what are other babies/toddlers doing at age 21months

Jollen - posted on 01/19/2010

Do you make her talk to you? My son can talk very well. He speaks in 4 and 5 word sentences, but alot of it has to do with the fact that we make him talk to us and we talk to him. No baby talk. No nicknames. If he wants juice... he tells us. My nephew on the other hand is a February 2008 baby and he can't say more than a dozen words, but to get his juice he stands by the fridge and screams. Another thing, if you have older children or if your daughter is around older children (especially girls) they tend to talk for younger children. I'm a year older than my brother and he didn't talk very well until I started kindergarten because I always talked for him.(I did the same with my lil' sisters, but not as bad.)

Just talk to her as plainly as possible. Explain everything to her. Let her listen to music or even read along stories, even if she doesn't sit still to look at the book, she's still hearing words. You'd be amazed what she will absorb.

Tonya - posted on 01/19/2010

my youngest is the definitely the most advances out of my younger 4, but I believe a lot of that has to do with us constantly having to work with her older to brothers who actually have speech development issues.



talk to her about EVERY thing, no baby talk, if it takes her a while don't worry to much, if it is something you can't stop worrying about contact your local school system and they can more than likely connect you with someone who does early intervention services for them usually ages birth-3 and they can "test" her, this will put your mind at ease, if she does have "delays" they can give you "services" to help her over come them.

Lorna - posted on 01/19/2010

hello, my son had the same problem, as a baby he was more interested in moving around that saying words, he's still the same now!! he doesnt say many words, he does try and repeat the words but he doesnt have a converstation with you just yet. he knows what things are, like he knows all the parts of his body and animals and transport things, but just cant say most of them!! we've also noticed he cant pronounce his "d's" that well. we do read to him all the time, he loves books and we talk to him about things and tell him what everything is, but i think its just his age, i'm not too worried as hes still young i know he will be 2 in a few weeks but if he still had the problem in bout 6months then maybe i would worry more!!

Angie - posted on 01/19/2010

Reading is great but I dont do it. My Daughter does not have the patience for me to read her a book. She loves them and looks through the pics and tells her own stories. But she just gets bored with them. She's too active to sit and listen, even before bed.
She talks a LOT though. I've been singing my whole life and we sing all day. She loves listening to music (probably because i always have my cds or radio on or Im singing, lol.) and every few weeks she has a new fave song. I think singing and action rhymes are just as good as reading a book.

She's probably just going through a stage.
Good luck with it. You will find something that works for you two. :)

Malou - posted on 01/18/2010

To you it may seem that she's learning slow but you could look at it from another angle, maybe she doesn't want you to push things. It may in fact be that your daughter is a fast learner but she doesn't want the repeated pattern, she gets bored with it. At first I have the same problem with my daughter but when I avoided repeating words and started talking to her in sentences, she started talking back. The words are not clear though but I can see her effort trying to communicate. Reading books to her during bedtime is also effective, we do it every night.

Lacey - posted on 01/12/2010

im having this problem too. my son doesnt say much at all. he says about the same amount of words as your child. he hates when i read to him..he just grabs the books and throws them or he will just take it away from me. i was worried so i told his pedi and hes now im therapy..which has helped in regards to him understanding things..he has yet to talk more. but im hoping he will soon!

Chasity - posted on 01/12/2010

Sing Sing Sing! My daughter and I sing EVERYDAY! It started off with just me singing of course, but I would Sing and put little dances to it, and she first started mimicking the dances, and now she slowly picks up the words. We do songs like "If all the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops" "Do Your Ears Hang Low" "Mr Golden Sun" stuff like that. Now she demands we sing them. "Mom! Sun!" and then we break out in song. It's good fun =]

Jenny - posted on 01/12/2010

reading to your baby thats what i do also i hang flash cards every where, like the tv i put tv on the flash card and hang it on it!! if you walk into my house its flash card city!

Rebecca - posted on 01/12/2010

We've been worried too. She walked the day she turned 9 months old, over a year ago. But she has said some words only once and then refuses to say those words again. She understands EVERYTHING!!! More than I can possibly imagine she could at this age. But she refuses to say our names. We've tried to read to her all the time but she will only sit still for her older sister to read to her. She throws a fit if we try to corrale her for a book. And we have tried to make her say what she wants but her will is stronger and longer than anything I have ever seen. We are firm (but loving) disciplinerians and we don't give in to tantrums and fits. So we have to backoff so that the talking issue won't become a matter of wills. She may go to daycare soon and I hope that will help some too.

Amanda - posted on 01/11/2010

yes my son is the same way he says only a couple words like mamaw, papaw, mommy, daddy and some other little words. He can repeat some of the words also but he don't talk that much either. My friends little boy that is like 11 days older than my son can talk in sentences i thought my son was the only one!!

Jennifer - posted on 01/10/2010

What are the funniest things your kids are saying? Last week Hadyn told me that "Jackie's house went poopie" Mrs. Jackie is her teacher at my daycare. And a couple of days ago she informed me that she wants a "horsie for birfday!" If she wants a horse at 2 what am I supposed to get this girl when she turns 16?!?!!

Tammy - posted on 01/10/2010

Talking is like potty training, you can not push it and they will pick it up on thier own. Little girls seem to talk more and are more interested in being "big" than little boys. My two daughters potty-trained at 2 yr and at 19 months. They were talking 3 to 4 word sentances by the time they were 2 while my two boys were just over 2 1/2 to potty train and very content being carried and pointing instead of talking but at 16 and 11, you couldn't tell now. Soon enough they will be talking up a storm and you will wonder why you worried at all.

Emma - posted on 01/09/2010

my daughter is the same she was fast at walking and all the physical side of things she understands wat i say to her but doesnt say word bak, she talks in her own language which is rather amusing and recently i have noticed her startin to say more words. she can tell me where her eyes ears mouth ect is and has now started pointing them out on my face whilst tryin to say the words. i wouldnt worry too much at this stage. my nephew is roughly the same age and always around other kids and can say more than my daughter so maybe more interaction could help good luck

Belinda - posted on 01/09/2010

I can relate to this with my son. He walked at 10 months earlier than any of mine, but he says very little mostly screams so he is very frustrated as are we all. I agree with the reading, especially over and over, same book(a recommendation I have heard Mem Fox has said-author Possum Magic etc), My boy likes to look at books, and I need to make more time for it, thanks for the reminder peeps.

Sharon - posted on 01/09/2010

hi my daughter is the same she goes 2 speech and language and is workin a little but im still worrid bout my daughter n she b 2 in march she shuld b talkin now

Kimberley - posted on 01/09/2010

my sons the same he used to say lots of words but the only words he says now is mammy n no dont know how to get him to talk i try get him to copy me sometimes it works n sometimes it dont

La Toya - posted on 01/09/2010

My son hates talking, he only does it when he wants something and even then he only says "this" or something like that. I'm not sure why because he is doing everything but talking. I thought I was the only one. lol

Leeca - posted on 01/08/2010

My son started walking at 8 months and talking right around the same time. Then one day he just stopped saying the words he knew how to say and started saying a few new ones. I talked to our Dr. about it and he said not to worry he is just practicing the new words he is learning. He told me to write down the words I heard him say throughout the day and at the end of the day count how many words I heard him say. I was really surprised to see that he was saying quite a few words. But it didn't seem that way because the words I hear most of the day are more, car, da da, ma ma and shoes. But he actually does say at least 40 singular words. The Dr. also said that most babies will be either physically active or verbally active usually not both.

Bettina - posted on 01/08/2010

my son seems to know what everything is , we read to him often and at random times. He also loves flash cards. I think he is just waiting because sometimes you say where is mama he runs to me then laughs and says dad, very funny. we also gave him a book with pictures of family and go through that too.

Melanie - posted on 01/08/2010

My girlfriend's son was exactly the same - early walker but very few words up until his second birthday. Shortly after 24 months she found that he had skipped over the single words and went straight into full sentences! He's in grade one now and is absolutely thriving! They really do absorb everything and just choose their own timing!

Michelle - posted on 01/08/2010

I wouldn't consider it an issue, especially if she seems to understand everything you say. For example, my son, says about 20 words, including one combined sentence: "thank you" (which I like to hear, of course!). But he mostly still grunts and whines and points when he wants something. But if something is on the floor he is interested in and I say, "honey, that's trash," he'll pick it up and put it in the garbage. Or if I ask if he wants to go to the park, he knows what that is, and yes, of course he wants to go! Think about your interactions with your daughter; if there are signs that she is understanding much of what you say, I wouldn't worry about it. And yes, reading is good ... but my son is definitely choosing to say words that have been introduced through verbal interaction rather than the books. YMMV.

Lianne - posted on 01/07/2010

hi, my daughter is talking really well, walking, potty training which is goin very well (fingers crossed)

doesnt sleep thro the nite :(



when my daughter was about 17/18 months i new she talk but then she slowed down in talking, anyway i worked out it was bcoz she new she only had 2 point/moan/winge at stuff she wanted and i would jus give it 2 her! so i stopped giving her wot she wanted and made her ask 4 stuff

eg i would say " do u want a biscuit" then she would say "yes" i would make her say "yes biscuit" then she could hav wot she wanted.



worked wiv my daughter!! now she dont stop talking lol.

good luck.

ELizabeth - posted on 01/07/2010

My daughter is 21 months and is running and walking and getting into everything. ANd repeats everything we say. ANd talking up a storm! But is not potty trained yet! And we read to her all the time and so do my parents when she is over at their house and she loves books so much she sleeps with them!

Alison - posted on 01/06/2010

lol @ Nicky. I can understand when you say they are taking in the words that we don't even want them to learn... Lara said shit after hearing someone yell it out and her newest word is penis.

I have read to Lara since about 6 weeks old. She loves her books and we go to the library once every month to get new ones for her. She has her favourites and wants me to read them over and over which I don't mind as I'd rather her read than want the TV on!

Lara is a talker and has always talked to herself.. I talk to her like a normal person, not in a baby language. I will point things out and talk to her all the time. Shopping is a good time to talk to them, go through your shopping list with them or walks are good too. Talk about what you see, the dogs, the trees, get them to point to different things and then if they see a dog ask them to find another dog. Make it a fun time for them!

Nicky - posted on 01/05/2010

All of those are really good suggestions. I am an Early Childhood teacher and we recommend interacting with your child as much as possible and providing them with as much varied stimulation as possible. Don't worry too much at this age. They are little sponges right now and are taking in every word (even the ones you don’t want them to learn ;-D). When they are ready the neurons will click and out it will all come. My 21 month old daughter is a regular little chatterbox and speaking in 3 & 4 word sentences. My 3 ½ year old nephew didn’t speak AT ALL until he was nearly 3 and then suddenly started talking. They are all different.

Carie - posted on 01/04/2010

I agree with the ladies. Reading is what has helped us. Now she pretends to read all the time and is talking non-stop. She was slow with talking and we started to read to her all the time and not just nap/bed time. We like to read at meal time. She is eating and listening, this makes meal time nice too.

Heather - posted on 01/04/2010

my son is the same way the only words I can get him to say is mama, papa, car, and yes. I keep trying to show him things like tree, truck, door, ect. and he knows what the words mean but won't say them i'm alil worried

Jennifer - posted on 01/04/2010

Reading is a good suggestion but there are so many other things you can do to help with speech. Singing little songs, wordplays, fingerplays, take a walk around your neighborhood and point things out to her like "Look at that big yellow flower!" Put a lot of inflection in your voice so that she can get as excited as you are. My daughter loves to do the itsy bitsy spider, little piggies, and pat-a cake. You can search for fingerplays and songs online. My daughter is 21 months and will not stop talking... any suggestions!?!?! LOL.

Jen - posted on 01/04/2010

u could either make or buy some flash cards with simple words and a picture on them so ur baby can associate the words with the pictures. work with ur daughter everyday with a small stack of them and progress from there! good luck with everything!

Susan - posted on 01/03/2010

Definitely reading. Pretty much every single word that my daughter says is one that was in a book. Everything that we teach our daughter is through a book. I am pregnant now and we have a book about being a big sister. Pretty soon we will be doing potty training and I already have a book for that. It even makes a flushing noise. I know I will live to regret buying that one!
I am not an expert in child developement but I am sure kids have learning spirts like they have growth spirts. Your daughter starting walking and talking at a young age. Maybe now she is just chilling out. I wouldn't worry too much. I would enjoy the quite because I hear at 2 and up thats it!
Also we taught a few things in sign language to our daughter which seemed to help with her talking. She can say or at least we thinking that she is saying almost every word that we taught her.

Karen - posted on 01/03/2010

My suggetsion, and something which has worked wonders in our house, is reading to your baby. Every day, every bedtime, read books to her and especially the same one over and over. My son has a favourite we read each day and he is starting to say a lot of the words as I read them. I am a firm believer of reading to your child. Good luck!