"normal" speech for 15 month olds

Anna - posted on 06/02/2010

I wouldn't worry at all, babies develop differently and at different paces - throw the books out and trust your gut feeling!! ;))
My son, 16 months now, is way ahead of his age in motoric development. According to "the books" and his doc he should be 4 years old... But he only knows shoosh (portuguese for pacifier), mama, hi (with a wave), and voof-voof (dog). He's doing great considering he's the only child and gets my and his dads full attention, and then really doesn't need to do or say much to be understood. He's a great communicator though, with noises, expressions, and body language he tells stories, shows his likes and dislikes aso. I am not worried at all. A friends 14 month daughter talks a lot already, know more than 10 words (!!), but is not at all so motoric developed (does walk, but not steady, can't sort and stack aso). She's doing great too - they're all different!! :)) Just continue naming everything and talk a lot with your baby and one day you'll not be able to shut her up... ;P
I do agree with the moms above that have babies that starts to talk and then stops, that is a cause of worry, but the help is out there and I am sure your children will do great with a little help!!
Believe in your instinct as a mother, sounds like you're doing a great job!! :))

Amanda - posted on 05/09/2010

Was he an early mover? My son began cruising at 7 mos, and was walking by 9 mos. Now at 15 mos, he's climbing furniture, stairs, you name it, and he runs a lot. He only says mama, dada, nana (banana, occasionally) and mo (more, also occasionally). He obviously understands what is said to him, he just doesn't talk much yet. My pediatrician said that this is common in kids who are early movers - that when a lot of energy is spent in pursuit of gross motor skills, the brain doesn't seem to have anything left over for speech - and that she wouldn't worry about it unless he's not talking much more by 18 mos.

Ashley=) - posted on 05/07/2010

My girl says mommy,daddy her sisters name perfectly,i dont know,why,hi hello,come here mommy,bobby or bottle.She says dora,alvin from alvin&the chipmucks lol.Dog,cat and lots more.She only started to say a good few words in the past mth or two and she is saying 3word sentences now.All children are different and there is no set normal in there learning and development for the most part.She can also count to 20 in english and 5 in spanish.My oldest(five) is now teaching her to count in Irish as we live in Ireland.:-)

Robyn - posted on 05/04/2010

My daughter says 30+ words right now and links 2 or 3 words together sometimes. She jibber jabbers soo much it isnt funny lol She will get this real serious look on her face and babble out a couple sentances and just look at me waiting for a response or bust out laughing

Cindy - posted on 05/03/2010

OK has anyone heard when a toddler is "supposed" to learn how to shake their heads no? I was told this weekend that my son who's now almost 16 months old wasn't supposed to be able to do it but he'll tell and show you no in a heartbeat. This person said they usually don't do this until 2ish????

Stephanie - posted on 05/03/2010

my son just turned 15 months on april 28th and he has a "high" vocabulary in my opinion. some of the words he says clearly are: mama, memaw, dada, baba, bed, food, milk, juice, out, outside. new words/phrases he's learning: cup, get me out, leave me alone, come see. He can repeat just about anything you say to him.

Cindy - posted on 04/30/2010

Too cool!! Austyn also has a very diverse vocabulary. He will come get you and tell you as he's pointing want that, or he'll point & say what's that! He's more interested in pictures and not reading yet, but the pediatrician said that this is normal he's just a little smarter than average. My cousin's little boy didn't start walking until he was 15 months so...naturally she was concerned but the doc said that all babies go in their own time and not to worry!! we figured Aussie would be a talker because I never shut up!!!! Good Luck!!!

Ashley - posted on 04/30/2010

Lets see, my 15 months old says mama, dada, hello, bye bye, dog, mine, two, ball, bath, bite, light, hot, woof (barking like a dog), juice, diaper, shoes, nose, eye, toes - & knows where they are, and probably quite a few other words. Of course they're not real clear, but mommy knows what he's saying! He also understands a lot more than he can say. He'll point, or grunt, or grab our hand & lead us somewhere if he wants something that he can't say. He LOVES books & loves for me to read to him. I also don't 'baby' talk to him, I use real words. I feel like he's a smart baby, & he's so curious. But I know every child develops at different rates. Don't be worried unless it's something that your ped thinks it's something to be concerned about! Good luck!

Cindy - posted on 04/30/2010

Well our pediatrician said that my son is 3-4 months "advanced" and is talking like an 18 - 19 month old, because he can say pretty much whatever he wants, from light, to bug, to what's that or want that. My cousin has a son that's 4 months older than mine and she says that her son was only saying about 5 or 6 words at 15 months, so she flips out when she hears my son talking.

Camille - posted on 04/29/2010

My 15 month old is saying mama, dada, woof, and maybe 10 other words. But they are not clear, and not always appropriate times. I feel that she's fine, though. Her pediatrician said she was thrilled with how she's doing and called her a smart little girl who was progressing nicely. You guys might be rushing things a little! Just give them time. =)

Callie - posted on 04/29/2010

My son is 15-months-old and says only a few words. Mama, dada, dog (or duck, they both sound the same), and ball. He babbles a lot, and most of it I don't understand. but he understands a lot more words than he can speak.

Becky - posted on 04/29/2010

My son says Mama, dada, uh-oh, and hi that's about it. He understands a lot of other words though and has his on jabber language. I would not be concerned. Like others have said I think 3-5 words is pretty normal for this age.

Sabrina - posted on 04/29/2010

My son is not really talking, except for the usual mama and dada. I am not worried. He is the third child and his brother and sister try to talk for him sometimes. He completely understand everything you say. I say where are your shoes, he gets them. Or where is your cup and he goes to find it. The typical amount of words for this age is 3-5.

Rebecca - posted on 04/29/2010

Oh my gosh I worry about this constantly too. I keep reminding myself that kids are all different in their development. My daughter understands a lot of what we tell her, but I don't know how much of what she says she understands. She babbles "mama" and "dada" but I don't know if she understands that's me and my husband. She says "hi" to people, but otherwise, she doesn't seem too interested in talking. She is very curious and studies things very intensely, so I am just waiting for her to one day spit out a bunch of words. She goes to the doctor in a couple weeks so we'll see what she has to say. But she is young enough that I'm trying to not be too concerned yet, as I mentioned, babies do things at different times. I just try to keep her stimulated by reading to her, playing with her, and talking to her.

Gina - posted on 04/29/2010

My daughter is saying about 33 words, actual words. I have no idea how she does it. Somethings the words are not totally pronounced right, but about 95% are.
Sometimes it takes a while but don't worry they all go at their own pace.

Kathryn - posted on 04/29/2010

Libby is fifteen and half months old and says - daddy, no, juice, bear (generally applied to most cuddly toys and soft animal related toys generally like learning puppy and also dogs in the park and pictures of foxes in books - fair enough they are the same family and look like bears sort of), up, down and read it (if she wants you to read her a book), I think ball might be becoming a new one and she will say 'pull-pull' when doing the action with that word for 'Wind the Bobbin Up' which she seems to do the actions for up to but not beyond clap, clap, clap - she also says 'row row' when she either wants to play or has just started playing 'Row Row Your Boat'. Her first word we think was wiggle but my hubbie thinks she says Wibbly or Wiggly which is kinda of baby speak for her own name. My in-laws think it was flower because she said something similar with the right intonenation - she will quite often repeat words back to you if you say them but she won't remember them afterwards.

Lauren - posted on 04/28/2010

My son says a few things like - Fa (fan) Ba (ball) Pa (Plane & Cup) and then just uses Ba to mean everything else. Also, he points and grunts for things that he wants. He can sign please and more. I was very nervous and he was just evaluated by the speech pathologist today. He did not qualify for services because on all other fronts (cognitively, socially, physically, etc) he was performing above his age. I now have a few ways to practice with him to try to get him to talk. One of them was to get an electric toothbrush - for some reason it helps stimulating their mouth? If you are concerned, talk to your pediatrician or have him evaluated by a speech pathologist. Good luck and feel free to contact me if you want to chat!

Lori - posted on 04/28/2010

My son is 15mths and can say mama, dada, bubba, nana and has fun sounding and putting together different sounds. He was born 6 weeks premature.

Robyn - posted on 04/28/2010

my son talks soooooo much jibber jabber it's not funny. and of course there is mama, dada, baba, u know every kid is different. dont worry about it. the baby is sayin a few words, so that it good. i had a friend who's child was 2, and didnt even say mama!!! all i n time, the baby will start to say more words when he or she is ready.

Erin - posted on 04/28/2010

My daughter is almost 16 months and only says mama, dada, and woof. There are a few other things she "says" but only I would understand so I don't know if those really count as words. Her doctor said he wouldn't be concerned until she is 18 months. She babbles a lot and can pronounce a lot of letters and sounds I just don't think she knows how to put it all together yet. She also understands a lot. She knows the names of her toys, most of the body parts, can point to objects in books, etc. I think for some kids, talking isn't a priority. I'm enjoying it now because we all know when they finally start, it never stops! :)

Angela - posted on 04/28/2010

Renee - I was at the park the other day and someone asked me the same question...my husband and I recently made a list of words that our 15 mo old says (not sounds, words that he uses for particular things, consistently), we came up with 63....I was not sure where that was in terms of age...at his check the other day the doctor asked if he was saying between 3-5 words besides mama and dada...so it really varies but the 3-5 is what they are looking for.

Tiffany - posted on 04/28/2010

It all depends on the child like everyone has said! My son said dada at six months old and hasn't stopped. He says dada, mama, bye bye, spongbob (i am a little embarrased by that!) cat dog megan and a few others. and he baby talks all day long!

Anna - posted on 04/28/2010

I was a little worried about my daughter because she says only a handful of words (mama dada uh oh hello etc...) and my oldest at that age could speak short sentences. She babbles more then he ever did though...and seems to use the same "babble" for what she is trying to say. Sometimes she comes to me and babbles and then points and grabs my hand to show me what she was trying to say! It's like she has her own language and cant be bothered with learning ours LOL. I stopped worrying when I realized she understands much more then she can say. I said (jokingly) Hunnie, shut the door for mama...and she actually did. Another time I said hunnie, go look out the window and see if daddy is home yet....she actually looked out the window and came back to me babbeling. Sooooo I guess each child is different and the number of words is less of a concern then overall development and understanding. I babysit my neice and nephew and both of them barely talk or respond to anything..but the oldest at age 4 just took off on talking so go figure. All early early walkers tho (he didnt talk until 4 but walked at barely 8 mos!) so maybe there is something with that as well.

Andrea - posted on 04/28/2010

My 15 month old little girl can say alot of words. Im not sure if its because she is ahead (her dr said she was right on track) or if it because she is OBSESSED with books and reading. Obviously she cant yet read herself, but if she had her way, we would read to her all day long. She says 'momma' and 'dada'. She aslo says 'papa' 'mum mum' for her grandpa and grandma. She is learning colors so she can just about almost identify red, yellow, blue and green and say them all pretty clearly. Yellow is her favorite to say. :o) Also, if you ask her what an animal says, i.e. dog or cat or lion, she will roar or bark or meow, but I dont think those count as actual words, just more sounds. She tries to say 'pretty pretty' but it comes out more like 'pre pre'. She can say diaper and ball and 'num num' for food when she is hungry. And she just recently picked up the word 'drink'. Sometimes, if Im lucky, I can get her to say 'Thank You'... but only when she chooses. I think one of her first words was book just because she loves them so much. She also very clearly can say bubble because she is obsessed with them as well.
I was told early on to never talk baby talk to my children or let them do it either. So I talk to her like she is my age. When she tries to say words and gets it wrong (as cute as it is) I correct her and try to help her say it the proper way. Again, I give most of the credit to alllllll the books!

Angela - posted on 04/28/2010

My first didn't say much of anything (except she did have a lot of signs at this point) before she was 2 years old. My second is 15 months and she has a huge vocabulary already. dog, cat, fish, toothbrush, shoe, mama, dada, ball, poop, apple, thank you, please, out, up, off, sit, milk, more, and maybe others I can't think of. I could tell from early on she would be more verbal than my first.

Some kids just don't start talking until later. Sometimes it's a sign of a problem, other times it isn't. Trust your intuition.

Laura - posted on 04/28/2010

When I took my 15mth old son to the PCP for his 15mth check up I was concerned about his speach, at ten months we were informed that he was 3 months ahead of himself intelecutally. He speaks but only when he wants to. He is generally a quiet little man. He can say Moma, Dada, Oma (mom in korean) Apa (dad in korean) Dat (for that) cat, no, wow, yay, duck, yuck, and is currently chanting ga ga for things he can't tell us yet.

I was worried about this but after the pcp told me that 3 words are normal I felt better. So dada baba mama, dipaa is good :)

If you have concerns don't be afraid to voice them with your childs pcp because it is what they are there for. I was all ready to send my son to speach therpy!

Hayley - posted on 04/28/2010

Amen, Mama. My 15mo is not yet walking. She's working on it, though, so I'm not worried. Again our LOs' doc with her 3 boys tells us not to sweat it; her latest walker is now the most athletic of them! :D

Mandy - posted on 04/28/2010

my son mostly babbles, but we answer him as if he's saying proper words, making it like a conversation. He does say mama,baba,dada to the right person. He also says gaga when he sees Lady Gaga on the tv. He attempts other words No, sister and yaya (what the kids call my mum). He uses signs that he seems to have come up with by himself, so we usually understand what he wants. He also seems to comprehend what we're saying to him - not that he always listens lol.
I agree with an earlier poster, my daughter is nearly 5 and she didn't start speaking "properly" till she as about 3 and now I can't shut her up, she talks all the time, even in her sleep.
I find Dr's can be too quick to think there is a problem, my friends daughter had speech therapy when she was 3 and not once did I not understand her at all, I don't expect a 3 year old to be able to have an adult conversation, the funny thing is that the little girl started school last summer and has just won the best speaker in the class.
I feel that we want our kids to grow up to fast sometimes, always wanting them to hit the next milestone instead of enjoying them as they are - sorry I've been getting grief about when my 15 month old will start walking. When he's ready is my response.

Hayley - posted on 04/27/2010

Our LOs' doc told us that our 2nd (now 15mo) is a bit ahead, and that we shouldn't feel she's "lagging" because she's behind her older sister, who speaks better than many older children. She said all babies are different, and that one of her 3 didn't talk till age 2 and is the highest academic achiever of the 3 of them.

I am right there with Carissa. I have a 4yo who spoke clearly by 15 months, using simple sentences. By 18m when the Doc asked if she could follow simple instructions, we said "she can *give* simple instructions! 'Up, peeze' and 'Eat ou'side' etc. Our new 15mo has much less speech, but still is learning many words and attempting even more. She understands most of them, too. "Agoo" is "Thank You" when she hands someone an object or one is handed to her (not every time, but hey!). She has Mama, Daddy, baby, ball, nur(se), shish (fish), ca(t), apple, thank you (agoo), Pooh, shoe, "yigh-yigh" (night-night), PaaPaa. She also has some signs: diaper change, eat, nurse, bath, more, finished, fan, light, tired (sleep/bed), hurts. Again, ahead of others her age, but behind her OS who at that age also had: clouds, cat, gentle, hat, dog, pretty. So I have no idea what "normal" is, but I get the idea from our doc that "normal" is a huge range. You can't force or stop development, you can only facilitate or hinder it. So don't sweat it too much unless your doctor feels there is some medical hindrance and cause for concern.

Amanda - posted on 04/27/2010

I have twin daughters. the pediatrician told us that about 4 words is normal for their age. I have one daughter who says mama, dada, nice, lion, get of the there (she repeats this b/c we say it to her). My other daughter can say mama, dada, ball, bath, hooray, waawaa (water), no, yeah, what sounds like big bird. But the dr told us thats way more than normal for her age. I wouldn't worry. If you are concerned talk to your pediatrician. Every child develops at their own pace.

Sonia - posted on 04/27/2010

oh god that's what i'm worried about my girl is 15 now and say nothing except screeming at everything she said tata when she starts 2 walk & may be twice baba &mama but now nothing. may b cuz we r alone she donna see anybody talking however i donna stop talking 2 her what shall i do?

Melinda - posted on 04/27/2010

my hubby was saying the other day i dont think she is talking as much - i said she is - he was at home sick the other day he said i take that back - she doesnt shut up - i said nah she jabbers all day - kayleigh talks all day - she says plane, bus, car, dog, woof, bella, mum, dad, oma, pa pa, bye, ta, hello, flower, up, down, thelma, bath, shower, nose, and heaps of others her sister spoke very early well too only downfall is when you want peace and quiet......never again.....but i wouldnt change it for the world

Jennifer - posted on 04/27/2010

My 15 month old son jabbers all day. Can say dada, nana, daddy, num (food), nite nite and somehow the other day said outside. Still won't say mama! Getting a little frustrated by that but usually just calls me da.

Katie - posted on 04/27/2010

My daughter Sadie has been saying all sorts of words quite early. Sometimes I am still surprised when I hear her saying things, because she is so tiny and doens't seem right. Her vocabulary is probablly around 60 words now, and she says many phrases. She is almost talking in sentences, that we can sometimes understand haha. Like everyone else is saying, every child is different. Every week though, I do work on a new word with her. This week we are doing animals and she learned piggy, and cow! A couple of favorite things she likes to say are: What's that?, Bath time with ducky, Sadie (she says it say tee) want yummies, Want bite?, and uh ohhhh :)

Sian - posted on 04/26/2010

i guess it really depends on the child i have found that having older siblings have helped my youngest to say more words aswell as she is always playing with them and she adores them and copies them at the moment she says mummy daddy hello thankyou cat dog drink and tired these are the ones she uses on a daily bases every now and then she will say something i didnt even know she knew.

Cyndl - posted on 04/26/2010

my son barely says dada or mama and wont say anything else either he understands a few sentences like "where is the kitty?" and "do you want more?"ive been rying to teach him his body parts for a couple months now but he doesnt pay any attention ive been a bit worried but everyone keeps telling me since he was an early walker (9months) he'll be a late talker

Charmane - posted on 04/26/2010

Our 15 month babbles alot, he can say mama, dada, dad, mom. He makes a bunch of other sounds but not words. He is very smart and understands everything you tell him to. We ask him to get something of his and he goes straight for it and gets it.

Lisa - posted on 04/26/2010

Every child develops at different ages! A few words is great for a 15 monther. When I was at my son's 15 month check up, my doctor heard him say Mama, catch ball. (yes that's a sentence) And he turned around in complete amazement and asked how long he has been saying that. I told him about a month and a half. He was like wow, that's usually what 2 year olds do, form sentences. I told him he puts several sentences together. "pet cat" "boon (for balloon) up" "mama uv" "I uv oh" "bar, bar, bar oggie (bark, bark, bark doggie)"

I am very proud of my son...lol but a little freaked out cause he's gonna be one of those kids who walks up to someone and says, I have a penis. You have a vagina. I am a boy, you are a girl! lol oh boy I can so see it now!

But take it easy and let your child develop, but if they aren't talking by 3, they might have a hearing problem. So you might want to get that checked out!

Candice - posted on 04/25/2010

My boy says ya, -og(dog), mama, ada (DAD), HEY!, bye, more, oh, and he has said Grandma a couple of times, and diaper sometimes he sounds like he says: hey dogs, what's that, and I love you. We have done a lot of sign language with him, and he can now sign milk, more, please, water, diaper, change, and yes. I believe using sign language has really helped him develop his communication skills. It hasn't stopped him from screeching at us though. In due time, hopefully. For the parents who are worried about the development of their child's speech, every child is different. They all develop in their own time.

M'Lissa - posted on 04/25/2010

my doc said 3-5 words. my son barely says dada at 15 months. he used to say momma and then stopped for no apparent reason. i now have to take him to a speech therapist and to get his hearing tested. she said maybe its bc he is the youngest of 3 and babied too much or maybe it could be from him being constantly congested and having a lot of wax build up in his ears. i'm not too worried unless he's not saying anything a few months from now.

Shanelle - posted on 04/25/2010

sometimes i get kinda concerened too about my daughter, but i honestly think every child learns at thier own time and pace, because i was the same way about her walking..other kids were walking at 8 or 9 months..i thought she would never walk but she started at 13 and now at 15 months she still just does baby talk..she says like mama and dada but..i know theres nothing to be concerned about because although she cant talk much i know she can certainly understand words..she knows what clap means, no, open your mouth, arms up..and although she cant say it, at least she knows what it means and the rest is soon to follow

Megan - posted on 04/25/2010

my son will be 15 months in a few days and he can say over 6 words.

Katherine - posted on 04/25/2010

mine is mama, baba, dede (her sister), nooooo (which she learned from her sister???) but having an older talkative sister helps, my eldest said only about 3 words when others were saying more but by the time she got to 2 yo she knew counting to 10 and 8 colours, they develop quickly and suddenly I wouldn't be too concerned. Kids shows like Dora help heaps cause the characters speak to the kids and make them repeat things, my eldest even knows about 6 spanish words.

Claire - posted on 04/24/2010

my daughters 15 months old and she says "muma", "dad", "dog", "cat", she does dog noises, cat noises, pig noises, snake noises, she says "bum" when she's been to the toilet, she says her name and most of my friends names, she says "choc" (chocolate) "bath" and she says mmmm when she's hungry.

Rachel - posted on 04/24/2010

Every baby is different and develop at their own pace. My daughter is 15 months today, she understands a lot, if i ask her to get something (baba, book, shoes) she will go pick it up and bring it to me. She understands actions, (giving kisses, hugs, bye bye) but only says mama, dada, baba, kitty, hi. shes also starting to make sounds, moo, vroom vroom, her newest thing is trying to snort like a piggy. (way too cute)
I wouldnt worry though.

Celina - posted on 04/24/2010

My 15 mth. old says about 15 to 20 words. She doesn't say them all the time but she can say them. I think it is all up to the kid. I think it is when they are ready they will let go and start talking like crazy.

Shannon - posted on 04/24/2010

If you read each reply, they are almost identical. Children in the 15 month old range should not have an extensive vocabulary. Mama, Dada and maybe a couple other words is NOT delayed. Losing speech is normal also. My son was saying 15-20 words at 12-13 months and now only says 4. When we say certain words, like "Snuppy" (our dog) or "Kitty", he looks right at them, but he has yet to say the words himself. I think there is WAY too much pressure on babies to talk early. It will come naturally, and if there is a problem, your pediatrician will help you address the issues. Don't worry yourself over it, it'll come with time. :)

Brooke - posted on 04/23/2010

my little girl says... mum, mamma, dad, dada, more (her way of asking for food), ball, hello, bye, bubba. She always talks to herself.

Jenny - posted on 04/23/2010

My son, also 15mo, has said nothing but he makes alot of sounds, he has cleft pallet and can not build up the pressure to say d-b-p- ect ect. He does babble but that started at 13months. He is in speech therapy and will be for a while. So I am teaching him a few signs and he picked up on them fast!!! I would on be worried if your son doesnt communicate with you in other was.

Jessica - posted on 04/23/2010

my daughter is saying all kinds of words of course her all time favorite is NO but she says baby, moma, dada, yes, no ma'am, go, up, birdy, hi, bye, i love you, she says who she is ( i zillah), yum yum, eat, thank you, please, cheese, sissy, popi , tete (as in she has to go tete) she can say her cousins name and she is even learning sign language. just a few like eat, more and milk, im working on mother and father.. i think it really depends on the child and how much you work with them,, what i do is if its something new to her i will repeat the word over and over and anytime after that if the word is brought up again i will repeat it..