my 2 1/2yr little girl is still babbling more than she is talking clearly ADVICE please!

[Beccasmummy2007]

Hi everyone,
I would love some advice, my little girl is 2 1/2yr and although she does say words and can string a small sentance together, she is still babbling on in her little language, i know she can say words cos we have been using flashcards, books etc etc and she will point out what they are and say them, although i know what she is saying no one else does and i am getting a lot of pressure from my mother in law as to why she is not talking more clearer, also she was counting very well but has all of a sudden stopped and will just say 1 and 2 and no further, i am concerned but she seems happy enough and is doing well in other areas, do you think it is more a case of laziness that she still babbles or do you think it is something i should be worrying about? would be grateful for any input xxx

Laziness really isn't the way to look at it. A child's brain develops in different areas/rhythm and maybe her speech 'learning curve' is slowing down to allow other parts of her development to advance. If she has good social skills, points at things, looks at people in the eyes, expresses her feelings/communicates well non-verbally, there should be no concern about her development in general. If it's only her speech, you could see your HV and get refered for a hearing test and speech assessment by a speech and language therapist. THis is free on the NHS but the waiting lists are very long so it might be worth getting a referal now. If you have other concerns about her you can discuss with HV or GP.

You're using flashcards?!
Okay, DD was like girl in OP (except for flashcards thing). She was slow to become a clear talker, but sorted herself out in the end (no SALT).

I did get HV opinions; I think your MIL has unrealistic expectations, OP.

Out of interest - What's wrong with flashcards? They're loved, carried around, hidden, posted, presented proudly, etc in our house! Is this going to cause some terrible trauma in later life?

First, ignore MIL.
Then, take some professional advice (HV / SALT / GP). You are worried; one of two things will happen:

• she will be seen and found to be perfectly within normal ranges, you will be reassured
• she will be found to be outside normal range [worried emoticon] BUT you can start getting help NOW ie very early on [best thing to happen emoticon]

A child in my circle of friends had hearing loss which his mother was aware of but she procrastinated about seeing health professional ("it'll sort itself out / he's a boy, they're a bit slower than girls / we understand him perfectly" etc) for AGES. Eventually, he was seen, problelm identified and sorted. Just a shame it was not done sooner.
Don't hesitate!

Hope the outcome is 1 above.

Beccasmummy - I would not worry AT all about your little girl - children learn to talk at different ages in their life. My friend's little girl didn't really talk in sentences until she was turned 3 and yes her MIL was agitating about it. She sounds like a happy child and is saying words and using simple sentences, so what's the problem. Suppose if you continue to be worried you could talk to HV but I should relax and enjoy her.

Nothing at all wrong with flash cards imho

Thanks for all the advice you have given, have been talking to a friend of mine about it too and she said to just relax about it cos i might be stressing my little girl out without realising it, besides all children do things at different rates, she has been advanced at other things, like walking early etc, maybe i am expecting her to be the same with talking clearly.
I am going to see my hv however just to make sure.
Anyway what wrong with flashcards? i was on the understanding that they are a good thing to get your child to recognise things, i got them in the elc as part of a snap game to play with her and seeing as they have the abc on them and the corresponding pictures on i thought it was a good idea at the time......maybe i am wrong?
thanks once again for the advice it is much appreciated xx

MY DS 22mths is without any speech at all. Seems Ok apart from this. I pushed for a hearing test and found he has glue ear on one side. They then said.wait 6 mths and see again. I didn't, having been through this with my eldest and seen the marvels of grommets. I pushed for a Consultants second opinion through my Dr. Then badgered HV for a Speech therapist.who was brilliant in bringing that 6 month appt forward by a few months.
I think DS hearing is seriously affecting his language acquisition. Interestingly, I have a friend who had grommets in a one year old with bilateral glue ear.private health onlY!!!!

I would say.if you are worried.push through the channels as the apptmts take ages and that's valuable time I think.

Samysysoo is right, glue ear can affect language acquisition and speech. Luckily, it can be treated easily with grommets and the effects aren't long-lasting. It's difficult to spot because the child seems alert to sound etc. Worth looking into. Grommets privately are around £1000 and relatively few places do them (lack of anaesthetists for young children).