anyone else's little one not using many words?

Lisa - posted on 09/19/2010

we have got the complete oposite our son say bath mum dad nana papa koro broken light kakai poo poo all our dogs names i swear it dosnt stop hes stared counting to three he walk just before he turn 1 and crawld at 6 months i think they all develope in there own little way some fast and some slower but they all catch up in the end i am more worried about the teenage years we have alwys insued that people talk to him properly and not in baby talk and always read to him it might of help but who knows

Kailyn - posted on 09/16/2010

My son is the same way as well.. He knows certain words and will nod to our questions. He will also go and get things i ask him to get- or will go and find his sippy cup when i can't find it.. He is extremely vocal, just doesn't use real words... Or he'll look at me like he's having a conversation with me and speaking jibberish.. His doctor informed me that he is more into hearing and taking in what all the words are and what they sound like. One day we'll wake up and he'll just start talking in full sentences..

Tanya - posted on 09/14/2010

Hi Everyone,
I have a question to pose to you guys who have answered or who have babies that don't say that much. My soon-to-be 16 month old daughter says a lot of words incredibly and is really into mimicking everything we say. But she is pretty slow in the physical development part. She did not start crawling until 12 months, and she has finally started to walk over the last week. So I've always felt she was developing cognitavely quite well, but not so much in the physical area. I had asked the pediatrician at 10 or 12 months why she isn't interested in crawling, and the doctor said, she's just not interested in it yet and concentrating on "other things". My theory is that babies that walk/talk early or are more physically advanced talk later. Whereas those who talk early, walk later. For all those whose kids don't say many words, did they walk by 12 months?

Marsha - posted on 09/13/2010

My daughter was 16 months on Sep2. She communicates the same way...points and grunts. That is normal. She knows how to shake her head no, or nod her head yes. She says a few words, like Ball, mama or Bum (hee hee) and tries other ones...but she isn't fluent in speech yet. But like your daughter, she knows what words mean.

Kelly - posted on 09/13/2010

My daughter will be 16months on the 30th and she says a few words but not many.My pediatrician said shes not behind she knows the words but only says a few.

Megan - posted on 09/13/2010

So what if my 16 month old doesn't even say "hi", "mama", "dada", etc? I mean, he doesn't say ANYTHING. Not a single word. He'll point, make sounds, babble, etc but can't form a single word. So my doc suggested an evaluation with a speech therapist, which we are having done on Wednesday. At first I was reassured when I saw this post, but once I read all the responses, I'm realizing he SHOULD be able to AT LEAST say "mama" and "dada", and he can't even do that!! Ugh.

Melissa - posted on 09/12/2010

My daughter's pediatrician expect 6-8 words by 18 months. So far my 16 month old only says 2: No and Yesh (yes).

Christie - posted on 09/12/2010

My little shrek talks non-stop, but not in vocabulary that we would consider usual. He has his own words and prefers to use them.....he gets frustrated if we don't know what he wants and will use "real" words if he REALLY feels that he needs to get his point across.

Katie - posted on 09/12/2010

My son just turned 16 months & he is actually saying a ton of words (please, sippy, truck, car, home, dog, up, down, all done, etc.), but every kid is different & there's no need to worry! If my son points to something, I use one word to say what it is...if he points to nothing in general, then I will touch or point at something in that area & tell him what it is. Repeat, repeat, repeat! I do in-home daycare & my son has even started doing the alphabet cards with the kids & I when we do them! Your baby girl will talk when she's ready...don't sweat it! :)

Jennifer - posted on 09/12/2010

My son is 15 1/2 months old and says about 8-10 words now. They are partial words which some people don't realize that they are words too. My doctor said this was normal and that most kids start increasing there words quickly by age 2. He's too busy being so active and absorbing knowledge to say more words right now. But he is very smart and understands lots of commands and learns them quickly. He's already running all over the house and climbing up everything. He points, mimicks talking and nods his head alot. And he loves to dance. Enjoy it now becuase once they really start talking it won't stop..LOL

Angela - posted on 09/11/2010

My daughter uses words but only bear, book, mama, and dada most of the time she just points and says num-num. she understands words and will point to what she is asked about like if i say where is the kitty she will run and point to him, but really never really talks! I think lil ones will talk when they are ready but if u are worried i would talk to his pedi!!

Valerie - posted on 09/11/2010

My son is the exact same way! He learned to walk at 10 mos and as far as height/weight he's always been in the 90s%. He said da-da a couple times months ago, but doesn't say any words any longer. He uses his hand and tries to point at things all the time and he grunts as well. He has been very quiet all along. I know he'll start chatting soon and then I won't be able to get him to keep quiet for long. I can tell by his interactions that he's very intelligent, but he just hasn't decided to completely become a toddler and clinging to the "baby" phase as long as he can. I just want to hear him say he loves me!! That will be the best!!!

Stephanie - posted on 09/11/2010

my son's the same. to try to help him for instance ...say he's screaming in his high chair because he's done eating..i look at him and say "Done?" things like this will help calm the screaming thing down because he will learn to associate it with this word. or maybe he is getting frustrated becasue he cant get a toy to work right. say" help please". and maybe he will learn alittle faster that way.

Katherine - posted on 09/09/2010

yeah, my girl is like that too :)

Stef - posted on 09/09/2010

I guess it all depends on who you talk too.. I talked to my daughters doctor and he said if shes communicating that shes fine..

Jacquelynn - posted on 09/09/2010

My son is 16 months and mostly only babbles, yells, and says dada. We had him evaluated by ECI (early childhood intervention) and they said that he has the communication skills of an 11 month old...but the fine and gross motor skills of a 22 month old. The girls from ECI were fabulous and turns out that my son qualifies for their services. Just putting that out there in case someone is really concerned. We also enrolled him in montessori school. Everyone says he is doing great and is such a joy to be around....so we'll see how the next few months go...

Jessica - posted on 09/07/2010

My son is the same way. He grunts, points to stuff, will shake his head yes or no and say buba, mum or dada. Every person I see says he should be talking more. Its stressful. The Dr didn't seemed to concerned about it though. He said that he isn't behind at all. My daughter on the other had was talking more at this age. I also read to her more and she watched baby Einstein movie's(which do work). I play the movies for my son but he isn't to interested. He's just interested on the next thing he can get into. :) Babies surprise you. One day he'll wake up and just talk talk talk. I guess I should enjoy the somewhat quietness when I can.

Josephine - posted on 09/07/2010

My son is 16 months old (was on the 4th). He has always been a very vocal baby...babbling at everything. His only word currently is eye (which is lots of fun since he's always poking me in my eye when he says it). Otherwise, he grunts and points. I try to say whatever it is that he's pointing at. He doesn't care. I know he understands words. He's gotten pretty good at animal sounds (for example when asked what a dog says, he responds correctly). He just doesn't want to use them yet.

Susan - posted on 09/07/2010

My son is exactly the same way. He will be 16 months on the 11th. "Uh Oh" is one of the only words he says. He points when he wants something and is always making sounds and grunts. He understands everything he just not saying any words. Everyone keeps telling me he will talk soon...0

Alexis - posted on 09/07/2010

Don't worry, cause your daughter is right at the same level as mine. Mine turned 16 months on the 4th of September and she doesnt say any words. She knows them because we ask her you know "where's your nose, ears, feet" and other stuff but she doesn't say anything. I've even had family members tell me to start worrying because she hasn't said anything, but I'm like "when her doctor starts to worry then I will worry." My husbands uncle didn't talk until he was 3 because his sister knew exactly what he wanted. I think as long as the baby gets what they want when they want it words aren't necessary.

Sanelle - posted on 09/07/2010

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! Sorry, but glad I'm not the only one wondering...my girl was talking like a 5 year old when she was 2. My boy, almost 16 months, doesn't really talk at all. He says Ta, dada, uh-oh and oh dear. I was worried, but then again, with my 5 year old talking like a teenager non-stop, it is kinda nice to have the less vocal brother in the house....

Fipe - posted on 09/07/2010

My neice is 2 1/2 months older then my daughter and she does the same thing. My daughter is a none stop chatter box. I wouldn't worry about it. Some children just aren't chatter boxes and it looks like you might have a quite one on your hands. Enjoy that because someday she will learn how to talk and then learn how to talk back.

Thine - posted on 09/07/2010

my son 16 months he can speak few words -mama-papa-no-yii(yes)-tito-tita-kuya(older brother)-ate(older sister)-ater(water)-babath(bath) and he can do 10+ sign languages(he always watches signing time video) that really helps him.and he follow commands, like putting is bottle on the table,get this,get that..

Rebecca - posted on 09/06/2010

Hi, I had the same issue with my older son when he was little. He wasn't talking and he was 18 months old. He had chronic ear infections and finally we decided to have tubes placed in his ears. After the tubes, we started speech therapy through the state (which was free) and now he is 3 and talking perfectly normally. I also have a 16 month old, he started with the ear infections also, we put the tubes in just before he turned 1. He talks really well, has 10+ words and sings songs. (kind of haha) my advice would be, if your worried about, have her tested through free state programs you have available to you. If they are concerned they might be able to give her some help to boost her up to par if needed.

Rebecca - posted on 09/06/2010

My daughter is the same way. Only a few months ago we got our first word that she used in the correct way, bye bye. She has been saying animal or train sounds and saying sounds like dada and sometimes mama but not in the correct context. I was a delayed speaker and didn't really talk til I was three, of course I've been making up for it ever since :) I think part of her issue is she had multiple ear infections and finally had to get her tubes at 9 months. Since then she is doing better but I think that has delayed her a bit. She is very vocal with her own language and singing; she understands commands and makes choices and uses sign language for now. Also uses uh huh for no and uh oh. I guess it is pretty common from the replies here.

Chauntel - posted on 09/05/2010

My son is 16 months old and uses about 4 words now.. but he uses sign language more than anything.. we have been teaching him since about 4 months old and he tells us what he needs that way. My mom says she thinks he doesnt say much because of it but his dr said he is right on track with his words. Dont worry about it , she will talk when she is ready..

Sarena - posted on 09/05/2010

my daughter has same bday as you. i do feel her lack of word saying is not good but everyone reasures me she will be fine n will talk when shes ready. i took her to a speech doc n she is exceeding in everything except verbal, which the doc said she is still somewhat early on anyway. dont stress, just keep workin with her n she will come to use them before you know it....

Kelly - posted on 09/05/2010

Just help her out a little. When she points and grunts, use your words. Mine uses a couple of words. He tries. I just keep encouraging. She will get it. Has she learned to walk recently? Or any other milestone. Sometimes they interfere with each other.

Lisa - posted on 09/04/2010

hey, my son was 16month old on the 1st. and the only words he can just about say are mum ,.dada and brum brum and nana . lol

Caley - posted on 09/04/2010

my son is 15.5 months old, and doesn't seem to have the ability to enunciate yet. He makes up his own words for things (eg. "gack" means yes/please/i want that/etc), and we try to tell him the way to pronounce things, but he just repeats his own word without trying to pronounce it correctly.

Muli - posted on 09/04/2010

Don't worry too much as long is she is understanding what you are telling her and trys on some level to communicate with you she will be just fine. If she doesn't seem to be picking it up once she's 18 months you could take her to see a speech therapist.

Shannon - posted on 09/03/2010

Mine just says "mama".... She is very vocal, just not with actual words.

Jamie - posted on 09/03/2010

Same thing with my little one he will say things once and then we will try again and nothing. we Have him say hi dada dre and nadia (brother and sister) fishy nunny but a thats about it . he bables alot but no real words.

Debbie - posted on 09/02/2010

My little man is the same. He basically says "da-da" for everything. Very occasionally I'll get "ma-ma", but not often. It feels very strange because my first son was using 3 to 4 word sentences at 14 months, so to have a 16mth old really not talking feels strange to me. Thank you for your post, as it's reassured me that my son is quite normal!

Ricky - posted on 09/01/2010

Just keep talking to her and give her chances to use them. My son knows quite a bit of words but doesnt like to use them. When he cries because he wants something I ask him using the words he knows (for example "do you want your water, do you want num nums, do you have an owie, do you want mr. bun bun") and he will answer with what he wants. So just keep encouraging her use her words.

Melissa - posted on 08/30/2010

My son is the same way. At his 15-mos check up, I brought attention to his Pediatrician about it, and she told me there isn't any need for concern. She said most children begin speaking and saying 2-3 words sentences around 2 years old, so that my son has lots of time to learn and develop. It's kind of contradicting to me because I had taken my son to be evaluated by Early Childhood Intervention specialists, and they concluded that my son did have a mild delay. It is obvious that there are children who are capable of speaking sentences now, but it doesn't mean that EVERY child HAS TO BE :)

That I think I did incorrectly is that I didn't speak to my son as much as I should have. It was an adjustment for me because I'm vocally very quiet; even the sound of my voice is "soft." So, I've been trying to talk to my son non-stop! I ask him questions of what he wants, and if he doesn't respond, I at least give him choices where he'll have to at least point and choose. This way, I'm not just doing all the communicating and decision making for him.

All the advice people have given me is to TALK! TALK! TALK! :) But I also read pictures books to him. Good luck.

Rebekah - posted on 08/30/2010

My daughter is the same. She understands everything we say, follows commands (like, "go get a diaper"), shakes or nods her head, and uses some basic sign language, but really doesn't have many words. She'll say mama, dada, and uh-oh, but that's about it.

My son's vocabulary just exploded all in about a months time, so I imagine hers will too. He literally was "woofing" at everything one day and saying, "Lucas more milk" the next.

Kelly - posted on 08/30/2010

My little guy is the same. I do have a 4 year old also that was an early talker though and I notice that this time around we are talking more for baby. Since I realized it I am changing my ways and hope it helps but when I asked our doc, he said a few words are all that they are expected to say at this age. They are more into learning them rather than saying them.