should my 17 month old be saying more?

[inkymomma]

Hello my daughter will be 18 months on the 25th September. She can follow commands very well and understands some questions that we ask her but she doesn't say many words. She can say dada, fruit, what's that and hiya. Should she be saying more? Myself and my husband spend a lot of time with her reading her books, pointing at pictures and telling her what everything is but she just doesn't seem to be picking it up. It seems that a lot of my friends babies who are younger are saying more things.
I know every child is different but I think I need re-assurance. Is there anything I can do to encourage her to say more words?

She sounds fine. Don't compare her to other children. They all develop at different rates. You are doing the right things and she will pick it up in her own time.

My DD didn't say much at 17 months. At 18 months she was saying about 10 words. 2 weeks later I stopped counting at 50 words. I'm sure you're doing everything right; it does just suddenly all happen.

My 17 month old is similar. I don't think it's anything to worry about, am sure your dd is doing just fine.

Mine too! I'm trying not to worry as they are all different. I've been told Einstein did not speak till 4 (but I have not verified this fact)

Sounds fine. DS was also like this. At 2 yr check the paediatrician's criteria was 10 words (or attempts at words, didn't have to be pronounced perfectly, but had to mean just one object). Could he put 2 words together? Fortunately he'd said "bye bye daddy" the week before so all was ok :)
Since then he's come on amazingly. Keep going tith pointing things out every day, in books etc and one day your dd will suddenly point and say them herself. She is learning them!

At that age, Ds could only say the name of the dog, 18m later he was talking fluently in 3 languages.

My ds only said dadda until nearly 20 months. Then he got about 20 words and 10 signs in a week and over 200 words a fortnight later. HV said not to worry unless no two-word phrases by 2, which means not to worry at 23 months and few words.