He won't say mum

[Hesfamousforit]

I have a 13m old. Been talking and practicing words from 10m, has quite a few words now but one thing I cannot get lo to say is mum mumma mummy mumumum I have also noticed lo can say daddy but chooses to use daddy's actual name which lo can also say. Has started to say a few names. But never mum. What is going on here?? My others would say mum mummy etc.
(The words are not perfect but we can understand)

At 13 months old I wouldn’t worry - m is a difficult sound to make.

My twins are almost 5 and non verbal - one had started to say mama and dada but stopped any speech very suddenly around 18 months. Nobody really showed any concerns about speech until they were closer to 2 as some children just take longer.

So much changes between 1 and 2. Just keep modelling language - I’m sure it will be fine

I'm not worried about speech but I feel it's a choice not to say mum. It's strange.

I have worked with children and I know everyone is different. I don't want to make comparisons to other children as I know everyone progresses in different ways and that is not my concern. I just think it odd lo doesn't say mum as it is usually one of the first words. I am the most important person in their life after all lol

My dd did this. She could speak in sentences and called everybody else their 'names'. She just grunted at me, refused to say mummy 😡 little moo!

Did you ever realise why or make a connection to why.... I just find it really weird

I'm not worried about speech but I feel it's a choice not to say mum. It's strange.

He is 13 months old. He is not choosing not to say mum

He's a baby, he's not refusing to say mum on purpose

@SinkGirl

sorry, but you're incorrect. m is the easiest consonant to make actually. ( I studied speech development)

@Hesfamousforit

a lot of babies don't say "mama" as their first words because if the mother is the primary carer (ie with them most of the time) they don't see you as a separate person but an extension of themselves.
you are like an extra limb and nobody names their limbs!🤣

don't worry, at this age this is normal.
they will grow out of it.

most of mine said daddy/dad as their first word and used other words before they said mummy/mum.
it's perfectly normal

I find it quite odd that give you have worked with children and yet you seem to think he's doing this out of some willful choice. He's 13 months old he doesn't have the cognitive ability to choose not to say mum just to piss you off.

His speech sounds excellent if he already knows lots of words so just relax, enjoy him and wait for it to happen as it inevitably will.

I think you're overthinking things a bit here. It's a difficult sound. Babies pretty much always say dada first. I went through a phase of calling my mother by her first name. I have a friend whose son calls his big brother Sacha, when he is actually called Theo. Kids can be funny sometimes

Lol yes I can see myself as their extra limb too. I guess that makes a bit of sense.

My lo is most definitely not pissing me off to whoever suggested that!!

Mine didn't say mama or mum for aggggeeeessss. It was all about daddy. They don't do it deliberately, it'll just happen - you'll wish for these days back when they're screaming "MUMMY" on repeat at 4am...

Haha that is a good point @MaMaD1990

@Hesfamousforit

Lol yes I can see myself as their extra limb too. I guess that makes a bit of sense.

I didn't say he was pissing you off I said it's odd you think he is choosing to not say it as though he is making a conscious decision to not say mama because he knows it's bugging you that he says lots of other words just not mama.

You're really overthinking it and there doesn't need to be a reason why he isn't yet saying it. His speech sounds good so there is nothing to suggest he wont say it eventually.

See I think my dd did do it deliberately 😂 I'd say to her "say mama" and she'd say dada and grin or she would just shake her head.

@bunburyscucumbersandwich

See I think my dd did do it deliberately 😂 I'd say to her "say mama" and she'd say dada and grin or she would just shake her head.

This reminds me of me about a year ago! Cuts so deep 😂

@GreenCrayon I don't think lo is doing it to annoy me at all but I do think lo is purposely holding back this word for what ever reason. Of course lo is not trying to annoy me with it and lo is not so please don't think that.
I know mum will come eventually but at this point I think it is funny /odd that lo won't say it but will say lots of other things that I ask them to.
Yes lo is just a baby blah blah but also very intelligent and that needs to be respected. Lo makes decisions, I can see their mind like a cog turning sometimes.

but I do think lo is purposely holding back this word for what ever reason.

But that's my point no matter how intelligent he is he simply isn't cognitively able to choose to hold back on saying a word for any reason at all at his age.

Of course he is!!!!

My friends ds never called her mum- only her first name. He’s 15 now

That's so strange! Come to think of it I never called my father dad. I had another unique name for him. But our relationship wasn't good. Maybe that clouds my views on things.

I do think lo is purposely holding back this word for what ever reason.

He is a baby. He cannot do this.

My niece calls her mum dada and her dad by his name and has done since she could talk. So long as your little one can say words I’d not be worried.

My DD had fantastic speech and when she was between 1&2 she suddenly starting saying “Bah” a lot. Sometimes in an excited way, sometimes frustrated. It took us a while before the penny dropped and we realised I was Bah. No idea where that came from and she soon reverted to mummy. But it was very random!

Lol bah that is funny. I was thinking recently about an old friend who's dc called her ball instead of mummy for the early stages.
Ive tried to see if lo will attempt to say my proper name but I think it's too hard. Although saying that he comes out with other names that are unusual but maybe only once. It's not like lo is saying all the names all the time. Maybe once a week will use a new name and not repeat it again for quite some time. Then there are words that he will say a lot throughout the day.