No real words at 16 months - problem?

[olivo]

I'm hopping I'm worrying unnecessarily but something a fellow mum aid has made me worry a bit. DD2 is 16mo and doesnt say any words. She can say mama and dada, but rarely does. She says Pe for peppa pig and meh for more. IS that an issue? Fellow mum was saying that her DD ( born same week) was trying to cunt to 10 and says loads of words.

I'm not usually one to get into competitive parenting but this one is getting to me. i can't find anything much on the internet.

reassurance, anyone?

I have three and I honestly can't remember any of them saying anything much before the age of 2. It's all a bit of a blur anyway, but seriously I am always amazed when children under 2 say anything!

PS now they are 7 6 and 5 I can't shut them up! Obviously!

BTDT, OP. Can't shut them up, now. Not even the child who needed speech therapy (only about a dozen sessions worth). Don't compare, only does your head in.

Ds spoke fluent serbo-croation until he was 3. Fully formed sentences and he obviously knew what he was talking about .........

We weren't worred because apparently I was nearly 3 before I talked (and then apparently in perfect sentences!) and as boys are often slower in languuage skills than girls, we just let him be.

He is now 10 and if only he would shut up!

How is her communication? At this age body language is key wrt how language is developing - the number of words the child has is not an issue. If she has some understanding of what you are saying to her then don't worry. Most children should be pointing to things of interest by about 18 months - this is a key indicator of language development.

Also, it has been my experience that children who have older siblings and children who have exposure to more people tend to be quicker with language development.

Well dd1 wasn't talking at 16 months and neither is dd2. When dd1 did start talking though (which can't have been long after that) she talked very well, much clearer than a lot of children. I think she just waited until she was confident she could do it properly (she was the same with crawling and walking).

thank you - i just cant remember with DD1.
DD2 points to things she wants/likes, puts her hands up to be picked up, and nods and shakes her head to say yes or no, so i'm pretty sure she understands. She will take things to people if asked,and likewise get things.

NY resolution - I will not compare, i will not compare.....

OMG - i've just noticed the typo in my OP

count was what I meant !

That sounds great olivo - I don't think you have anything to worry about at all. Having yes and no is very good at 16 months imo.

thanks

i have 17 month old twins who only say dada, mama (occasionally) and they will say point at things and say 'dare' (there) and ga (gone). And thats about it. I WAS worried about it but am not really anymore as i've had tons of assurances that their level of speech is within a normal range. And i know they understand loads. I think thats the key, if you are confident that they are undersatnding things and they are gesturing, pointing, etc then i wouldn't worry.

My dd didn't say much until 17 months old and then immediately started speaking in sentences! She's not shut up since, she even talks in her sleep!

DD is 15 months and says (quite clearly)

Upsy Daisy
Daddy
Doggy
Bye Bye
Ello
Nice
Pretty
Ta
Book
No
Yes

but then she has only just started walking. I think all children are different and do things when they are ready, I wouldn't worry.

Ds2 (3) had about two or three words until he was 2.

Then it was like an explosion in a dictionary factory and now he doesn't stop. He picks up words immediately, too.

I reckon he was just listening and storing, ready to surprise us. It worked.

Ds hardly uttered a word until he was 2.

My daughter did not utter a word til she was gone two. My two friends had sons the same age who were very early speakers and I worried myself sick comparing. They are all four now and noone would ever guess that she started speaking almost a year after they did.

Two things to say: Firstly, your lo is likely to talk just fine eventually, many children are a bit slower to get chatting. Secondly, some late talkers do need a bit of extra input, and not using words at 12 months plus is an indication to get them checked out. The rationale is that six weeks of speech therapy before age 2 beats six months of it in pre-school.

mariagoretti - in your opinion do they have to be real words? My DS is 18 months and has quite a few approximations, ('dare' for there, 'avare' for clever, etc) plus is good at animal noises - but there isn't really much that anyone outside the family would recognise as meaning anything...

My DD 15 months only says mum, dad, bubba, up, no, bir (bird) and juice.
DS on the other hand could say 50 plus words at the same age.
Every child is different, don't worry - enjoy the peace!!

i have been in your worried position for a while now and posted a couple of times on the subject, at 20 months she still rarely says anythin, apart from ball, bauball, bubbles, mama and dada occasionally we will get new words thrown in that we dont here agen like pop, quick, peppa, byebye etc, but there is only 4-5 commonly used, i know she understands most of what we say altho is very defiant and doesnt always listen. she has recently started copying more sounds tho so i think she is gradually improving. i know kids around her age who are already non stop talking but i also know 2 other boys around her age who are not really saying any words yet either so im guessing its fairly normal, try not to worry (thats wot i keep telling myself to lol)
i hope this helps a lil bit

DS didn't at 16 months and I was worried too. By the time he was 21 months he was talking in basic sentences and had learned to read up 10 via Numberjacks (yes, my son watches too much telly, too). At 26 months he is able to hold a conversation with himself while doing an activity (will ask himself a rhetorical question, then answer). Of course, now he can't do all the physical activities lots of other kids his age at playgroup can - before, he outclassed them. Swings and roundabouts, developmentally speaking. Some kids do stuff later than others. It comes out in the wash, as long as it's in the realms of normal, IMO.

I worried like mad about speech before, just like you. Now I wish he'd just shut up sometimes.