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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

When did your baby say their first word?

22 replies

Summerdays2014 · 01/01/2017 14:35

Hi,

My son will be one next week and is doing really well - walking, feeding himself, pointing, waving etc. We still have no words though not even a mama or dada or hi. I'm not worried yet and we have lots of babbling - mamamananama etc and he points to things and says 'ah' he also brings me things and says 'ah' as he passes them over. Sometimes he responds to his name and sometimes he responds to instructions like come here (not consistently though) if I sing wind the bobbin up he will start clapping and if I ask what a dinosaur does he goes ROAR. Saw health visitor for his check at 10.5 months and she had no concerns, though it only asked if he was babbling not dating words on the questionaie.

Just wondered when everyone else got their first word. I seem to know loads of people whose babies were doing so at 6 months.

Thanks all

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SniffleWhippets · 01/01/2017 17:18

No single words whatsoever, totally silent until 2yrs then full sentences overnight!

SniffleWhippets · 01/01/2017 17:20

I'd be a bit at 6 months!

sippingginandlemon · 01/01/2017 17:28

10 months. He said 'bubbles'
He's big on language and vocabulary even now as an adult.

YorkieDorkie · 01/01/2017 17:28

6 months is definitely BS OP. They may well be babbling a bit at that age but they don't know they're saying "mama" or "dada". I have an 11mo and she's babbling happily. She doesn't have any words and I have no concerns. You'll have your 1 year review coming up I imagine? You can always ask the HV if you have concerns.

keekaw · 01/01/2017 17:29

About 15 months. Later than lots of her peers.

sippingginandlemon · 01/01/2017 17:33

All babies develop at different rates. Once they get to 2 it's all evened out. My son was the only one talking in a large group of girls from our antenatal group. So he was unusual. By 18 months all babies in our group were at similar stages. Group was 9 girls and two boys if I remember rightly.

Original poster

Summerdays2014 · 01/01/2017 17:48

Thanks all, that's reassuring to hear. I must admit I did wonder about those 6 month old wonder babies! Lots of people have said their babies concentrated on either movement or speech. Wondering if that's true as he walked early. Maybe once he starts nursery this week (which I am dreading 😞) he'll pick some words up, but I won't worry yet!

OP posts:

MummaGiles · 01/01/2017 17:57

Six months is ridiculous. They might have made a noise that happens to sound like a word, but the child will have attached no meaning to it. And that's what is important, that they say a word that means something to them, i.e. that they are communicating something. I can't really remember when DS started (and he's not old - 2 in a few weeks) but it has snowballed over the last few months to the point he is now using sentences. But he hadn't said a thing at 1 (also wasn't walking then). I suspect it was at around 14/15 months that he started. Friends' DS is 16 months and he has a few words - cat, bye bye, more etc but not much.

In short, don't worry, the words will come and then you'll wish they would shut up!

PurpleOneWithTheNutIn · 01/01/2017 18:20

My 18 month old now has about 5-10 words he uses in context and consistently, that's only happened over the last few weeks. As long as your dc is babbling and pointing and can follow some instructions (so understands more than they can say) it's fine. Keep talking together and have "conversations" with time left for dc to "reply" to you.

GerardNoWay · 01/01/2017 18:25

DD is 14 months, she says 'ta', 'dada', very occasionally 'mummy' and something that resembles the word 'doggy' whilst pointing to the dog. She will sometimes say 'teddy' too but I could be reading too much in to it.

We have always chatted away to her and taken her dummy away to encourage her speech - but I'm convinced it is nursery that had made her come so far in her speech in such a long time. I think she was about 10 months when she said 'ta' meaning thank you.

ByJoveItsAGoodUn · 02/01/2017 14:13

17 months here and no consistent words. We have had the odd sound that could be a word but they aren't ever repeated. 1 year is fine. and 6 months is absolute crap.

MoonriseKingdom · 02/01/2017 21:00

Animal noises count as words in the early days. If he consistently says 'roar' for a dinosaur then that is his first word!

Much too young to worry yet otherwise. Another one sceptical about the 6 monthers - babbling can easily be mistaken for meaningful speech.

daimbar · 02/01/2017 21:10

On her 1st birthday DD could say 'ball' and point to it. She could also say 'wow' but no mama or dada.

she was about 14 months before she said anything else.

Sparrowlegs248 · 02/01/2017 21:54

Ds is 17 months and does reliable Mama to me, occasional Dada. He points and says Uh a lot. He's trying to do Brrr as part of a song. He looks at you and comes out with what sounds like a complete sentence, with correct tone etc but no words that make sense. So he's not really talking. He has said grandads name once though!

He understands lots so I'm.not too worried. I have a feeling once he starts we'll know about it!

KingLooieCatz · 03/01/2017 14:50

DS first word - tractor, shortly after second birthday, now just turned 8, bright, good vocabulary, articulate and talks for hours.

You are a long way off time to worry about it.

blinkineckmum · 03/01/2017 16:18

Ds - 8 months
Dd - 9 months

MiaowTheCat · 03/01/2017 19:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Shadowboy · 05/01/2017 16:24

9 months was her first proper word.

5000candlesinthewind · 05/01/2017 16:27

My second still isn't talking at 2 1/2 and they are only just starting to refer him on for tests.

If he is babbling and hitting other milestones I really wouldn't worry. You can definitely tell when there is something to worry about with your child

MaryFaerie · 06/12/2017 21:45

My little girl is 5 months and 2 weeks. For a month she's been saying mamamamamama when she's upset and I'm not there and today, on video, her father asked her to say dada and she did! Her pronunciation is exquisite. It's almost eerie - she's so small. I'm thinking it's just repetition and not understanding but still fairly impressive.

MadScientist10 · 08/12/2017 19:47

Think DS1 first proper word was at 8-9 months. He is very interested in language and knew words in my mother tongue and English by 12 months. His first multi-syllable word was ‘apple’ at about 13 months.

I have a 5.5 month old and can’t imagine that he was be chatting any time soon. 6 months is a little crazy!! I’m sure every child is different though. Try not to worry their speech often comes on in leaps and bounds and seemingly overnight they are making sentences and using vocabulary you’ve no idea they knew yet. Their amazing brains are like sponges!

FatRedCrayon · 13/12/2017 21:51

DS was nearly 2 before he said first words, and didn't even babble until he was over a year. At nearly 3 he's a proper chatterbox and picks up new words daily. He was an early walker though. DD at 9 months is babbling far more than he did but we've not got any words yet - she's also getting close to walking so is a race to see which one comes first!

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