FFFFFF - can't say F

[MadamePlatypus]

DS is 2.6. I don't have any worries about his language in general, but he can't say 'F'. Does anybody know whether this is a common thing that children grow out of, or whether he will need extra help. He has knocked bits off both of his front teeth, so they aren't very long, and I think this may make it harder for him.

common AFAIK, not considered a delay until age 4
I know this as dd cannot say it and she has had SLT assessment, they use fronting
what does he use instead?

I'm not expert but I think thats quite a common problem sound. DS is 5 and says F for TH which I am trying to rectify - that also is a very common mix up

dd1 has problems with S, sounds like she has a lisp sometimes, but she is 3.6 so not sure if this will change

and her G's are sometimes B's

So Giraffe is Bgraffe or Gorilla is Bgrilla

We have S for F here (and yet bizarrely F for "Cr"... Frispies etc...).

So she wants her shoes Oss, but wants to eat Frisps.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

(3yrs)

My dd says 'p' for 'c' as in "are you pumming" instead of "are you coming". There are other sounds not quite right,too but that is the most obvious. She will be 3 this month.

Slightly differently, DD said 'Fewis' instead of 'Lewis' for one of her friends' names for ages - she was at least 3.5 when she started growing out of it. She's 6.5 now, and that's gone, but she still says 'thery' instead of 'very', even though she doesn't have a problem saying 'v'.

DD used to say P for F. At about 3 yo this corrected itself. She also used to say D for S. When she told people her name she would say Dopey

Thinking about it, I don't think DD can say "c" at all... We have frisps, misses (kisses), luggles (cuddles), and Japob (Jacob).

I'm assuming that again, its at least 4 before I'm meant to be concerned.

Bf's dd says 'w' instead of 'f'. She has a wishing rod apparently (and I thought she meant a wand!)

My dd has problems with S too and has a bit of a lisp. The health visitor said she may still grow out of it (she's nearly 3). Her favourite phrase is 'I'll do it' except she says 'My do it'!

DS is 5 and cannot say F...but just as well really as one of his curse words comes out as SUCK (another kind addition to his vocabulary from Daddy)

DS2 can't say F, he says D instead. OK except his name starts with F bless him! He's just 3 btw and speech coming on in leaps and bounds so I'm not worried at all.

thanks for all your replies

Madame CdeC, DS is exactly the same - he says D for F, and his name starts with an F too!

What is fronting Piffle?

Never had a problem with 'f', but DS2, who will be 5 in August, has only in the last couple of months managed to say 'y' - before that everything was 'l', as in 'lummy lellow loghurt' or 'I love lou'.

I tried for a few months to show him how to make a 'y' sound and he just couldn't do it, so I stopped trying. And then lo and behold, from one day to the next, he just could.

So at 2.6 I wouldn't worry about it. By 5 most children have most speech sounds in place, with 'th' being one of the last for many, as late as 7 or 8. Weak 'r' that sounds like a 'w' is also common till around that age.

I would think if he just has problem with the one sound, it will sort itself out in time. DS (6) has been having SALT since nursery school, he couldn't sound out S, G, T, L, F, plus he blended sounds incorrectly (brama for grandma). He would use a T instead of S and F. He has come on really well, S's are OK at the end of words but he still struggles when at the beginning (poon for spoon)

He can now say his name, which was hard as it is a 4 letter word with 2 sounds he couldn't say.

Basically, the F sound has been the trickiest, SALT are working on this now, he couldn't say his age, he was "tour" then "tive", now it's "tix" ... I'm sure he will get there eventually, I just worry about it being picked up on by other kids as he gets older.

Sorry for the waffle and I hope that hasn't worried you unduly, I'm sure as I said at the beginning that just the one sound will sort itself out naturally.

... sorry - he couldn't sound out K, would put a T instead.

Ds couldn't say f correctly at 2 and a half. Now the only one he can't do it "ll" in the middle of a word - so we get hewwo instead of hello, but he can say lock and ball correctly.

actually floating you make a good point there.
DS1 (nearly 7) had a year of SALT at 5 as his Ks were always T and G was D (so "there's a tar going round the torner").
But the first thing the SALT established was that he knew fine well the difference between tea and key, even tho he said them the same.
That's the difference between 3yo and 5yo I reckon.
(Obv DS1 didn't say K at 3 either, but it was too early to worry IYSWIM).
His speech is much better now btw. Jodee I'm sure yr DS will improve too.