Anyone else's little one not saying any words yet?

Vanessa - posted on 05/13/2010

My son doesn't say many words but daddy and sometimes mama he has started saying nite nite at bed time and nannie a friend of mine. He has in the past said thank you.baby, Jack our dog and has now stopped saying them. he will wave bye and will point to things he wants. The doctor said he is above average because he has said things before. He is verey active and into everything climbing steps ,running,walking backwards and even will dance to music. They will talk when they are ready.

Lyndsey - posted on 05/08/2010

Hi there, Jennifer, my son is a February 09 baby too! He's not really saying any words yet either, my mother says, let him be a baby he will do it when he's ready, but she said that about walking and sippy cups too. He says "mommy, daddy, ball, doggie, kolby (who is my mothers dog) and a couple other things, but we still cant say most things that i'd like him to be saying at this point. I'd say dont worry about it, they'll do it when they r ready. get back to me if you'd like we can chat
-Lyndsey

KAT - posted on 05/08/2010

MY DAUGHTER ISNT TALKING EITHER. SHE'S DOING THE SAME AS YOUR SON, SHE UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE SAY TO HER, BUT JUST HAS SAID A WORD YET JUST ALOT OF BABBLING. AND IT SEEMS AS THOUGH MOST OF THE FEB 2009 BABIES ARE STILL NOT TALKING. I READ TO HER AND NAME BODY PARTS DURING BATHTIME, NAME TOYS SHE'S PLAYING WITH.....HE WILL BE TALKING IN NO TIME

Catherine - posted on 05/07/2010

My boy uses 6 or 7 signs on a regular basis and chatters away in his own little language, but currently he is not speaking English. He'll get there though :)

Kristy - posted on 05/07/2010

I'm right there with you! My little guy is so busy he just has time to yell, dadada, mama, he does say baby , bye and hi but only on his terms and not very often!

Lisa - posted on 05/06/2010

Aidan's grand total of words (if you call them words) at the moment (14.5 months) is 5! They are light, ball, koh-koh (cantonese for big brother), che-che (cantonese for big sister) and Dusty (big stuffed dog toy). His "please" sounds like "puh" and his cupboard sounds like buh-bur so I wouldn't count those. He's super active and won't sit still long enough for me to read him even a short story these days though he did sit down for at least 10 minutes for his bedtime story and prayer until a week ago. So I don't know how I can encourage him to talk more except continue reading even if he's off trying to relocate the changing table with wheels elsewhere or hiding behind the cupboard. Just keep talking to him - I notice Aidan started trying to say the words above after me when I was trying to change his nappy before bedtime one night. He had a bathbook in his hand so he wasn't squirmy as usual so I ran a sequence of those words to him and surprisingly he repeated them after me! Maybe try doing this with a few words when he's calm and his hands are occupied. You may be surprised too! All the best!

Melissa - posted on 05/05/2010

My son is fifteen months and dosnt talk either just says baby babbling lol but he is super active too.. he understands when i talk to him he just hasnt vocalized anything yet besides my momma too funny

Yinni - posted on 05/04/2010

my son doesnt say much other than the basic mama, dada, nana, baba...

i think that hes confused because we speak both english and chinese in my household. my husband and i will speak to him in english and his grandparents speak in chinese. sometimes i will speak in both so im thinking maybe he doesnt know where to start. haha.

Jessica - posted on 05/03/2010

Sounds normal, especially for a boy - mama, dada, baba, nana all count as words in my book. Signing and responding to language are good signs, and show that he has the right pathways for language formed in his brain....maybe he just doesn't have alot to say yet!

Oh, and don't let ppl tell you to stop signing with him, my daughter signed from 6 months on, and she has a great vocabulary - she is 3 and can correctly use the word hypothesis and lots of other big words. I also taught signign to my son - it greatly decreases the ned for tantrums, because even wihtout sign, they may not be speaking yet, and at least withthe signs, they can communicate and be understood/listened to, whereas without, they would be creaming in frustration multiple times a day, I believe. It works the same area of the brain.

One thing i did with my sone after learning wiht my daughter - i specifically will say "sign" such and such when I want him to try to learn a new sign, and "say" such and such when I want him to speak....my daughter, I called her signing "saying" so she would get confused when we asked her to repeat words and she would sign instead.

Another thing, is to ask him to say the word for something before you had it to him...."here is your cup,can you say cup?" when he makes any effort at all to speak the word, hand it to him....with anything, toy, ball, spooon, "there is daddy, say "HI DADDY!" he sayd "Dada" and prise him to the high heavens for it! Just like training any other behaviour, praise speech when he tries,a nd try to enunciate and look right at him as you are speaking/describing the world around you to him, so he can see th e movements your mouth and toungue are making - speech is not instinctual, it has to be learned/taught.

Good Luck, but really, I think he is totally normal!

jessie

Rose - posted on 05/02/2010

Repitition, say the words u would like for He/She to say and wait for the magic to start. I taught my son to say up when he wants to be picked up and now he's always saying up! with his arms open.

Tiffani - posted on 05/01/2010

Our son said a couple of words (dog, more) between ages 10 months and 13 months and then stopped right before he started walking about a month ago. We've been a little worried but read that, when they start learning something new like walking, they may drop something like talking for a little while. He jabbers away but no new words.

Nina - posted on 04/30/2010

My son is almost 15 months old and doesnt say much. Sammy will say mum, dad, baby, boo and beep beep but nothing much else. I was just wondering how old your son was Jennifer??? I've known 2-3 year olds to only just start talking but its usually because they have a hearing problem that was later found out. Hope this helps you

C - posted on 04/30/2010

hi. i was told that when babies are learning the whole walking thing, speech/language kinda takes a back burner for a bit. talking and walking are two huge milestones for them and it's a lot to process at once. hope this helps! < my boy is 14 months too>

Karmi - posted on 04/30/2010

My son was the same way. He is 14 months now and talks, but is a little behind. I wouldn't say to be too concerned, every child develops at their own pace. No one can put a time limit on anything with kids, they do what they want when they want. My son was a little behind, so I thought, and then the next thing I know he is saying EVERYTHING! From ball, thank you, hi, bye, to elmo :-p Don't worry. Maybe just talk a lot more with him, when you leave the house tell him where you are going and what he is about to do. You may look silly, people look at me funny, but he is learning! He will do great, and trust me when he does talk he won't stop. :)

Ivy - posted on 04/30/2010

They don't talk much at 14 months. My son is saying a few words and signing as well. He understands me when I'm talking to him. He responds better to music though cause when I sing he will sing along although the words don't come out that well.He is very playful, he likes dragging stuff around, playing on and off the bed, he likes running so much he is also learning how to jump. He does a lot of other things besides talking, so basically I think your little busy bee is fine.

Marija - posted on 04/29/2010

My little guy(15 months old) is exactly the same! Everyone says not to worry(including our pediatrician) and I think they are right :)

Joel - posted on 04/29/2010

your little one sounds fine. with my son what every i say he will try to say them. like when he touch my mouth i will say mouth. so just say the words out lourd and that might help him to talk. like if you say up put you arms up in the air an show him what your saying. then that will help to want to say the word too

Allison - posted on 04/29/2010

Well, I have two boys, one 3 and one 1. And my 15 month old is doing the same thing yours is -- babbling, not really talking yet other than "mama." I'm not worried about it. He probably can't get a word in edgewise b/c his brother talks so much -- trust us when we say don't rush this! Now, if he's still having trouble at 18 months, maybe then you might want to just check with the ped. But over the next few months you'll be surprised -- he'll just explode one day and pick up all sorts of words in a matter of weeks. At least, that's what my first one did. And the signing is good -- I think it keeps them from getting frustrated when you can't yet understand them. I know our youngest understands because we were outside playing today and I said "Go get the red ball" and he picked it out instead of the white one! So, just wait a few months. You'll be surprised. It sounds like everything you are doing is just fine!

Stacy - posted on 04/29/2010

My Matthew doesn't talk that much either. I took and ordered the cd set "Your baby can read" for Matthew. I have noticed that he is trying top talk more now. Matthew is my last of 6. I have gone back in all the baby books for my other kids. All of them were right about Matthews same pace of talking. By the time they all were 6 months they were really talking. So I guiess Matthew will do the same.
I have noticed that with the cd set Matthew knows more names of things (re: monkey, plate, donkey, dog, fingers, shoulders....) and trys to say the name. Matthew also likes to watch Leapster cd sets.
Give it time, before you know it he will be talking.
God Bless.

Melissa - posted on 04/29/2010

My son is 14 months and he doesn't talk either. He says the Mama, Dada etc.. but, no actual words besides those. From what I have been told, it is perfectly normal. Boys usually talk between 13-18 months. Of course every baby is different. But, I am not going to start worrying until the 18 month mark. From what I have read, the only thing that you can do is assign words to everything that you do and just talk to him. He will talk when he is ready.

Elizabeth - posted on 04/29/2010

My girl isn't saying any specific words (other then muma and tata) but she does understand everything we ask of her in both English and Macedonian so i'm assuming that she will eventually (not too concerned at this stage) - we don't use baby words with her. She is communicating with us like when she doesn't want any more food she will push away the spoon or if she has a dirty nappy then she will point o her bottom. I wouldn't be too concerned yet - maybe we should just enjoy them and not expect alot out of them. Some babies are quick and some are alittle slower.

Khi - posted on 04/28/2010

My dd signs at least 30 signs, and can vocalize at least 20 words or even more. Learning sign language definitely played a part in her early speech development. She will say kick, ball when she sees a ball, "drop" when she drops something, "rain" when she sees umbrella. When she wants milks she will say "mama, milk milk, please"...

Teresa - posted on 04/28/2010

Don't think of it in terms of wha he can say, but what he can understand and communicate to you. My wee boy doesn't have really any words either, but he points, shows, takes me to things he wants to do, expresses his frustration, excitement, amazement and more. Those are the indicators at the moment of a child developing communication skills. Keep up the sign and repeat the words out loud too. They will mostly get there and it sounds like you have an intelligent, commicative little boy to me.

Andrea - posted on 04/27/2010

Our girl does not talk, but she makes sounds that sound like 'Hallo', 'Train', Diego (one of our cats). She definitely says Dad, Dada...sometimes a Mama comes through hehe Our little one is learning 3 languages...Afrikaans, English and German, so not too worried about her talking just yet :-D

Jenny - posted on 04/27/2010

Hi again, I was just reading some of the older posts and I want to chime in a bit on the signing issue. As I mentioned, we sign with our daughter -- have been since she was born. She's almost 15 months and says "vegetable", "broccoli", and "butterfly" clearly, along with many other words. Signing has been shown to help with lang. development, not hinder it. Like an earlier poster mentioned, this is a second language (American Sign Language) and I hate to hear it when new parents say they won't use sign because they think their baby won't learn to speak. ALL babies develop differently and will talk when they are ready regardless.
I hope I haven't offended anyone, I just wanted to share our experience a bit more.

Kasey - posted on 04/27/2010

It's funny b/c I have 3 others older than my 14 mth old & for the life of me I can't remember when they started talking... my girls were saying quiet a few words at his age, but my other son all I remember was when he turned 18 mths I could fully understand him! lol I am not worried at all b/c he understands everything I say to him & he def knows how to tell us what he wants! Every kid is different! :)

Chawntay - posted on 04/27/2010

Thanks for posting this question. I have had the same concern with my son and these replies make me feel much better!

Fabiola - posted on 04/26/2010

my little girl doesnt say anything either. she does sign and point at what she wants but there is no recegnizable words at all. she dont even say ma ma or da da. she is outgoing and plays with all ages of kids and runs and what not

Jennifer - posted on 04/26/2010

Thanks again! He does point at things when he's making his sounds and he does have several specific sounds he makes for different things. I think everyone is right - he's just too busy with other things to worry about talking yet. He's always playing with the remote, or the computer, or anything electronic - or climbing the furniture! And I'm sure he's thinking - why doesn't she get it! I'm telling her exactly what I want!

Jenny - posted on 04/26/2010

Don't be worried, it'll all come together for you and your son. I have a couple friends whose babies weren't using clear words until two. Like another poster mentioned, showing signs of understanding can help. Is your son pointing when he makes his sounds? Try to notice if certain sounds seem to go with certain interactions. We started signing with our daughter right from the beginning. I have background in signing so I was able to sign lots and it really made a difference for us. Dilana can sign close to 35 words and she has a great verbal vocabulary.

Shanah Cheyenne - posted on 04/26/2010

i noticed my sons babbling was actually him trying to say words. i try to get him to say please and he looks at me and says "puh." he can't say the whole word but i know he wants to say please. so i encourage him when he points and says "puh" i thank him! because otherwise its point and whine. i like "puh" much better :) "thank you adam for saying please." i get a huge grin and know he is proud of himself. i noticed he says "ice" when he wants a drink which makes sense because his favorite drink is water and he prefers it cold so i usually put ice in it. also, he signs but he only signs to dad and grandma. with me he uses his words. i think he does it only with me because im the only one that understands his words. they aren't clear to anyone else because no one is around him all the time like me. so with everyone else he signs. if you understand signs then he will probably continue to sign for you until he can speak more clearly.

Shelley - posted on 04/25/2010

Hi Jennifer I think in the next 2-3 months the babbling will come together to make words. My 3 year old son started talking where I could understand at about 18 months. My daughter now is doing the baby babbling which I think is there way of starting to talk then it clicks and actually they start making words.

Kelly - posted on 04/25/2010

My son is 14.5 months old and he doesn't say many words either. He does understand what I'm saying, but the only thing I can get him to say on a regular basis is "cat". If I say "tell Papa bye bye", he'll wave. If I say "where's your juice?" he'll go get it, so I know he knows what's going on. He also has picked up that when you point the remote to the tv and push a button, it changes the channel. He's walking around all the furniture and climbing up on things, but is not walking by himself yet.
I agree with one of the posters above. They all do things in their own time. as long as you don't think there are serious learning issues, I'd say just give him time.

Vanessa - posted on 04/25/2010

My daughter doesnt say anything either all i get is dog, but she knows what im saying to her, like get mummy your drink etc but no words and my daughter has spent most of her life with adults as being the 1st grandchild on both sides, and we all talk to her like we would each other, but children progress at different stages, some walk at 8 months some at 18. The time will come for us all and we will be wishing that they didnt start talking, ha, ha :-)

Emma - posted on 04/25/2010

I think it depends how many bigger people there are in their every day life. My little boy is saying quite a few words now, but he has 2 older brothers and an older sister in constant conversation with him. I found that children who are in nurserys everyday talk faster too. My little girl was the same, and she never shuts up now.

Jennifer - posted on 04/24/2010

Thanks ladies! I'm glad it's not just my little one. Now if I could just figure out how to keep him from climbing the walls I'd be set! He pulled over a filing cabinet yesterday - time to bolt everything to the walls.

Dawn - posted on 04/24/2010

My son also doesn't seem interested in speaking just yet, but is active as you describe. I read somewhere that they will often focus on one skill at a time...looks like our guys are working on the physical first!!! I know that the "intelligence" is there because, like your son, he will follow many commands. He is very interested in everything, loves to read, has started matching objects/putting together puzzles, and knows some signs. In fact, I am noticing that he may use more words then I think but honestly they all sound so similar to me.....I have recently figured out the differences between "DaDa" (Daddy), "DuDee" (Dorothy, our dog), and "Duuggee" (doggy, he uses the sign now thankfully!) He has also used several words once or twice and will never use them again!! Don't worry, and enjoy him!!! :)

Christine - posted on 04/24/2010

my son is the same way, he says mama and baba all the time..sometimes he says dada, ba( for bye), but most of the time he just babbles. He also understands a lot of what we tell him. i was worried to so I had early intervention come out and they said as long as he babbles and understands simple commands he is fine and the words will come.

Bethany - posted on 04/24/2010

I think he sounds just fine. They comprehend alot more than they can say, and signing shows understanding of context. Sounds like he is developing some of his physical skills first. Charlotte is the opposite, she has just started walking this month, and never crawled, she can't get up on the couch, and can't climb stairs, can't run and never crawled. But she parrots most words we say, and points to things and says Flower, car, dog oofoof, daddy, mum, toast, kerrie (my friend), ang goo (thankyou), cheese, oobee (her blankey), etc, etc.as well as signing water, milk, biscuit, frog, cold, potty, music, maybe more, can't think of them.

Anyhow, looks like she has developed her speech skills over her physical skills, because in a play situation with other kids, she'll just sit and watch the other kids, and play with whatever is nearby, while they run around and throw things at her and bang her on the head with things. She hasn't the sense to move away or retaliate. So that's quite frustrating for me.

They all even out by school, and you wouldn't know who spoke or ran first. Just make sure you chatter away all day to him, naming everything he looks at and what he's doing and what you're doing. Chatter chatter chatter, it all goes in, especially the things you say regularly. I'm not sure there's anything more you can really do but let his natural timing win over.

As long as we always say the word clearly when we sign it, making sure they can see our mouth, they learn to speak just fine. I consider it a second language, which is very good for their brain development. There is no research to suggest it hinders speech development, in fact, it stretches their minds even more. LIke if she signs Milk, I say "please may I have some milk" so she understands there are words that go with that sign.

Shawna - posted on 04/24/2010

My son isn't saying a lot yet either. He sounds a lot like your son, climbing all over everything and running around the house like a little rocket. It bothers me sometimes that he isn't talking much, but he does say things like baby (ba-bay), ma-ma, da-da, GG (that's his great grandma), baba (for bottle), and pup-pup (for our two dogs). He said "HI!" really clearly to the mailman one time and it was very dramatic, swinging his arm up high as he said it and everything; however, other than that, he basically babbles.

I work with him on words (especially body parts like arm, hand, leg, foot, eye, etc.) and read him books daily, pointing out certain things in the books and repeating the word as I point to it. I know that he knows what these things are, but he just hasn't gotten the verbiage down yet.

At any rate, don't fret. He'll talk, but he's probably just taking it all in right now. Every child does things at their own pace. No worries!

Megan - posted on 04/24/2010

My daughter desn't talk much either. The only words she will say on a regular basis are ball and mama. She's als VERY outgoing. I think it may have something to d with the signing... jus a hypothesis but our kids probably can get everything they need through signing so they don't feel like they need to use words yet.