2 year old doesn’t use sentences

[hollylouise1994]

Looking for ideas to help my two year old. She has a good vocabulary in terms of words she knows for things and her pronunciation is okay for most words. However she is not really using any three word sentences yet, and it is quite noticeable with her little friends who are able to say things like “Mummy is over there” etc

How can I help her to use sentences? And is this a sign of anything underlying? I feel like we talk with her a lot, we don’t over use screens etc and she is very sociable. Would appreciate ideas and experiences.

At 24M only a handfull of two word sentences (normally adjective + noun like red apple) is expected so she doesn't sound too behind if she just turned two....

@AladdinMum she’s 28 months sorry should have said that

Just model age appropriate sentences around her she she will catch on. A very general rule of thumb is that 2 year olds should be using 2 word phrases or longer. Don’t use baby talk but also don’t make your speech too complex. When speaking with children, adults sometimes use sentences that are MUCH longer. This higher level language is just too much for some children to decode.
Begin where your child is and model the very next step. If she is using only single words, repeat her word and add only one or two words to it. For example, he says: milk. You respond with: you want milk? After using this strategy for a while, combining words will "click." Keeping just one step ahead of her is the key.
The other thing we did with ours was once we knew they were able to say all the words, we stopped accepting the point and grunt. If they wanted more peas, they had to say at least "more peas please".
Give her lots of opportunities to talk. Include her in your conversations with your family members to give her a chance to chat. Also ask her lots of questions that call for more than a yes or no answer.

@Fivemoreminutes1 thank you, yes we are really trying all of this and have been for some time. It just seems to take her a long, long time to make progress. I feel like she has been doing what she does now for months but not much has changed if that makes sense? So she does get there but takes much longer. I just want to make sure we are not missing anything potentially causing this, if it’s just how she is then that’s fine

I know It's so easy to say please don't worry but my son was the same. At his 2nd birthday he couldn't even say mumma or dada, he seemed to understand a lot but was really reluctant to speak. It was so obviously noticeable compared to his similar age friends and I was definitely feeling concerned about him.

In our area we have an advice line you can call & they said to narrate everything in your day so 'mummy's going to wash up now', 'mummy's getting our picnic ready so we can go out. Keep talking & giving them lots of encouragement if they try to say something back, even if it's wrong (but also tell them the correct word). Just keep providing opportunities for your little one to listen & take it all in.

My little boy is now 3 & I honestly don't know what I was ever worried about, he does not stop .
Sound

Thanks @Jsh125 that’s reassuring to know. She was a little late crawling and then walking as well, so I think I’m just a bit fatigued from all the milestone anxiety. Hard to know whether it’s all part of one thing or a coincidence.

I can recommend this book as it's very well written. Gives you lots of ideas to improve communication , starting from infancy to toddlerhood. I found it by chance in the local library but can easily brought online.

The Activity Kit for Babies and Toddlers at Risk; by Deborah Fein

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-activity-kit-for-babies-and-toddlers-at-risk-deborah-fein/book/9781462520916.html?source=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwuD7BRDBARIsAK5YhWxPJj9vrblnGmW63ETWun5EVSLnIFetXcsFsGRE8x4jLnwttibbMAaAltwEALww_wcB

I don't think this is anything out of the ordinary, normal for 2 year old.

Talk to her lots, read to her. You say limited screens but at 2 it should be nine so but them out totally - plenty of time for that when they are older

It should be none, not nine. No screens at all