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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

16 month old not saying any real words

14 replies

Nettlerash · 25/02/2011 17:54

I am becoming slightly concerned that my 16 month old daughter is still not saying any 'proper' words. She babbles along all day and her intonation is very good (I know when she asks a question etc)The only words I have ever really heard her say are 'Dada' and `night'. She doesnt even really say mummy (often says mmmmmm ah for mummy)

She started walking at 10 months and physically developped very quickly, but had a lot of allergies with possible asthma which seems much improved now though.

She also wouldnt breastfeed and the midwives said something about her not being able to latch on.

She only ever has a dummy at night time and as I say she babbles and sings all day.

OP posts:

Iggly · 25/02/2011 17:59

I wouldn't worry. She sounds exactly like my DS - Even walked at 10 months. I took him to sing and sign classes so he does a lot of signing so I know he understands. I think the age range for talking varies so much - can even be as late as 2!

belindarose · 26/02/2011 10:50

My DD only said 'mama' and a couple of other pseudowords at 16 mo. Now, at 18 mo, she doesn't stop talking all day, with lots of real words.

Original poster

Nettlerash · 26/02/2011 16:46

Thanks both, should give it a few more months :)

OP posts:

mumsgonemad123 · 27/02/2011 00:03

my 19 month old twins said nothing really at 16 months but it is now finally starting to come, about 15 or old real words now and just in the last fortnight or so they have started attempting more words. Today one tried very hard to say 'sausages' yesterday we got 'cock a doodle doo' !!! Give it 3 more months and see, and dont worry xx

Original poster

Nettlerash · 01/03/2011 10:56

:) mums. Love it! Its just I had been reading stuff on the net saying what they should and shouldnt be doing but I guess it all comes at different times. xx

OP posts:

olivo · 01/03/2011 21:42

step away from the internet (except MN of course)
I know how worrying it can be. My DD is 18mo, can only say 2 words, and i panic when I read that she should be able to put two words together by now - WTF? - " more duck" isn't going to get her very far!!

See how she goes over the next couple of months, chat to your HV or GP if you're stil worried. We have siad we'll leave it 6 wks before getting her hearing checked etc.

screamingeels · 02/03/2011 12:44

They are all different. My DD was one of those didn't bother talking 'til 2 ones. and I did worry throughout her second year despite my Mum saying I was exactly the same. Sure enough when she got to the combining word stage she took off, basically she skipped the whole single word stage and went straight into two words and three word combinations and now at 3.6 chatters incessantly.

Noddyrocks · 04/03/2011 08:18

Thanks Olivo. When should they have a hearing check again? I guess they are all different. My sister has a DD of 18 months and she has only just started walking!

Screaming, that sounds like my DD might do. She talks 'babbles' non stop!
:)

larrygrylls · 04/03/2011 08:37

Individual developmental milestones are a load of nonsense. If your child seems normal around his/her peers, then I would just enjoy her. They do not progress in straight lines. Sometimes they make huge jumps and sometimes they don't seem to do much new for a while.

Apparently, Einstein first spoke aged four and a good friend of mine said all hers started speaking around two and the oldest is now sitting Westminster scholarship exams. Meanwhile, we have a 21 month old who did not speak at all until about 18 months and is now one of the few among his friends who is putting two words together.

suiledonne · 04/03/2011 08:41

At 16 months my dd2 was barely babbling but her understanding was excellent.

At 22 months she still had very few discernible words. Then suddenly around the time she turned 2 she started speaking really clearly. She went from the occasional recognisable word to coming into the kitchen and say 'is my dinner nearly ready' in a matter of weeks. She is 28 months now and speaking really well.

My dd1 is almost 5 and I don't remember as much presuure for her to be talking as there was with dd2. When dd2 was 9 months old she had a check up and the doctor asked me if she had many words???? She was 9 months old. I know some children speak much earlier than others but that sort of thing puts unreasonable expectation on children.

Ciske · 04/03/2011 08:49

Throw the milestones book out of the window, honestly. All it says is when on average a child is likely to do something, it's not a deadline. Statistically about 50% of children will be later than the average, so there's nothing to worry about.

Rillyrillygoodlooking · 04/03/2011 08:58

I always remember that at a speech and language discussion, the therapist said this:

communication is like a tree, the actual words are the leaves of the tree, so the rest of the tree is communication and understanding without using words.

If you think about it like that, there's a lot going on before speaking. If your DD is trying to communicate what she wants, and understands what you are saying then that would mean that she is doing fine!

My DD is 19 months and has only just starting using a few words here and there, DS didn't try to communicate using sounds or language till he was 2.2. But then DS didn't walk till he was 23 months and 29 days.

2plus2more · 04/03/2011 09:08

don't worry. My son (who at 6 is now classed as being "exceptionally bright") didn't say any proper words apart from Daddy until he was 18 months and then it was only single words until he was past 2. Suddenly at 25 months he started speaking in full, grammatically correct, sentences. We always knew that his comprehension was fine as he could follow complex directions and clearly understood what we were saying, he just didn't verbalise things himself. He is a total perfectionist and clearly just wanted to wait until he could do it right. (walking was similar - he was walking with the help of pushing something (toy buggy/walker thing) or holding your hand at 9 months, but didn't walk independantly until a few days after his 1st birthday. When he did let go though he just did it - no faltering steps, just running around both inside and outside within a day!

MixedCouple · 17/03/2023 20:14

My brother didn't start talking until he was 3.5 years old. He is 45 and works at a prestigious school in the UK and is a high earner.
If there ate no other warning signs then she will be fine. It didn't hinder my brother. Once he started he wouldn't shut up and was super friendly and chatty with anyone, any age if they would listen 😂

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