitor because another mum said there child speaks 106 words is ludicrous.

I have a friend whose DD will be 2 next month and she has been saying EVERYTHING for a long time!! I can't say if it was exactly 13 months but she can copy everything you say pretty spot on. So its quite possible.

Some kids are early talkers. My oldest was making short sentences at that age and probably had that number of words, though I am sorry to report I didn't count them. The next one was a late talker, and the third in the middle. All three are now excellent talkers, readers and writers (though they are all teens, so they don't talk to me that much...) Talking early means nothing, and talking late often means nothing too.

Babies are always learning - it's just a question of what they are learning. If your friend's baby is learning words that's great. But the other babies are learning something equally important instead.

Of course its possible as evidenced by all the posters who have known chatty babies.

Is counting your first childs words weird? Normally yes, in lockdown? I dont think so.....what else do we have to do?

Is it possible that a first time parent thought their child was average and was surprised to discover they were a little ahead with something? Of course.

Is it odd that OP got worked up about what someone elses child may or may not be able to do? Absolutely.

My second child could talk in sentences at 18 months, she walked at 10 months. When I was potty trading her brother at 2.5years, he's 10 months older than her, she was potty trained before him. She was incredible.
She's 14 soon as is academically gifted. But we all say that don't we

Who would ever think to count the number of words their baby can count?
My ds was talking in sentences by then and never stopped chatting! But he didn’t sleep through the night until he was 5, used to wake up between 6-10 times a night so it’s all swings and roundabouts really. They all develop at different times...

She is actually COUNTING the words?? My 18 month old granddaughter who is beautiful and a genius ( I am an adoring grandma lol 🤣) has just started saying a dozen or so clearly discernible words; I’m sure that’s normal.
Leave this lady to her illusions. She’s not actually harming anyone - unless she becomes a ‘helicopter parent’ . Just nod and say ‘How lovely!’

I never kept count because, well, that's weird. But I would say my eldest knew at least 100 words at 12 months. We could have a decent conversation with him at that point. By 18 months he was counting and reading. He was (and is) exhausting!! Lol.
My second and third children are in line with the 'averages'.
So I would say it is definitely possible but not the norm!!

My DC said 2 words together at 6 months and yes they were clear. At 13 months their vocabulary was extensive at 16 months spoke in sentences of 16-18 words. By 2 was identifying words that rhyme and putting them together, as well as creating alliterative sentences and could tell you what alliteration meant. They were able to spell their first name at 20 months and had begun to sight read simple words. By 3 had grasped what onomatopoeia was and give examples.
The Health Visitor stated they’d never met a child like this. Suggest you offer them support and get in touch with Potential Plus who can provide advice for toddlers and children who have high learning potential. It’s a lonely place for the child and parent. I never made a thing of it with friends with children the same age as I was only too aware of how it might be perceived.
It’s not easy parenting a child who is developing asynchronously. At 2 they said ‘You’re such an abomination Mummy’ when I forgot to put a face cloth in their bath. My child’s pre school years were tricky as they had could talk so well whilst their peers were following a more typical developmental path they spent their time conversing with the nursery staff. I avoided play dates at home as they were similarly advanced in their cognitive functioning or if there were home play dates I would hide the toys/games they loved including the 100 plus piece jigsaws that they could do at 2.
Had I not had a child like this myself I would have been sceptical and I’ve spent nearly 30 years teaching from Key Stage 1 to A level.
So rather than question, query or scoff give them some support they’ll probably need it and would value support from a friend who isn’t going to judge.

Dont let it worry you. None of my kids could do that at such a young age. My daughter who is now 8 and is the top of her class could definitely not say all them words and it's not affected her so dont worry. To be honest all kids go at there own pace x

This was true of my son around that age. I remember the nursery commenting on how good his speech was & the variety of words he could say. After that I wrote down all the words I knew he could say. Certainly wasn’t boasting about it at baby groups though

Is OP worked up? I don’t think so; she just thought it so unusual that it couldn’t possibly be true. Other posters who have a lot of experience working with babies haven’t come across this either. However a fair number of other posters have said that their babies could do this, so this has changed things somewhat. Which suggests that original mum was honest but tactless.

Reminds me of the mum I saw on the bus when my dd was a toddler.... her baby had to have surgery on the legs as they had bowed because of the strain from walking from 5 months... fortunately I’m an older mum so didn’t point out that it sounded more like a vitamin deficiency, possibly even during pregnancy that may be the cause

%My 18 month old granddaughter who is beautiful and a genius ( I am an adoring grandma lol 🤣) has just started saying a dozen or so clearly discernible words; I’m sure that’s normal.^

Absolutely normal! And of course
she is a genius!

All children develop different things at different times. Mine didn't say a thing until she was nrly 2. Then she slept for a week non-stop, she only woke for food and went straight back to sleep. After this she cd talk like me! bt she cd walk and run faster than me by 9 months. We had ocado then, she picked thru the bags as the man dropped them in the hall, she grabbed her choc paid and ran off with it. he said she knows what she wants, how old is she? I replied 10 months as his jaw hit the floor. A freind had a baby who was over 11 pounds bt by age 10 mo nths he was sitting in his seat saying mama, nothing more. at school she had no interest in reading so i didnt push it bt by age 9 she had the reading age of a 14 year old. they all develop at different stages, 1 of yr group will always be ahead in something ....

DS was saying words with meaning from about 8 months.
DD on the other hand was much much later, I had a lot of concerns about her speech.

Neither of them shut up now 🤣

I think the use of the exact figure is odd - and clearly not accurate, you couldn’t count every word they know but my eldest and my 3rd spoke really really young, but I can’t remember how young, they were pretty fluent by 18 months and both could read pre -nursery at 2.5. (Not by osmosis - I taught them) the other two were much later.
They are between 11 and 20 now and my first and 3rd are still the lovers of language.
So yes, I do think that some can speak really well and have a good vocabulary by 13 months, for sure. But the whole counting words thing I’m not so sure about!

Today 18:19 trelawney59

My DC said 2 words together at 6 months and yes they were clear. At 13 months their vocabulary was extensive at 16 months spoke in sentences of 16-18 words. By 2 was identifying words that rhyme and putting them together, as well as creating alliterative sentences and could tell you what alliteration meant

Any 2 year old who can tell you what alliteration means has been taught that - they don’t just pick it up. They are little sponges at that age and if you’ve got a bright one then you teach them anything.