How many words would you expect a 16 month old to be able to say?

[Thomcat]

Is the fact that my 16month old only says 'mama', 'dada', 'cat' .... and think that actually might be it.... is that ........is that....enough??!!

I think that is considered perfectly normal?

Phew.
Another thread got me a little concerned, and I'm not the getting concerned type. Nice to be back where I was half an hour ago Thanks

A bit maddeningly, I'm going to say I wouldn't worry too much about it. I know of one little boy who didn't say a single word until he was three, at which point he came out with a fully formed sentence (of course I can't remember what it was). All children are different. (S)he'll speak when (s)he's ready.

My 14 months old says nothing (well there's plenty of 'talk' but no proper words yet)! Yours is a genius in comparison

My DS could say very little until he was 2.5 - now he talks all the time!! DD talked very early but now is no different.

I think the range of what is 'normal' is massive. Within my antenatal group (all around 16 months) they vary from having no words to a couple of dozen words (cat,dog,ball,milk,bird,again,more,no etc). I think they will probably all even out over the next 18 months or so though.

Loving the relief

DS1 at 16 months - 2 (buba=bubble and mama)
DS2 at similar, age may be 4/5 words
DS3 - now 19 months says, mum, daddy, wow, no, yep (yes ), hiya and ermm - maybe one or two others.

DD (now 2.11) couldn't say anything at 16mo, other than 'uh' and pointing.
She started with Mama, Papa at around 19mo... she speaks in hugely long sentences now- well constructed, frequently with clauses.
As long as there is comprehension of what you say to her, there isn't a problem (I mean- here DD would you like a drink.... not how a car engine works, obviously!)

What was DD2 like?

Ds just started to say 3 words at that age. Still said 3 words at 19 months (but was learning to walk at same time). Then at 19 months exploded into verbosity. Has never stopped since. I worried, because all my family (all girls) talked earlier than that. But honestly, he's fine now, and has a wider vocabulary than some of his peers whos started talking earlier than he did.

Wow - thats advanced!

My ds2 is 16 months and gabbles away to himself but doesn't really say anything but he normally gets his message across!

actually at 21 months DS1 had his "2yr check" with the health visitor . She expressed "concern" about his lack of speech, and as we were literally about to move to a new town said she'd sent a referal on to check again a couple of months time.

I'd only been in my new house a few weeks when a HV knocked on the door (hadn't even registered witha practice at this point!). She explained who she was and that she'd got this letter. After spending just 10/15 minutes chatting to me and watching me and DS1 communcating together (he still wasn't talking) she took one look at me and declared

"there's nothing wrong with him, he can understand everything you're saying to him, he's just not ready to do it himself yet".

She made the follow-up appointment simply to make the paperwork add up. That was 6 1/2yrs ago, and the said DS won't SHUT UP now.

(and thankfully that wonderful HV is still my HV )

DD1 was obviously hugely delayed and unique and then DD2 was freakishly advanced. DD3 understands virtually everything I say to her, within reason obviously, and seems bright, interested, happy, just hasn't got a hue vocab.

Am now happily and totally unworried again, thanks

thomcat - glad you're not worried any more!

my 16 month was exactly the same but now at 20 months is chattering a bit more.

I realised a lot of it was that I didnt really speak to him as much as the other two. And also that his brothers were talking for him. Also he is a lot more cautious than the others so reackon he was waiting to be more confident in himself!

Absolutely nothing to worry about at your dd's age.

As you were...

I would say anything from zero upwards is normal at 16m.

At the 22 month check my dds had (not sure if they still do them now as this was 10 years ago now) HV told me between 8 and 20 words was normal for that age. You have nothing to worry about.

My DD - 15 months - says "mama" "dada" and "narna".....thats it.

"mama and dada" mean everything not just Mummy and Daddy and yep you got it, she loves bananas!

Perfectly normal.

dd1 at 15 months - 10/15 words
dd2 at 15 months - nothing, a bid of a random dada from time to time.

oliva my dd is 14 months and says exactly the same words as your dd - she is also a banana addict!

Ds said about 8 or 9 words at 16 months, including animal noises.

He is now 21 months and says about 50 or so, and learns new ones every day. Other children his age vary so much, I think anything is normal really.

Understanding is more important than speech at this age I think.

All children are different, thank god.
DS1 didn't crawl till 11 mnths, walk till 15/16 mnths but talked at 12 mnths.
DS2 is 12mnths, crawls, climbs and walks holding onto a walker, and can say about 7 words. At 10 mnths was able to say 'herro daddy' everytime he hears a phone ring, which the HV says he should say until he's 18mnths.
Just enjoy them. They all do different things in their own time. We compare our DC without realising it to other children and we shouldn't. They're all lovely when learning new things/words.

none

tc, this was absolutely my dd3 at the same age (she was 2 in September) dd1 was fairly average, dd2 spoke so much earlier than her and dd3 wasn't saying much at all up until her 2nd bday - chats away all the time now and I sometimes have to do a double take that it's her doing the talking and not her sisters

at 16 months dd1 could say countless words. dd2 could say "aha"