How much does your 10m old speak?

[Writerwannabe83]

I am concerned that everyone's else's baby seems to be saying mama, dada, hiya, bye, cat etc whereas my just turned 10m old simply shouts and squeals all day long.

His development check questionnaire came in the post a few weeks ago and the expectations in the Communication section has somewhat alarmed me as DS can't really meet any of them.

Apparently he's supposed up understand what "Come here" means without any accompanying gestures (I.e me holding my arms out) but if I said "Come here" to DS I'm pretty sure he'd stare blankly at me.

It also expects that if I were to say "Let's sing twinkle twinkle little star" then DS would, without prompting, start doing the hand movements. He understands the word "clap" and starts manically clapping but that's about his limit of understanding that words have meaning.

Like I said he doesn't stop babbling away, it's constant, but that's all he does.

Am I panicking over nothing?

At that age my dd said nothing. She was about 18 mo before she said anything much. I think she said mummy, daddy, meow and the name of a friend.

10 mo is very, very early to talk. Some will but my recollection is that none of my friend's wee ones did.

I would try not to worry

Yep. He's got at least another 10m (ie his whole life again) before it would become a concern I would think. At this stage they grow and develop in spurts so it just depends what they have been working on. Lots of dd's friends didn't really start talking until nearer two and now at just 3 they have all caught up.

DS is great in other ways as he started crawling when he was just over 8 months and he took his first steps yesterday but I'm finding it hard when everyone else is telling me how much their baby can say.

I bumped into a woman yesterday that I met in baby massage when our babies were much younger and I haven't seen her in about 6 months. Her DD is about a month younger than my DS and as she was telling me about all the words her daughter could say I was nodding along and smiling but inside I was hoping she wouldn't ask me how my DS's speech was coming along...

It really, really is early. Of my post-natal group here I only know of one who was saying words at this age.

Your DS sounds like my Dd - she crawled at 8 months and was walking at 10 months.

I felt it took her longer to pick up talking than some of her peers but actually she was perfectly normal. Now at 2.3 she is a complete yap!

Writer my little girl is 9 months. She has no "words" nor do her little friends at 10-12months! The other day she pointed at her father and said dada so we got very excited. Then she pointed at the light and said dada again! I wasn't aware there were actions to twinkle twinkle (bad mummy clearly!) so she definitely wouldn't know them. She understands no and shakes her head when I say it, waves bye-bye, claps and copies sounds such as raspberries, clicking and coughing. I'm sure she's prompted by my actions though as we do them almost unconsciously!

That is super young to be saying anything recognizable. Even at 20 months my DS only had a couple of words and some animal noises, at 2.7 he holds full conversations. I wouldn't worry if your gut feeling tells you DS is fine.

Don't worry. Babbling is good and he knows how to clap- show off!

Neither of mine did the things mentioned at 10 months - clapping on cue would never have happened! They developed normally and one is actually v.v. good at school.

As far as speech went, neither of mine spoke a clear word before a year - but plenty of babbling and nonsense chat that they seemed to understand! At 18 months there were odd words and I remember listening out for DS1 to put two words together at about 2 years.

Actually my post is perhaps misleading - they never spoke an unclear word before a year either. Everything was dada for ages.

Don't worry too much over it all children develop at different rates. A friend of mines dd was talking and putting words together long before my ds did and he is a year older. He didn't say his first word until he was 2 and a half.

Trust me when i say in about 5 years time you will look back and smile at how worried you got over his speech while he is jabbering away about the cartoon he watched or what so and so did at school etc. I know i do when my ds chats away.

Every child is different and 10m is really early to be talking.
I used to brag how well ds1 could talk and all the words he could say so young. But he was very advanced and obviously gifted in that area (he wasn't so forward in other areas and didn't walk till he was over 18m).
I panicked when ds2 was 10m and not saying a single word, he wasn't walking either till 15m.
But now they're 9y/o and 3 y/o and both walking and talking fine.
It's only natural to compare but you will either be massively smug or excessively worried, children vary so much. Try not to let it get to you OP.

Thanks everyone. He knows his name and knows what the cat is, even if he won't say it. If I say to DS "where's the cat" he will immediately turn his head to look at it.

I'm dreading taking him to his development check though, I've filled in the questionnaire and had to tick all the 'no' boxes to the "does your baby....." questions in relation to his communication.

He started with a childminder lady week and there are three other children there aged from 18 months to 3 years old so maybe being with other children may help.

In the meantime I will try not to worry

My 12 month old has no words, neither did his sister at that age (and none used consistently for the right things) until about 18 months. She's 3 now and never shuts up

I had to go back and watch some videos of my DD at 10 months, she is saying mama and dada only.

"DD say Mama!"
"Dada"
"No, say Mama."
"Dada"

Most of the "talk" is actually babbling that just sounds like mama etc. At 10m it's far too early! Also, many babies who say proper recognisable words at 12m or a bit older (and many times don't even understand the meaning) forget them after a while until they learn to talk properly or simply learn other words.

If you explain what you do to your son or speak i.e. "give me the cup", "not this toy, that one", "have your dinner, nice tasty chicken", "do you like pasta?" which I assume you are already doing it should help him to gradually start to understand you. Men think that women talk too much but we are made like this for a reason: children pick up words and communication skills from us!

10 months is very young I think. DS is 13 months and can say "daddy" (no Mummy-boooo), "tickle" (started of meaning tickle but now is a generic happy term) and "dirty" . He couldn't say them last month. He would say "daddy" but not when his dad walked in like he does now. I think some people (I'm very much including the mum you bumped into here!) hear their babies babble a "at at" noise and all of a sudden they can say "cat"!!!
I think communication is so much more than words that they have. DS will wipe his high chair tray if I say "wipe up for mummy", raise his arms if I say "arms up", hand me stuff if I ask him to etc. I don't think he'd come to me if I just said "come here" without holding out my arms but we communicate all day long.

At 13 months my Ds is saying mum mum mum, dad dad dad, bub bub bub and gar gar gar. All babbling words not actual words and completely normal for this age.

By 10 months my oldest did have words but only me and her understood them really. My youngest didn't use any words at all until about 21 months. Nowt wrong with the youngest - he's very chatty at 4 and playschool think his speech is very grown up.
Don't worry. Your ds is doing the physical stuff and talking isn't his priority.

DD was silent, at least it seemed that way, until maybe 17mo? Then she started saying more simple words. She is 20mo now and in the last few weeks has started doing the nonsense babbling that all her little friends have done for ages! FIL keeps saying that 2/3 word sentences are a milestone for an average 2yo so you have ages to go yet.

Ds2 is 21 months and still only has a handful of words. I'm pretty sure he didn't have any at that age.

He can sat "Cat" (loves to point out cats), "woof woof" (all other animals ), "mama" and something else that sounds like mama but a bit different for ds1's name. Won't say "dada" much to dh's chagrin. "ah gah" (all gone), "bye", "buh" (book), "cup". That's about it I think.

He understands load more though, and nods/shakes his head for yes and no.

Ds1 was the same and in fact I think had far fewer words at 21 months and didn't really start talking until gone 2. Once that particular tap was opened it was never turned off again. Ds1 never, never, never shuts up. Ever.

Nothing recognisable till 18 months. Won't shut up now (7 and 5)!

My DD understands a few words and can babble up a storm, but isn't talking yet. Have not tried saying 'come here' but I doubt she would, and I've never seen her do any song gestures with or without prompting. (What even are the gestures to Twinkle Twinkle?)

I've got the pesky questionnaire in front of me. We did yes to 2 and sometimes to 2. This was enough to 'pass' that section. She mimics and babbles, I think that's plenty for 10 mo.

She scored yes in nearly all other section, which I suspect your dd would too. HV was perfectly happy. All babies focus on different things. I suspect your LO is to busy moving to chat.

My 14 month old says mummy, daddy, ball, baby and bob (her monkey) but these are only just becoming clear in the last week... She didn't say a word at 10 months.

Oh and she is just staring to understand simple instructions too...

Pass me the remote is my fave

(Oh, mine is 10 months old, by the way. Should probably have mentioned that!)