16m old- should I be worried

[NewMomma21]

My DS is 16m old. He is a great little boy who brings us so much joy. However I can’t help but worry, he has not got any words yet. He is a babbler who chatters away to himself and has a wide range of sounds but no sign of any words apart from the occasional dada. His receptive language is very good, he understands simple commands like give dada the book. He makes a sound for animals (raar), sips from a play tea cup and says ahhhh. He can point to body parts and if shown a picture of a hat he will point to his head and socks will point to his toes. But no inclination to produce words.
I read the average 18m old has 50 words and really I’m feeling a bit concerned. We read lots of books and play lots of games. I’m not sure if there’s anything else I could be doing but I would love to hear if anyone has any advice or has been in a similar situation. Thank you

Sounds like his understanding is very good. In that case I wouldn't worry too much at this stage.

My son (19 mo) also has very few words despite being an early talker, but he understands everything he should. I keep waiting for a flurry of vocab, but not yet!

I have a 18 MO and he's the same! Infact your son sounds like he can do more! Rarely even says Mama but says Dada a lot. The only other thing he says is "Go" to the dog as in "go to bed" and that's it!! So 2 or maybe 3 words at best!..Babbles away to us and himself. Waves/points/claps/follows simple directions.

I too am slightly worried but I keep being reassured that some don't talk until they're nearly 2 and every baby is different.

I'd say if he's babbling a lot and has good understanding he's absolutely fine, words will come. Animal sounds are meant to be 'words' at that age anyway - it's basically any recognisable sound that they make in the right context.

Mine only said 'Dada' until he was 18 months, then suddenly had a language explosion and learned a new word or two every day for weeks. He's now a very chatty and eloquent four year old.

Speak to your health visiting team for advice. I'm sure they will reassure you. My DS is 17m and has loads of words - but is nowhere near walking yet! They all develop different skills at different times. Always good to discuss any queries or concerns with your health visiting team though.

My son didn't say anything until he was 2 and he is a total chatter box now at 4. No explanation but it's not always a sign that something is wrong

Hi how’s your little one getting on?