Is your 16 month old talking yet?

Rose - posted on 09/06/2012

My son is 17 months old but says very few words too. He is very bright otherwise, knows his body parts etc...

His cousins 13 and 15 months are stringing words together, calling him by name etc... and now persons who observe him are thinking that is strange he cannot do the same, even though he's the eldest. As you said, girls are known to talk faster than boys..

So am trying all I can to build his vocabulary daily.

Mindy - posted on 10/15/2010

my son babbles a lot but in the last 5 days he has picked up alot of words he used to just say momma dadda poppa bye bye no ball car hi uh oh and kitty in the last 5 days he learned sucker, me, cracker, poop (LOL) shoes, breakfast, dinner, Hailey (best friend) doggie, juice bath and oh dear and ouch.

I know he knows a few more words but they are not used as often so I cant think of them right now

Colleen - posted on 10/14/2010

My 17 month old daughter does not talk half as much as my older daughter did at that age I think the older one does talk for her. We are working on it she understands everything I say. She will shake her head yes and no and she signs a little (school teaches them) she just gets mad cause she knows what she wants.

Tamera - posted on 10/14/2010

my 18 month old is very bright and his dr has been saying since he was a few months old that he was brighter than any other child she has ever seen. he was walking at 7 months old and started talking talking at about 14 months. I have been working on flash cards with him and lots of one on one time. He also has a vsmile baby that is great and has really helped him to. His three year old cousin even likes playing vsmile with him. If you have an older child they do tend to talk a lot for their sibling and themself. I would recomend making flash cards a game. have your older child say what it is to your younger one. Also binkies can make it so they talk less....my son uses one but still talks a lot.

Nicole - posted on 10/07/2010

my little boy said his first word "mama" at 7 months old and ever since then hes picked up on words so fast! he constantly talks! he can say mama, dada, baba, papa, tig tig (my parents cat), truck, car, see, hi, that, yay, juice, drink, hot, cookie, tickle, pretty ... he pretty much says whatever you say in front of him. but i also am a stay-at-home mom so i get to be with him all the time and talk to him constantly. every kid starts talking at their own pace. i wouldn't worry , i mean their only 1! if your still worried you can always talk to your pediatrician and get their advice.

Dawn Renee - posted on 10/07/2010

Every child is different. Even if you had 10 kids, each one would reach some of their milestones at different times. My 12yr daughter walked and talked very early but was put in speech in kindergarden and stayed through 4th grade. Now in 7th, we constantly remind her about her enunciation. She mumbles. My 10 yr boy talked late, pointed and had his sister interpet for him. At 4 years at one of my daughters speech meetings, he asked me something and they focused on him. He was bottom 2 % nationwide. Went to speech 4 yrs- 2nd grade. Due to speech issues, didn't learn to read until late 1st grade. In 5th honors classes and still enunciates extreemly well. Better than most. At 9 months I started teaching my youngest American Sign Language. Got dvd's at library. Within two weeks she was signing eat, drink, and sleep. Now at 17 months, she talks constantly. I don't always understand, but she's persistant and she mixes signs in to get her point across. She says " I din do it" when in trouble. and says "stop" and signs "Go" and "Away" when siblings are bugging her. I highly suggest SIGN to help reduce frustration and increase all communication levels.

Laura - posted on 10/07/2010

My daughter is 16-months old and I'm finding that she is starting to repeat more words that she hears daily. She says mama, dada, hello, bye-bye, toes, eyes, shoe, Dora, no and cookie. I read that some ways to help a toddler's speech development is to read to them, sing songs, have your toddler describe his/her toys to you, talk to your toddler in complete sentences and have intelligent conversations with your toddler. My husband and I rarely use baby talk. We try to encourage her to respond in words when we ask her a question. When she points to objects we tell her what it is and ask her to repeat the word. Finally, we noticed that she loves to mimmic being on the phone. So we encourage her to talk 'into' the phone when we're on a phone call with a family member. Kids will learn at their own pace. My daughter is more comfortable with learning to talk than she is with learning to walk... she still won't take steps by herself. Good luck and hope this helps.

Nicole - posted on 10/06/2010

my little boy is 17 months and just says mummy daddy and baby talk lol he trys to copy u bt nuffin much comes out lol he says tah and mmmmmm wen he says food lolol x

Alisha - posted on 10/06/2010

well lets see my little one started talking about the same time as yours and she now is 16 months and says momma,dada, hey,ya,hi,bye and it sounds like other words but they come out as mumbles and jibbers. id say keep up with what your doing he understands you and he'll pick up more words as you go along if you want play some word games with him say something and try to get him to repeat you that's if your not doing that already.

Raina - posted on 10/06/2010

My daughter is amazing! Her nearly 3 year old brother just started stringing 3 and 4 word sentences together abt 3-4 months ago...while she is doing it now! She asks for what she wants...I want drink (dink) I want susu (breast) wheres daddy gone? Please mummy...sorry mummy (and she can say all 6 of her bro and sis names..albeit in her own way....but quite clearly!) I want that...she names some foods and copies whatever her brothers say and do! It could be she is a girl...and she is the youngest of 7? But she is very verbally articulate...totally adorable! Got everyone wrapped around her little finger...except me! hahaha! But each develop in there on time.ooops she is 17 months, but has been talking clearly since abt 15 months.

Crystal - posted on 10/05/2010

My 17 month old says quite a few words but he's not very consistent. Some days he refuses to say words he's said before. And sometimes he makes grunts for specific words. And he understands so many things that we say to him, I can't even believe it. I think that's just how kids are at this age.

Jill - posted on 10/05/2010

My little one is quite the talker...I would say her vocabulary is over 100 words now...she will repeat anything you ask her to! I read to her a lot....

Janet - posted on 10/05/2010

I've got a 16 month old girl who babbles constantly she says the odd words like Mum, Dad, Cat, milk but only when she's not thinking about it. My older daughter was a really early talker and was saying loads by this stage but I wouldn't worry no matter when they start, once they do they won't stop and even if they are a bit later starting they will soon catch up.

Sabrina - posted on 10/05/2010

I truly believe the more you talk, read and sing to them the better talkers they will be. My daughter is 16 months and has an 80 word vocabulary. I have read books to her since she came home from the hospital. Which now she LOVES books. I also talk to her all the time. ( what we are doing for the day, what iam doing, point things out to her in stores). All kids and family situations are different. He will talk when he is ready.

Amber - posted on 10/05/2010

Boys aren't always slower at talking then girls:) My son is 17 months and says a lot of words and phrases. Most of his words are those that only my husband and i know what he is saying. I always repeat him and encourage him to "use his words" instead of grunting or whining for something. In the language world even noises are considered words. Try encouraging him to make sounds lalala, bababa, dadada...they are all the beginning steps to language development. i would not worry too much at this age. Another way to work his "speech" muscles is to have him drink from a straw cup instead of sippy cup and work on blowing bubbles.

Adebola - posted on 10/04/2010

My son can call the names of some people and will say "leave me"

Genie - posted on 10/04/2010

My son says hi, bye, night-night, no, and uh-oh pretty clearly. He is my second child and my first happened to be a girl. She spoke sooner than he did. I really wouldn't worry. I know from personal experience that it is really hard not to. My son just started saying these things within the past month. You just gotta go with the flow. :)

Alison - posted on 10/02/2010

My 16 month old son walked pretty late(13 months), but talks up a storm. Just depends on the child-like everyone always says-they're all completely different and develop differently.

Danielle - posted on 10/02/2010

My little boy is the same you have to lsten very closley because i feel they try and talk to fast. If isit and listen to him i can understand heaps more but if we are busy he goes back to pointing to things he wants etc.

Laura - posted on 10/02/2010

My 16 month old is very advanced, she has been saying mama & dada since she was 5 months and now can count up to 10 and get up to D in the alphabet. She can say her little sisters name (Lacey) and is always telling me to "sit down" she can say other words which she says when she recognises things like "car" "Bike" "Fish" "cat" "woof woof" (for dog) "nanny" she also says "bed" when she is ready for bed and "stairs" when she wants to come down in the morning. She has always been very alert, but i do have friends with children around her age (and older) who are still not talking. Nothing to worry about =D

Birgit - posted on 10/01/2010

Our twins say Mama, Daddy, Bottle, and some other things in German, starting on 2 word stuff, easy things like "Hi Baby:" and such.

Samantha - posted on 10/01/2010

My son talks a lot and very clearly since he was about 11 months (he now has about 75 words) and started walking around 9 months...however his father ( who literally is a genius) didn't walk or talk until he was nearly 2! Every baby is different! Don't worry!

Amy - posted on 10/01/2010

Laura, I think the mere fact that you're writing on here as a concerned mom tells me that your son is just perfect! It sounds like he is right on target, understanding things that you say, babbling, and saying a few words. My daughter (16 months) talks quite a bit, but was not early to roll over, or crawl. She was also walking at 10 months. It is crazy, how they all develop perfectly, on their own time. Keep up your good work!

Pearl - posted on 09/30/2010

Our boy was saying words from about 9 months. His favourite was cat. He would drive us insane repeating CAT over and over. LOL Now he recognises and says over 30 words, but still babbles a lot. We loosely followed a book called "Baby Talk" by Dr Sally Ward. It has info on what to expect at each stage, and games, exercises, and toys to help your little one understand and communicate. By the end of 16 months it's gesturing to express wants that is probably more important, than actually having words. And if your boy is understanding and following simple instructions, then he is on target for his age. I highly recommend learning some signs as well, our boy won't say dog, but knows the sign for it, and like saying cat over and over, he will sign dog (pat his thigh) until his leg turns red! LOL

Alixandra - posted on 09/30/2010

Regan is 16 mos and her vocab is exploding, way faster than my son did, she repeats everything we say and she knows what it means. If i remember right one day my son just started conversing, like he was storing it all up and when he knew it all he decided to say it ALL!

Joy - posted on 09/30/2010

My boy is just about to turn 17 months and he isn't much of a talked either. He will say dada and mama and maybe a few other sounds, but no real words yet either. Plenty of sounds and he can understand what I am saying. I think it is fairly normal and not a point to worry yet. As long as he can understand what you are saying I think you are ok.

Katie - posted on 09/30/2010

My 16 month old has a vocab of about 25 or so words (that he says without help) at this point, & will repeat (or try to!) any word that you ask him to say...A lot of people comment on how clearly he can say certain words...Just remember that every child is different! My son did not roll over until he was 7 months old, then was walking at 10! Kids work at their own pace & it does not necessarily mean anything. :) Some of the words he says completely on his own are: No (of course!), yes, please, up, down, mommy, daddy, truck, what's that?, out, bath, sippy, open, more, door, hi, bye-bye, shoes, socks, go, puppy, woah! (haha), owie, beep beep, phone, stop, ball, mine.....

Melanie - posted on 09/29/2010

my boy (16 almost 17 months now) has his basic words mummmmmmm, daddy, all (ball), nuro( nero one of our dogs). He babbles alot with sounds that sound very much like other words, so we say what it sounds like and he smiles and nods at us. I think it is just alot of repetition and naming common things that you and him see every day. Wouldnt say it is time to worry just yet!!

Elizabeth - posted on 09/29/2010

I have 16 month old twin girls and one babbles a lot and can say mama and dada. My other twin is mimicking rhymes, and says "kitty" "more" "cracker" "juice" etc. They are both very bright and understand everything I say, like your little one. I think every baby is different how they develop. He will talk when he is ready, just keep encouraging him:)

Kerry - posted on 09/29/2010

Hi. My 15 month old is the youngest of 6 so I think he has an advantage. He says all the kids names, but usually only when prompted. He says Mommy, Daddy, cat, dog, turtle, cup, Bobby(bottle), paci, eat, up, down, please, thank you ect. Hes not conversational though, just throws out words half when prompted and half on his own now. But we do flash cards with him now. I just had them in the house to help one of my others with reading so we started with just showing him the ones we knew he knew like apple, banana, hat, dog & cat ect. Now he can do a good amount of them, when he wants too. I dont push it though, as soon as he loses interest I just drop it altogether. We prob do them once a day or so but sometimes he wants to see them over and over and tell everyone APPLE, APPLE, APPLE....so its all up to him. Sounds kinda extreme and I never did this with any of the others, but he does seem to love it. Just an idea...

Stephanie - posted on 09/29/2010

i have a 16month old girl, and she only started walking two weeks ago - but is a little chatterbox! She says mum, nan, daddy (and cals him by his first name) and yes and look!! Also, Oh dear, ta, hi ya.....they're all different, and will all do things when THEY'RE ready.x

C - posted on 09/29/2010

my daughter is my third, and she is not talking yet wither. She says dazee for everthing. The only other two words she has is pupee and daddy. As her mom, I am sad that she doesn't say mom or mommy. But I was told that it is the kids around her (daycare and siblings) are talking for her and that she hasn't developed interest yet. Is your little one in daycare? It could just be that he doesn't want to. Hang in there. I think the rule is that by two he should say more than mamma and daddy and that is when to be concerned. Hope that helps.

Eliza - posted on 09/29/2010

My son is saying so much now days that it's hard to keep track of. I love how quick he's picking up new words and trying to copy what we say. A few words that come to mind are: mama, dad (or dadda, daddy) Liza (my name!) vroom-vroom, stars, horse, dog, moo, (and he snorts for a pig and quacks for a duck) kitty-kitty, truck, hot, wait, he signs "please" and "thank you", no-no, boo, stop, light, outside, "where'd he go?", "there he is", book, "read it", "mmm" (when he's eating) go, hat, bath, tickle-tickle, shoe, bottle, this, that, boom-boom, etc. He's a little chatter-box! =)

Katrina - posted on 09/29/2010

My 16 month old daughter says Nana, Poppa, Mum, Dad, Finlay(her brother) Bo Bo (dog) up, uh oh, ock (sock) quack, moo, baa, woof, meh (for goat sound) snorts for pig, bubba. I didn't think she was saying much until I typed this! her brother started talking at 9 months and is now 3 1/2 and has an amazingly wide vocab. I guess I have been comparing my daughter to his development which is not exactly textbook:)

Kristie - posted on 09/29/2010

me son is 16 months. and im in you situation he doesnt tlk but he knows when i ask him something he gets it like his cup and he will go find it or his shoes and coat. but he wont say anything but mom daddy and pop for his grandpa. but like you i have heard boys take longer

Kristi - posted on 09/29/2010

My 16 month old boy is also very quick to learn things. He understands everything we say but he also only says a few words. He doesn't even say mama yet!! He has been saying dada forever but thats pretty much it. I asked my pediatrician about it and he said not to worry but gave me the name and number of a company that comes to your house to evaluate your childs strong and weak communication skills. I havent called yet, I'm going to wait and see in the next month or so.

Jessica - posted on 09/29/2010

Every BA y is different and u can't compared you they do Things n their own sweet time my 16mth old is number 4 of my 5 children so he says more words because he hears more talking he has 3 older siblings who r all n school andthey talk him up a storm and I think he's talking because he doesn't want to feel left out my oldest son didn't talk as fast just get worried maybe by 2 if he is comprehending What things mean good luck

Lisa - posted on 09/29/2010

i think they are all soooo different!!! our little girl walked at 13 months but is a fab little talker....already says over 50 words and can copy most words!!!!! dont worry he will prob start talking in sentences :-)

Jennifer - posted on 09/28/2010

my son has been saying a lot of different words just lately. I always make a point to tell him what the name is of everything he sees. My son said Dada first then kitty, dog and then mama. I think it all depends on the child. My first son took forever to talk and my second will not shush for a second

LeToya - posted on 09/28/2010

he can repeat the tone of what i say to him. bad thing is he said cat before he said mama. he can say ball, bath, stop, huh, jada (our dog's name but he calls her "day-day") and other small words. i talk to him a lot and repeat things i know he has interest in.

Kobie - posted on 09/28/2010

my daughter is 16 months old she developed quiet late with pysical things she didnt crawl till she was 10 months and walking at 13 months but talks sentances already she says 4 word sentances and about a vocabulary of about 50+ words, counts to five, knows and points to most of her body parts.i think mainly to do with that she wasnt focusing on crawling or walking she did a lot of sitting, observing and listening before she started caring about moving. i have a few friends with children around the same age they are the same worrying because their children arnt talking much and they were the same as your son walking and crawling and all that really early. we all agree that they were so focused on physical and practical things that they didnt care much for talking but dont worry it will all happen one day he will just start copying everything you say and you wont even remember what it was like to have a little boy that didnt talk i was the same with my daughter when she wasnt crawling i felt so bad coz she wasnt crawling and now she is running every where i cant imagine a child that cant move. crazy hey. he will yapping away soon enough :)

Andrea - posted on 09/28/2010

My 16 month old son probably has 50+ words and can say things in both French and English BUT- he has only just started walking in the past month. Sometimes kids focus on one area at a time. It sounds like your son is very accomplished with his gross motor skills. 16 months is still very young. I wouldn't worry at all at this point. You will probably find that he will start saying lots of new words all of a sudden. All 3 of my kids did this: one day they seemed to barely say a thing and a week later they had 20 new words!

Melissa - posted on 09/28/2010

Both my children were talking after their first birthday but they were signing even earlier. My son actually talked more than my daughter (but at 16 months she's is more agile). At 18 months my son talked in full sentences and my daughter says a few words and babbles constantly. At 6 months she said "mama" and "dada" discriminately. Currently, so says: bubbles, apple, baba (bottle), mom(ma), dad(a), go, up, dog, Peyton, whatcha doin, where you/we goin', etc. Your child might be saying more then you think. When I watch old videos of my kids I found some of the babbling were actually words and sentences. I just didn't pick up on it. At 15 month my son said "Close the gate" repeating after me but I thought it was gibberish.

Dawn - posted on 09/28/2010

My 16 month old talks all the time and has lots of words but doesn't walk yet. My pediatrician and childcare provider keep reminding me they can really do one major development at a time. My kid's brain chose talking.

Samantha - posted on 09/28/2010

My son, Bryce, is almost 17 months old and he communicates with me by pointing at everything he wants. He has three big brothers so I really thought he would be an early talker but he isn't at all. He babbles and says mama and uh oh and that's about it. I wouldn't worry about it. Before you know you will be saying shhh...;)

Amanda - posted on 09/28/2010

My son is 16 months old and when he was 14 months old we were told that he is 6 months behind in speech but he has issuses with his ears. He has had a set of ear tubes put in and so they are saying that is why he is having such a hard time. He can say mama and dada but other then that I haven't heard anyhting else out of my baby boy.

Ashley - posted on 09/28/2010

16 month old son is starting to put words together seems to be picking up on about 5 words a day and can remember what they are the next day. however he also has 2 big sisters who love to read to him and he loves to communicate with! he has always done things a little faster than i had hoped

Noelle - posted on 09/28/2010

hi laura
my daughter is 16 months too and like ur son she has a full blown conversation with u in her language but she can also say out especially to our dogs, all gone and bop( for botttle) she tries to say her brothers name andre but that abit difficult in his time he will pick up stuff and i defo agree that girls are alot quicker thatn the boys.

Laura - posted on 09/28/2010

lol "Hector" .. funny how we try to get them to say simple things but it's the random words they come out with :)

Rachel - posted on 09/27/2010

I was wondering about that too. My son is 16 months and can only say Hector which is our cats name and points at him. He says mama and dada but I don't know if he puts that as being us.