My 9 months isn't talking or babbling.

[courtneyi]

I feel like the worst parent ever. My 9 months old still isn't saying 'mama' 'dada' 'baba' etc. She babbled loads from 3.5-5 months then stopped. I put this down to her teething and learning other skills. She's been crawling for over a month, pulls herself up to stand, cruises and has recently started standing without support. She's not behind physically.
I feel like it's my fault, like I could do more to help her speak. She's recently started blowing raspberries again in the last 5/6 weeks. The odd time very rarely she'll come out with 'ba' or 'ga'. That's about it.
I talk to her all the time, I say loads of vowels with her. I baby talk to her. I sing all of the time to her. I read loads of books to her. I play with her.
What am I doing wrong?
I got my health Visirtor out and she said she's not worried and won't be until she's 10 months which is only 1 month away.
She's not death and she makes loads of eye contact, smiles and laughs.
Please help, I feel like the worst parent ever

Babbling is different to mama dada though I think?

Babbling is just pretend baby talk but mama dada is them actually trying to say the words.

Don’t be hard on yourself. All children develop differently.

You sound like you are doing an amazing job, keep up the talking, reading and playing.

I know it’s really hard not to blame yourself though, my 19 month old only has about 6 words and sometimes I think it’s all my fault and I’m a terrible parent. But I’m no different to how I patented my older child who was talking fully at 2 🤷🏼‍♀️

I wouldn't worry yet. My son didn't say mama until she was 12 months and now at 23 months speaks in full sentences. Just keep chatting away to her - you've not done anything wrong. Sounds like you're doing lots already.

My DD was the same, she had a big growth spurt and was starting to cruise around furniture at around 8 months when she suddenly stopped babbling. I put it down to concentrating on trying to get mobile. She started again around 10 or 11 months and my god, she's now 17 and hasn't stopped I wouldn't worry too much OP but maybe have a chat to your HV.

....and it sounds like you're doing everything right!

People have said about my kids "ooh do you think they will walk or talk first?" So I don't think most children talk til later. My youngest was 1 at end of March and only in the last week has started copying different sounds we make instead of just making one sound (the one sound was "AA-NAA" in case you're interested lol).

Have her hearing checked. Responding to sound doesn’t mean a child doesn’t have hearing difficulties.
I’m a speech therapist and I wouldn’t be concerned yet either. I would be concerned if she was not responsive to people by giving eye contact, smiling, making faces and becoming excited.

I have worked with babies and children for years. Very few babies are talking at 9 months.

My daughter just turned 9 months and she only started saying dada, baba etc last week, I had been quite worried as well but it literally started overnight, no build up what so ever. She too is a bit ahead with her gross motor skills so I’ve put it down to her personality being more interested in moving. She will get there try not to worry, it sounds like it’s coming soon.

I know it’s hard not to worry, I was worried as my DD (now 10 months) wasnt babbling much until this week, when literally overnight she just started. Woke up in the morning and was all mamama all day. Still no dada or anythinf else, but it’ll happen and each baby is different and will do it in their own time. It sounds like shes just been focusing all her energy on the movement side of things, now she’s cracked that she’ll probably be babbling before you know it.

My DD didn’t start babbling dada, baba, mama until just after she turned 1 - up until then she’d only screech!

My son was practically one by the time he said his first proper word ("ta"). I don't remember him babbling much before that. He had a massive vocabulary by the time he was two (at one point the health visitor asked "does he have six words?" and I said "he has six words for vehicles!") and he's at university now.

My brother didn't really speak until he was 4 going on 5. Because he had never practised as an infant, he had to have speech therapy at primary to form words correctly as he didn't know how to make the correct mouth shapes to get the sounds he wanted to make.
This was a total contrast to me, who started speaking at the kind of age one would expect, although apparently the word I used most was "Why.....?", and mum wished I hadn't bothered.

Same home, same parenting, same time invested in bedtime reading and everything like that. My mum was of the opinion that he was just too bloody lazy to bother speaking!

He was perfectly fine by about 7, and is now a successful engineer. You should probably stop stressing about it since you seem to be doing everything right. If there are no diagnosed hearing problems DC will get around to speaking in their own good time, and you will probably pine for the days of elective mute-ness.

9 month olds don’t usually say mama or dada.

Do you mean she is totally silent/not making any vocalisations? Or does she do some random sounds?

I must be a really terrible parent because mine didn't say a word till 2.5yo.

They just develop at different rates, I wouldn't worry at 9 months.

@Blippibloppi

I must be a really terrible parent because mine didn't say a word till 2.5yo.

They just develop at different rates, I wouldn't worry at 9 months.

Mine too! I feel like my kids are from another plant when I read threads like this with such early talkers, I have two lazy boys who have taken ages to talk. 😃

Hi how did your little one get on??

First said mama/dada at 10/11 months. Second is almost 14 months and not said either (or any words), babbles tho. I'm not remotely worried

@courtneyi hi how has your little one come on now?

@climbershell hey how’s your little one now?