DS doesn't seem to want to talk

[MrsRigby]

DS is 1 year and 1 month old and hasn't even said mamma or dadda.

Is this a problem?

I don't mind if he's developing slower. I just wonder as a boy the same age as him across the road from us, is saying 6-7 words.

Does he babble at all? i e making experimenting with lots of different sounds.

I think I read that 12-18 months is the average 'window' for first recognizable words so i wouldn't worry until he's nearer that age.

He says dah sometimes but thats it.

Does he spend much time with his father? Interestingly, boy babies are quicker to imitate sounds that men make.

Hello again tistheseasontobehully.

No, he only really see's his Dad for about 30 minutes every morning and then all day at the weekends. During the week his Dad works long hours, 7.30am-7.30/8pm.

I talk to him all the time, read to him and he watches about an hour of TV each day.

Maybe I'm expecting too much from him because the boy over the road can speak a few words.

Well, they do of course develop at different rates as we know, but how about getting a few CD audio books narrated by men and playing those to him as his father isn't around? It might help and he would get a literacy boost as well.

DS2 is 2.4yo and is only just starting to talk, he says a few words here and there. DS1 at the same age could form a sentence and have a proper conversation.

As long as he is communicating with you what he wants etc I don't think you should start worrying yet.

Yes, that is very true. But she might want him to have a bit of a head start.

I would relax, he will probably talk when he's ready. Speech is very varied between different children, mine all started chatting at quite different stages and ds2 didn't say anything that other people could really understand until he was 2yrs old, lots of babbling up until then but nothing clear whereas ds1 chatted clearly from about a year old.
As long as you're talking a lot to him, reading together and he gets lots of social interaction, he'll soon develop more words of his own.

tistheseasontobehully great minds think alike. Got him a In The Night Garden book and CD for Christmas.

I don't mind if he doesn't want to talk, I just started questioning it as the boy over the road was saying a couple of words already.

He does this thing. He looks at me, clenches and unclenches his fists, smiles and then says dah/deh.

Anyone know what this means?

Seems very happy when I do it back to him.

I'm no speech expert, but I don't think children learn to talk by listening to CD's do they?

If you really want to give your child 'a head start' whatever that means , look at doin baby signing or take him to baby singing/music classes..something that will help him communicate.

*doing

I don't know what the 'head start' means either.

I think I just need to stop comparing him to the child across the road.

It is hard not to compare, I was guilty of this too with DS1, but not so much with with DS2. You see, although DS1 was very advanced with his speech, DS2 is much more physically advanced and is a whizz with jigsaw puzzles and scooters etc, things that DS1 really struggled to master.

Your baby is so small for you to be worrying about this, but I'm sure the ITNG book will be a big success.

I didn't mean to upset anyone with the mention of a head start, but I think children are hugely advantaged if one "brings on" their speech. It really fires up the synapses.

Well he seems to love the show.

Makka Pakka though - definately has some OCD issues what with going around washing everyone and stacking stones in 3s!

I'm not upset .

I'm not upset either, honestly

DS2 loves night garden books and those baby peekaboo type ones - repetitive ones are the best.

I'm just not sure that you can 'bring on' speech. I have done the same for DS2 as I did for DS1 and DS2 is around a year behind him speech-wise. It really does depends on the child.

13 months is WAY too early to be worried. All kids start speaking at different times but I don't think anyone expects a 13mo to speak even simple words. The kid across the street is speaking early, your ds is NOT late.

I knew a ittle boy who didn't really say anything atall untill he was 2. Teh one day it clicked, adn he stayed up all night, talking like a 5 year old.

I think it's quite dangerous to compare children...Ds1 had 10 words on his first bithday, DS2 was talking in 3 word senntences on his first birthday, and DD could only say 4 words when she turned 2. They're all of similar intelligence over all.

It's hard not to compare. But it's definitely nothing to worry about. My DS could speak 2 word "sentences" when he was 17 months and had 100s of words by 2 years. My 15 month DD on the other hand can say just a few words (Mama, dat (that), wow, down). Cos DS is around most of the time I think we actually talk MORE in front of her.

She can understand pretty much everything you say to her, much more than DS could at her age. Just think she's not too fussed about talking.

My DD does a sign like you described for milk or drink.

One thing we did which really seemed to work for us was record my dh repeating simple words and phrases over and over so that we could play them to ds in his absence. His little face really perked up and you could see him trying to copy the sounds.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I'm going to stop comparing and worrying and just enjoy the relative quiet whilst I still have it .