Had to laugh - difference between a parent's and a childless person's understanding of toddler speech.

[Wallace]

A childless friend was visiting and my ds2 (16 months) was being his charming self. He was nattering on about the Christmas tree, the lights, the door (wanted it open), the stairgate (that open too), the cups of tea, and heaps of other words too.

After about half an hour he said "Muummmeee" and she turned to me and said "Aw, how cute! That is the first time I've heard him talk." I didn't feel I could point out to the dozy bint that he had been talking the whole time she had been there!

I must admit some of his words are not very clear, but they are all immediately understandable to his doting mum

LOL at dozy bint

Tsk, those pesky childless friends... It's like when you know your dc said in an angry voice over dinner, "FORK!"

Quite clearly a reasonable demand and shouldn't be met with scathing looks from other diners and mates collapsing in mirth....

Dozy bint is mine a dh's name for this particular friend

That is exactly it, Slur!

I find that even other Mums don't understand DD and I think her speach is very advanced

I did shock a friend once. I was PG with DD and her DD was 18M. She pointed at a door and said "door open" quite clearly (IMO) I repeated what she had said as a question, she nodded yes and so I opened said door. Her Mum was so shocked, she said she had never understood anything she had said and how had I known?

LOL
Even if you had pointed out that your son has been talking, it would have still sounded like gibberish to her.

In your friend's defence, non-parents do have to make a real effort to tune into what little ones are saying.

When one of my nephews would chatter away, my SIL would translate grudgingly, forgetting that of course she would know what he was saying as she spent all day, every day with him.

No doubt I'll be exactly the same when my LO is born and I won't be able to understand why everyone else can't work out what my little genius is saying

How funny, had the same thing at ds' nursery today. They think he says about 5 words (according to his "school" report) whereas I reckon he has near on 100. I was up in arms until my sister pointed out that just because we know "kwane" is plane doesn't mean anyone else does!

When does it normally all start to sound less gibberishy?

callmeoverchristmas raised a good point - I think some people are more in tune with small children than others. I mean, communication isn't just based on the words you say, is it, it's the expression on your face, what your doing at the time, what your pointing at, what you said previously etc, etc, etc. TBH I just think some people have got crap communication skills.

And toddlers often talk a load of gibberish of course

I have a 12 month old mindee who has somewhere between 30 and 40 words ( I know never had one talk that much at that age)

His Mum (1st child) couldnt understand him, till he wanted juice one day and he couldnt make her under stand, in the end he shouted Juice More NOW, she understood that

Now she can understand him as well as I can.

hehe, i often wonder how you understand little ones. my niece (4 so well past littlie) was saying what she wanted on her toast, she was going jusbutta, jusbutta. I had to ask her to show me, she does, and obviously it was just butter, she turns to me and says, "you're silly" in a very exasperated tone.

Not sure how I'm going to understand my DS when he starts talking. Even a friend used his older children to translate for his younger ones. Maybe some just have an ear for it.

Oh maybe I am just bad at understanding my DS then.

He is 21mths and only has about 8-10 distinct words, but does chatter a lot, maybe he is saying words and I just can't understand him.

I worry about how I'm going to understand DD

I think you can tune in to them. Some will be clearer than others as obviously they develop differently, but I know I can understand DD most of the time if she is obviously pointing and talking plus she knows lots of Signs which has really helped.

If she is left with my Inlaws (very rare as we have to fly/ferry to them!) I leave them a list of the signs (copied pictures from the book we use) and she can get anything she wants! Usually lots of snacks and books as they just give her what she asks for as it is a novelty to them If they had to just listen to understand I think there would be lots more tantrums and tears.