How is your child's speech development going?

Jannie - posted on 11/07/2011

My baby (12/7/09) has three words down pat, momma, bubba and dadda. His new dr says that it is because he was premature and the NP that he was seeing at the time did not send him for a proper Hearing Test. He has also had a number of ear infections, which the other NP refused to look at. Finally got my baby into see a real genuine dr and they immediately sent him to an ENT. THe ENT scheduled him for surgery and are hopeful that by puttin gtubes in his ears and getting rid of the obstruction in his left ear will help him to hear better. The ENT was pretty upset that this was the treatment that we had received even after being adimant that our baby see an ENT and his remarks were that his last hearing test was not a real one and that he has gone 2 years without speech therapy. Both the new Pediatrican and ENT's are very upset that my baby can't hear the way that he should and can only say 3 words. I guess that it is different for all children, so let us know how this works out.

Shiprasood - posted on 11/06/2011

My daughter is now trying to talk a little I can understand mumma come,rita come,go but other words she says are unclear but she is blabbering whole day to herself and the toys,but your daughter is talking much better like can i have more is along sentence.I just want to wait small because doc said she doesnt have any prob at all.moreover she is hearing 3 languages all the time,our local language ,english and my nannys local language.

Hannah - posted on 10/30/2011

my lo started using words at a very early age and is now well ahead of himself with his speech but as a rule they dont expect toddlers to be speaking in sentences untill they are at least 2 every child is different tho so i wouldnt worry to much my cousins lo is 4 months older then my lo and mine uses alot more words in comparison and communicates alot more clearly

Hannah - posted on 10/30/2011

my lo started using words at a very early age and is now well ahead of himself with his speech but as a rule they dont expect toddlers to be speaking in sentences untill they are at least 2 every child is different tho so i wouldnt worry to much my cousins lo is 4 months older then my lo and mine uses alot more words in comparison and communicates alot more clearly

Talitha - posted on 10/26/2011

My son doesn't stop talking! lol. I stopped counting his words once we hit 60 or so. He strings words together and it seems as if every other day he is coming up with new phrases. Some kids just take longer. I know a kid who did n't speak until almost 3, but then was talking in full, complete sentences.

Tameka - posted on 10/26/2011

My 22 month old is talking really well. Not only does she talk but uses the words in context too. She has absolutely incredible manners (I wish my 5 year old would take note, lol!!). The other day my hubby kissed her on the head on his way out the door for work and she responded "thank you for kisses daddy!" She will say things like "Scrub out dinosaur please!" and hand me her toothbrush. I am always getting looks and comments about how well she can talk, structure her words and how she responds. I've been told that she could be gifted with all the things she can do but she is only 22 month old. There is plenty of time to worry about that in the next few years.

Tameka - posted on 10/26/2011

My 22 month old is talking really well. Not only does she talk but uses the words in context too. She has absolutely incredible manners (I wish my 5 year old would take note, lol!!). The other day my hubby kissed her on the head on his way out the door for work and she responded "thank you for kisses daddy!" She will say things like "Scrub out dinosaur please!" and hand me her toothbrush. I am always getting looks and comments about how well she can talk, structure her words and how she responds. I've been told that she could be gifted with all the things she can do but she is only 22 month old. There is plenty of time to worry about that in the next few years.

Clare - posted on 10/20/2011

babys do things at all diffrent times x

Shiprasood - posted on 10/20/2011

My daughter is 18 months now but she says mama,papa,rita and thats all .other things she says we dont understand but I am not worried because her brother also started talking 20 months+.So dont worry every child has different regime of walking and talking,And still she is saying much more.

Jannie - posted on 10/19/2011

My 12/7/09 baby says momma,dadda, and bubba, other than that its ounds like he is trying to saying duh. No sentences or any other words besides those and we have worked with him nad he just cannot say anything else. When he was born, prematurely, we received a letter from the NICU saying that he had failed his hearing test and needed to be retested at 12 months. When he went in for his 12 month checkup, we found out that his pediatrician had left and that this new one did not feel that it was necessary to get him checked. Then we found a new pediatrician, he seen my baby one time and that was right after his car accident and that was only to make sure that he was ok. Other than that my son has seen the Nurse Practitioner that the dr has in the building with him. I am worried that something might be wrong with my baby and I am in the process of trying to find him another "actual" doctor.

Amber - posted on 10/18/2011

My son is 22 months and does not say anything. Not even mama or dada. He babbles a lot. So our pediatrician sent us to have is hearing checked and he failed the his freq. sounds so next week we have to have his sedated so they can do more tests to see if he is ok or needs hearing aids.

Sheila - posted on 10/18/2011

I wouldn't worry. My daughter knows like 50 words but the only sentences she says are "There she is!" "I got it" and "I'm done" So I wouldn't worry about your daughter. Each kid develops at there own pace. My daughter doesn't really do the sentence thing, but she knows tons of words and uses actions with her words to convey what she wants. Sometimes she just uses actions. When she wants me to pick her up she stands in front of me and holds up her arms. When she wants to go outside she goes the the door, lays her hand on it and says "outside"... or if she wants to go shopping she grabs the car keys and goes to the door and says "outside". I wouldn't worry I think your daughter is coming along just fine. Try having conversations with her everyday and pause to let her respond and give her time, even if she isn't saying a response. Also i found that my daughter picked up lots of words when I would explain my actions to her. Anything I did I talked it out, whether it was doing the dishes, laundry, playing a video game, or surfing the web.

Dana - posted on 10/16/2011

My daughter copy's what we teach her she's learned tons of words already and she learning to put them together like when she sees her brother kesean she'll say ( hi ke) it's amazing how she's learned so much

Nuria - posted on 10/15/2011

Thats crazy! sentences at 18 months! My daughter is exactly where yours is and at here daycare they're all impressed with that! Go figure! This past week it seems as though she suddenly starting picking up more words and repeats a lot more... Your daughter sounds just fine-your pediatrician is nuts!

Tara - posted on 10/15/2011

Your child is doing perfect on a normal track. You can't compare a kid who is at daycare all day with tons of other kids in a "structured school like setting" to a child at home with his mom. There are pros and cons to kids who are in a daycare all day. Love and affection are most important right now. Read to you child daily and the rest will fall into place no need to whip out multiplication cards. Lol your doing a great job.

April - posted on 10/14/2011

Our children share a birthday! My son Aaiden is very advanced with his talking (according to the day care) but I don't have any other children to compare it too! He didn't say much at first (15 month check-up I believe) but once he said one word it exploded! He says 3-maybe 7 word sentences and can communicate to me exactly what he wants and how he's feeling. He knows his pronouns, can count to 3.....can point to about 5 numbers and says what they are.....he knows all his shapes and colors and also can point to and say a good 6 letters. Again, I've been told this is advanced but I'm pretty sure he's right on schedule. I wouldn't worry at all! According to what I've read, by 2 they want them to say 2 words together! Sounds to me like she's ahead of schedule!!

Tammy - posted on 10/14/2011

Don't worry my daughter, Taylor (12-7-09) isn't even using sentences. I couldn't tell you how many words she uses. My doctor didn't seem worried one bit. It just depends on the child. :) she also tends to babble. She's started a lot more words since she started daycare a month ago though

Amanda 'Kuisle' - posted on 10/14/2011

I wouldn't worry too hard unless she is also lagging in other areas as well. My little guy (12-30-11) has about 40+ words and is just starting to put 2-3 word sentences together. There are other components to language development besides how much a little one says. Can she point to pics in a book when named, use gestures, follow a one/two step direction, point to body parts, etc.? I have 2 boys and it is hard not to compare the 2, but my ODS at his age spoke clearly in 4-5+ word sentences, but he imitated speech more than actions, where my little one is the opposite.

By the time children are 18-24 months they start going through a language burst, but by 2 they should have at least 50 words or more, and be able to understand several hundred. A good rule of thumb with any child is to look at kids 6 months younger to 6 months older, if your child falls somewhere in between and has no other signs of delay she is likely doing just fine and is developmentally on track, but may be taking her time at acquiring a certain skill.

We seem to live in a world where everyone wants to jump the gun if a child doesn't do something right at the predicted age. Milestones are just a guideline, they are not written in stone. If a child is working on one are of development like motor skills, they cannot work on another area at the same time. Give it a couple of months and if it doesn't improve have it checked out.

As a mom I have learned by watching my ODS. I have found that if you give it a little time, back off a little bit, and provide lots of opportunity to learn the skill, the child often will do so on their own with a little encouragement.

Best of luck to you, I know that it is hard not to worry about little ones sometimes :)

Cyndi - posted on 10/14/2011

As we all know, every child is different and learns at their own pace. Its hard not to worry about your liitle one though! My son's (12/2/09) vocabulary has exploded in the past couple of months but he still isnt really putting sentences together and does babble alot. My husband and I are the only ones that understand about half his words but he understands just about everything we say to him and learns new words all the time. If your little one still isn't communicating well at 2 1/2 or 3 years old you may want to seek another doctor's opinion but for now there doesn't seem to be a need to worry.

Eleanor - posted on 10/14/2011

My son was born 12-16-09 He has recently become a little parrot - copying all words I say! He has quite a few sentences. I gave him soup for lunch yesterday and he said "No Mum Mum, I don't want soup" haha. He has said other sentences for quite a while like "Where'd you go?" "I do it" or "I see it" "I did it", "No I don't want to go" He has just started singing a line from Blues Clues "do anything wana do, do do de do do" very cute! But as others have said, like with anything all kids develop at different rates and it doesn't mean there's anything wrong if they talk a little later than others!

Serree - posted on 10/13/2011

At 22 months both of my twins have vocal of over 100 words and boy speaks in 2-3 word sentences and girl 3-4 word sentences. I not think you should worry unless she is behind on other things.

Collette - posted on 10/13/2011

so true Jessica, I know exactly what my son wants, even if its just babble, I and he does understand, and yes I think Hunter also chooses not to

Jessica - posted on 10/13/2011

My son babbles constantly (12-30-09) and also still uses sign to communicate. He clearly understands what mommy and daddy say to him and I know he can say more but he chooses not too. As many moms have already said, every child is unique and will speak on their timetable

Collette - posted on 10/13/2011

my son who was born on Dec.21st,2009 has a limited word vocabulary also, altho my doctor doesnt seem overly concerned I was A bit. I had him see a speech therepist and they wanted me to introduce sign language to him. he is advanced in other areas tho, he goes to the frige and gets what he wants out, he knows how to work my dvd player, can turn on my computer, he can build with blocks very well and is great at figuring out puzzles, he can show my picture of what I ask him to show me...ex: if I ask him to show me a dog he does, if I ask him to show me a car or flower he does etc....if he wants to go for a walk he brings me his shoes,socks and coat....so I'm not too woprried and will hope that when his sister (who is 4 months) starts talking that he will too

Jennifer - posted on 10/13/2011

My son doesnt say much due to he had cleft palate up til June when he had surgery to close it. Before his surgery he was only saying 5 words and after his surgery he has added more words to his vocabulary. He doesnt say any setences at all so we are going to start speech therapy soon. When he was born he was diagnosed w Pierre Robin Syndrome.

Anitra - posted on 10/12/2011

My daugther's bday is on december 27, 2009 and seriously I think she is above her age but she uses 3 and 4 word sentences. She knows up to 5 and she knows 3 colors. But i worked in a daycare in the for 6yrs, in the infant room, and I would say around this age they should have a vocab around 10-15words, occasional mimicing and maybe 2word sentences.

Christine - posted on 10/12/2011

at my son's 18 month check up, they wanted him to be saying 5 words. 18 months seems too early for the doc to be concerned about sentences!

Stephanie - posted on 10/11/2011

Thanks moms for all of your comments. The last 2 weeks my daughter has taken off with her speech. She now has about 12 sentences that she uses, and is saying about 20 more words, like butt, book "peas" ect. I am no longer worried about her development as it has taken off so suddenly but it is nice to see that I am not the only one with a slow speaker. She took off with her other development pretty quickly as she was crawling by 7 months and walking by 10, so part of my thought that because she developed those skills so early that she would slack with something else. I cannot believe she will be 2 in just 2 more months. It is absolutely crazy how fast they grow up and how quickly time goes by. It is nice to have this support system to lean back on whenever I (as a first time mom) am concerned about something. Thank you again for your feedback and support.

Amber - posted on 10/11/2011

My son was born 12-14-09 and he does not say one word yet. I do not even have a first word to write in his baby book yet. The doctor at 18 month check up said not to worry as he thinks it is a little early for most children to talk. But I am going in tomorrow for his 2 month old brother check up and I am going to ask again. Because he still only bables. I know his hearing is good because he listens to us when we tell him to do something. So you child is farther along then my son.

Jocelyn - posted on 10/10/2011

My son uses sign language, so our Ped said to count the signs as words. He's a bit of a free spirit and just smiles when we ask him to say something. My ped didn't send us to a specialist but said if we were worried she would refer us. I think "communicative" means more than just words, and he seems to be very communicative. He has an older sister, too, who talked very early. I think he just knows how to get across what he needs to so isn't so driven to use actual words. That said, I'm sure he has 10-20, and with signs twice that. My favorite is "please" which he pronounces "peas."

Stephanie - posted on 10/10/2011

My son born 12/24/09 talks up a storm. At our last visit the doctor was amazed and said he was way above normal. He has over 100 words in his regular vocabulary and multiple sentences. He seems to talk about everything. I work with him everyday and have always talked to him like he is an adult. I have never aby talked. He can even count to 5. Remember all kids develope at different stages. Logan seems to be doing everything 3 to 6 months ahead of schedule. My friends 2 year old does not have half the vocabulary.

Phoenicia - posted on 10/07/2011

My daughter is 21 months ( 12-31-09 ) and she us talking most words like " come on, see you later, bye-bye, night-night, mommy/da da and a few more but haven't really gootten down sentences yet, but I'm not worrying as much as I was because her actions show me so much promise, the things that she does just shows me how smart she is and how much sense she has. I know within time she will be talking my head off. Oh and also she does know a couple of letters and numbers and the sound a dog makes....of course.

Keisha - posted on 10/07/2011

My Daughter was born on the 10th of December 2009 and i have the same problem she is only saying one one words, i try not to worry cuz she walked at 8months and she does everything else like potty train her own self eat her own food she tries to sing the ABC but still not really talking our doctor said its bcuz she developed her mobility skills first no need to worry she'll talk soon

Shauna - posted on 10/06/2011

My Son is speaking tremendacly almost as much as my 3 year old but honestly everyday he amazes me! His older brother on the other hand didn't start speaking until he was 2.5 I was worried about him as well but now he is doing fine honestly I wouldn't worry about it to much :)

Molly - posted on 10/06/2011

I wouldn't worry a bit! I've gone through the exact same thing with my son born 12-09-09. He's been behind in speech, advanced in everything else. His Dr. sent him to a speech therapist and to have a hearing screening, which he passed with flying colors, and the therapist said he didn't need to be there. I think every child develops at their own speed. My son is learning new words almost daily but still doesn't say any real sentences besides "What is that" which was actually his first words....lol he can say things he just CHOOSES not too lol, don't sweat it!

Anna - posted on 10/05/2011

Our Peds said that all we could expect of an 18 month old was 10 to 20 words, and so our DD was on target. We do know other children that at her same age were speaking more clearly, but she seems to be doing fine, has at least 30+ words and 4 or 5 phrases and many times I am the only one who understands her, but our peds is not worried and neither am I. She has always babbled a lot and I see her picking up more and more. It seems extreme of her Peds, but I am sure they all have different opinions.

Stacy - posted on 10/05/2011

My son says only a few words and a few "sentences" that only my husband and I can understand. They are more sounds than words, but I'll take it. Our pediatrician had us go to a specialist too. They said he was delayed but on the verge of talking. That was 3 months ago and not much has changed except that he babbles more and more every day. I know it will come in time.

Alma - posted on 10/05/2011

my son don't talk much at all. ;|

Brittany - posted on 10/04/2011

Your pedi wanted your 18 month old to be saying sentences?! That's crazy to me. My son 12-15=09 has been saying many words, and reading words, and I give so much credit to "Your Baby Can Read" However, my now 5 yr old SS didn't talk until he was like 2.5-3... you can't understand him very clearly when he gets excited, but he has a wonderful vocabulary. I honestly wouldn't worry about it.

Liz - posted on 10/01/2011

My first and third sons (3rd one being the same age as your daughter) both talked late. They didn't even say their first words until 18 months! The doctor never seemed concerned so therefore I never did either. My oldest now speaks fine, and once he started he picked it right up! My 3rd boy is following right in his big brother's shoes, and starting to say all kinds of stuff. I wouldn't be concerned at all, unless she's also lagging behind on other milestones.