baby almost 1 and not talking at all, should I be worried?

[Abby567]

See lots of posts on here about 2/3 y olds not speaking much so I don't mean to come across dramatic/annoying but I cant help but worry about my DS..

almost 1 and no words at all.. very little babbling.. likes to shout AAAA! at the top of his voice a lot.. other than that happy,bubbly boy.

'milestones' say he should be saying 1 word at age 1, he doesnt seem close

older sister was saying mama and dada by this point for sure... shouldn't compare I know

Can anyone reassure me.. has anyone had a similar experience? is it always something to
worry about or should I calm down.. thx in advance x

Thank you for replying.. I am fairly certain it's not a vitamin issue.. and yes we are trying hard to show him how to say sounds and words but as of yet he does not seem interested in saying them himself x

I wouldn't worry at all, if the average child says one word by age one then there will be some that say more and some that say less. I would stop reading up on milestones as most of the time they just make you worry and just concentrate on talking to him as much as possible - describing what you're doing, what you can see, singing songs, and just having fun. He's very little and he'll do things when he's ready, just enjoy him and let him develop at his own rate.

Thank you both x

For what it's worth, none of my three were big talkers before 1yo. Mama, Dada and maybe a couple of other words but their speech exploded between a year and about 15 months. They then overtook a good proportion of their peers by 18 months, but by 3/4yo no one would have told who'd spoke earlier.
I think it's a bit like walking for the majority of children-they do it when they'll do it. A few need a little bit of help, but nothing like as many as Mums who worry about it.

I'm sure you do, but just talk to them. And if they make an appropriate sound react excitedly. "Mmmmm" "Yes doesn't it taste nice" or "Bmmm" "That's right, it's a car".
Give them the words to say back.

'For what it's worth'-it's worth an awful lot to me as I must admit I have been worrying about this daily so hearing these kind of examples helps massively..Thank you for this..an explosion of words is what I am hoping for soon. Talk talk talk is my mission going forward..xx

I wouldn't worry at all about no words yet, the range of when words appear is huge. I agree with @MargaretThursday about assuming vaguely appropriate noises are words and modelling the word back in your answer (currently doing this with my second DD, no doubt some of the time they are 'words' and some of the time she's just a baby saying 'buh', nothing to do with the bus we're passing...but maybe next time it will be).

Is he starting to have some understanding of what you say? Nothing complicated, just starting to understand a couple of basics like 'bath time' or 'let's eat' or maybe recognising the names of a favourite object or two (ball, teddy, banana, whatever). Does he wave, clap, or point (not necessarily all three)?

Hi @skkyelark thank you for
your reply.. he actually understands a fair bit..various words and phrases eg where is (sisters name),luna(dog),dada, teddy, water, ball,
window,'no'(although sometimes chooses not to listen to this one!)..there are several more. Almost always responds to own name,waves,gives hugs when asked,can do peekaboo.. when I make a list of it all it makes me realise there are many positives to focus on. Wouldn't be expecting proper words at this stage, just the lack of general babbling was my concern but hopefully it's coming soon..thank you again xx

I was so worried my little boy was an absolute mute until about 18-20 months. Friends kids were talking from 1 year and seeing kids younger than mine talking broke my heart. I longed to hear his little voice and to hear him call me “mama”. Then he started saying “dada”, “nana” “mama” and then out of nowhere the words started flowing out. He’s 24 months now and doesn’t shut up, I can’t get a minutes peace 😂

It’s such a worrying thing and I totally sympathise because I was convinced there was something wrong with him, but our babies take their sweet time and do things when they’re ready. Lots of chatting, reading books, singing songs will help loads! I learned about Miss Rachel on YouTube (via TikTok) and popped her one every now and then. I must admit this didn’t really help my DS too much because he’s not really interested in tv (much to my annoyance when I want to enjoy a cuppa!) but so so so many people comment praising her for helping their child speak! Interactive screen time can be great for speech 😊

I’m clearly sleep deprived…my DS is 26 months!!

My DD didn’t babble (baba) until just after first birthday. Didn’t say dada until 14 months either. Only had a handful of words at 2 but at 2y9m she can talk for England now!

As long as he understands the majority of what you’re saying, I wouldn’t worry.

Thank u everyone gosh I do appreciate all these responses..I feel reassured and hopeful I will see progress over the coming months,so glad I posted..x

No babbling here with DD1, basically silent until 22 months - we were incredibly worried. Little monster came out with "Go Mummy" one day, perfectly formed as if she'd be saying it for months and then she never stopped talking. She's four now and she still hasn't stopped talking!

Thank you @MattieandmummyandIs that's remarkable..you must have been so happy to hear 'go mummy'!!
were you offered any speech therapy at all?..if so how did you find it..I would probably take it if offered but not sure how young they start that kind of thing..

I actually cried @Abby567. No we weren't offered any speech therapy, I think we probably should have had some though in hindsight.

@MattieandmummyandIs I would be the same..what a special moment..glad she is doing well now.xx

Hi @Abby567 how’s your little one now?