how much is your baby saying?

Amanda - posted on 06/03/2010

my 17mth old doesn't say a lot most of the time, love you, bye, momma, dadda, tete, gavin (his brothers) and random things like "I didn't say that" it is funny when those things come out. but it is not unusual for him to go all day without saying much of anything at all. My other boys did the same thing, not much talking until almost 3. I wouldn't worry about it.

Natalie - posted on 06/01/2010

my son is 19 month soon and mommy,daddy, papa, sherk, winnie pooh, bye bye, merci, hi, dodo
i repeat the word till he says it
don't give up it will come be patient
good luck

Samantha - posted on 05/29/2010

Keely is baby number 3 and she says less than 5 words, but i figured that is more down to the fact she doesn't need to talk! She will find her voice when she is ready too, but for now i am just enjoying her usage of these small babbles and rants! My first child was super advanced at this age, counting up to 20 by the time she was 16mths old and having quite long conversations with everyone who would listen, but i suppose that is more down to the fact that we had a lot more time to spend chatting with her before i had another child to share my attention with. They are all so different and i try not to compare my kids abilities as i find that is quite unfair as they have all had some sort of issue that may have set them back at some point, for Keely it was failing to thrive. They all do things in a different order too, my son was very early to roll, sit up, crawl, and then walk, but talked quite late. My eldest daughter started saying recognisable words very very early but didn't want to crawl or walk for a while...and Keely bless her just didn't do much of anything for the first 9 months of her life as she was quite poorly, so she is only now beginning to make up for it.

There is no 'normal' for a baby, and i hate that doctors and health visitors make it so set in stone that your child will do x,y,z by this age or else they are 'slow'

Jamie - posted on 05/20/2010

MIne seems to pick up a new word every week or so. But it seems to be more long sentences in baby talk.

Don't let the doc make ou feel like that. Every baby is different.

Sarah - posted on 05/20/2010

My little one also watches Your Baby Can Read videos and can use properly, at the least 75 words. But at the same time cant figure out how to suck from a straw. What i am getting at is every child doesn't fall into a specific mold what is normal for one isn't for another. He sounds just fine, and you may find that one day he will speak in full sentences. Don't stress about it I believe you can trasfere those emotions to your children and that is the last thing you want to do. Btw doctors practice medicine they do a lot of educated guessing.

Christine - posted on 05/20/2010

Your doctor's a nutcase! Signing is language!!!! When I took my 18 month old to the ped., she was very impressed that my daughter knew baby sign. All of the things you described sounds just like my daughter and my pediatrician said that Gwen is quite advanced for her age! I don't know any 18 month olds that can talk 'clearly' except for maybe the words 'no,' and 'mama.' Is this doctor that you're seeing a pediatrician or a gen. prac? I just can't believe that he/she wouldn't count signing and 'knowing' words. You have nothing to worry about. Don't let this doctor tell you otherwise.

Carol - posted on 05/19/2010

my little girl is quite good at talking. she will have a go at any word you give her and she is starting to put some together. in the hospital 2 days ago she said i want toys. the new word there was toys as she normally says i want boppi (bottle) or i want numnums(FOOD). when my son was 18 months old, he gave his dummy to his new baby cousin and he understood when i explained he was giving it and said ok, they all develop differently and so long as your child has some words it shows that he is learning

Ebonique - posted on 05/17/2010

Hey my daughter doesnt really say much of anything and she was born 11-2-08. She pretty much just says hi, mama, dada, poop, cup, and the rest is her own little conversation from the baby world. lol but she is very smart so.... I say screw what the doctor is saying. If your child isnt talking by pre-school then u maybe u should worry a little, but as for right now u sound like a wonderful mother keep the great work up!

Lisa - posted on 05/12/2010

hello, I wouldn't worry, all children develop at their own rate. My almost 18 month old is saying almost everything,,repeating EVERYTHING,,even stuff she's not supposed to,,LOL,,BUT she is the last born of 3 children,,,my 2nd born did not speak at all until he was around 2 and he had a speech therapist until he was 3. He was actually diagnosed with a form of autism called PDD-NOS, which he still goes to "speech class" in kindergarden. He also had Tss's that helped him with his "talking",,,,my point is that every child is different. He is now 6 and no one can tell he has a problem with talking.

Tracy - posted on 05/12/2010

My daughter recently started saying everything! She is like a little parrot!

Nancy - posted on 05/11/2010

my little girl is almost 18 months and only says about 8 words, mama, dad, kitty, uh oh, hi, what's this, what's that...I think she is pretty normal and will talk when she is ready, she understands me and makes lots and lots of sounds. Don't worry and let them be babies and take thier time growing up :)

Shannon - posted on 05/11/2010

my little guy is 17 months too and isn't saying a thing! he babbles all the time but hasn't said mama or dada yet or anything. sometimes we can get "ba" for ball and "gee" for doggie....but other than that he hasn't started talking. i am worried that he is way behind but my doc just told me that every child develops at their own pace. we'll be fine!

Jo - posted on 05/09/2010

your little guy is just fine. i spoke with my friend who is a speech language pathologist and said that at 17 months, 5 to 6 words are fine.

Crazy doctor!

Nicole - posted on 05/07/2010

My little guy is 17 months and doesn't say much either, he can say mama, dada, bubba, hi, hello, and kkkkkkkitty lol. With that said, he doesn't use those words to regularly yet, he does however babble on and on and on and on lol. He is extremely active, he understands No ( though that never stops him :), he can build and put together blocks like a champ and flip through books and seems at his level everywhere else. I do worry about my little guy not saying much too but his Doc has assured us he is right on track. Doesn't mean they are less smart, everyone's development is just a lot different. I think your little guy sounds like he is right on track, some doctors really know how to get a mom worried :(

Amanda - posted on 05/07/2010

Usually if children do not speak a lot at this age their vocabulary will explode when they reach age two (I am a child psych major).
My 17-month-old says: Mama, mom, dada, dad, ball, bye bye, num num (food), paci, and baby. Although he is not saying A LOT I know he understands more than what he can say. When I ask him to get me something, he does. When I ask him to sit on his bottom when he is on the couch, he understand. I can ask him to throw things away, show me where his eyes, nose etc. are and point to our cat. Toddlers understand much more then we think they do and every child develops differently, so do not worry.

Danielle - posted on 05/06/2010

my daughter talks in complete sentences. is this normal? i have 2 other daughters but don't remember them talking so much so soon. she says "come with me downstairs", "go outside to play",
"need shoes on", "go get coat", "pee,pee on potty lucy big girl"...ect.
to kirta, my mom said i didn't speak until almost 2. she even took me to the doctor. as long as they understand what is going on i wouldn't worry.

Emi - posted on 05/06/2010

As a mother of 3 children i would say:Don't worry! If ur child already is saying few words she will say more.if she understand and reacts there is no place to be concern. My baby the 3 one can say lot of words but he does not for example say mommy or daddy all the time. We talk to him, read and his other siblings are a sure way to teach him the spoken language.

Juana - posted on 05/05/2010

My son Leo was born on Nov. 1,2008. its nice to see that im not the only one with this concern. he only says mama, papa,t eta(his bottle) his older brothers name abet(albert) and my daughter name lilly, and hi. He nodds no, he waves bye and ask for some by moving his fingers.

Cindy - posted on 05/04/2010

Don't worry...My son was born Nov 27,2008 he's only saying hi, bye, mama, dada, cookie, ka(meeka for short/his dog) and alot babbling...its so upseting when your doctor tells you that. He's functioning just fine. My son points alot and gets upset if I don't understand but they will get there. Every child is different.

Christine - posted on 05/04/2010

My 17 month old daughter only has a handful of words too. She says "Mama", "Dada", "There", "Bye", and a few others. Because she was born 3 months early, they go by the age she is supposed to be (14 months) and apparently she is on target. The speech pathologist said all was good, but the next day, I got a phone call from one of the ladies that follows up with my daughter and she was trying to tell me that my daughter should be saying at least 30 words by the age of 18 months. What on earth?? She also added that if my daughter doesn't increase her vocabulary by the end of the month, then she's going to refer us to speech pathology. Hello...the speech pathologist saw her and said she was on target.

Anyway, I think that all children grow and develop at different rates and if your doctor is not overly concerned and if you think your son is communicating well, then don't worry too much about it :) I'm sure pretty soon we won't be able to get our toddlers to stop talking :)

Hope that helps a bit? xx

Cherie - posted on 05/03/2010

my daughter was born Nov 22, 2008. we practice words w/her and have words taped up around the house to help her learn. our favorite book is "first 100 words" she points to 90% of them and says 50%, but she'll have a whold conversation w/you(baby talk) when i come home from work, she gets her arms going and is telling you her whole day! my advice, practice makes perfect!

Audrey - posted on 05/03/2010

DD is 18 months old as of yesterday. Up until 16.50 months old, she had about three words. Then all of a sudden, she was speaking a new word every day. Your doc is a little overzealous. If your child is understanding you, than he's fine and will speak when he's ready.

Jaclyn - posted on 05/03/2010

My l ittle boy says 'mumma' and 'dadda' and 'get it' and 'truck' and 'hello' and 'mine' and he does car sounds 'brrrooommm' with his little cars. He understands when i say 'no' or 'go get your blankie and dummy' and 'push that chair back in' lol. He understands a fair bit but as for speaking he's only talking basic. I'm not worried though because my now 3 yr old wasn't avery talkative kid..ofcours until he hit 2..then it was like he was catching up for the last 2 years!! lol. I know that my 17mth old will talk in his own time. I really don't think it's much to be worried about. O and he also says 'gone' and put his hands up and 'Na-Na' for Banana.

Jazi - posted on 05/03/2010

I know it has been said "don't worry" just once or twice now in the 44 posts that have come before mine. "Be paitent" and "kids go at their own pace" was in there also. And its all true. No two children are alike and any pediatrician will be the first to tell you that. They will also tell you that most of these milestones are guidelines, and that just because a child doesn't reach it at a certain time does not mean that there is a problem.

If you are at your child's pediatrician and they give you the impression that there is an issue with your child but do not say something, get the doctor back in the room and discuss it with them. You should not leave the office without knowing if they suspect a problem and if there is something you should be doing about it. 19 times out of 20, the answer is nope, nothing to do at this point. Because the dr wants to see if it will self-correct (as a lot of delays do) then those other 1 in 20 its a case of "try to focus play in THIS direction" most of the time if your child is that 1/20 - the dr will mention it on his own, rather than waiting for you to ask.

April - posted on 05/03/2010

My 18 month old has a huge list of words she says, and is starting to piece together two and three word sentences. Whereas my goddaughter and my nephew, who will both be 2 in June, barely have enough words together to add up to what my daughter says. But all three kids are smart as whips. My little girl throws her own diaper away. Your son will talk when he has something he really wants to say, and he sounds like he's very bright. Don't worry too much.

Melanie - posted on 05/02/2010

My older son did not talk nearly as much as his younger siblings do, did a lot more signing with him, but he was never considered delayed with regard to speaking ability. (He did get into preschool under "dev. delay" but it was understanding more than speaking. He is now 5 and is not at all delayed---he is going to Kindergarten this fall and he has been reading for about a year already! besides all the other things coming around fine for him. He was just 'later' than some.)

My dd (now 3) and my 11/7/08 baby boy are both very verbal. Baby has a *lot* of words and has started some combos like "I'm done" (as in eating) and strings together words and ideas like he will bring me his shoes and say "Shoes.....go!.....out!....bye-bye!"

I think part of my baby's vocabulary though has to do with having two older siblings who are so close to his age...21 months older and 4 yrs older. And my mom lives with us and I stay home so he really has a *lot* of attention I think...:lol (I'm not saying other babies *don't* get the attention they need or anything like that, just that most don't have an extra adult around with nothing better to do than play with the baby lol)

Renee - posted on 05/02/2010

I have somewhat the same scenario with my lil boy. He is a very bright 17 month old but just doesn't verbalize with actual words so much. I do teach him sign language (by choice not a need) to help communication and was repremanded by the clinic doctor, she felt it was slowing his speech down. But when my siblings and I were younger and my mother had the same questions our pediatrician (which has since retired but I LOVED him) simply told her that when the baby does need to talk they will, but as long as they don't "have" to since we offer things before they ask, they won't talk. Not because they are incapable. If the thing you say to your child are understood by him, than it isn't a learning problem so to speak just yet. I don't think that there is anything wrong with taking time to learn as long as some sort of progress is being seen. I would just continue being a great mom and when it is VERY apparent that your son isn't learning or picking up on things then thats one thing, but enjoy his mish mosh jabbering while you can. He will be talking your ear off soon enough!!

Dawn - posted on 05/02/2010

Babies develop at their own pace. My ds (11/08) says dada, mama, and bub clearly. He's working on things like ball (ba) thank you (tane tu) and dog (da) He will shrug his shoulders and say "wha es et?" Doctors are not worried. Like your son, he understands things, if I tell him go get his shoes he will. He knows some body parts (face parts and belly, toes, feet, hands) I was told speech isn't really an issue until closer to 2. Reading and talking to them helps too. I tell my ds what everything is. We go for walks and look at the birds, cars, whatever. Or in the house, light, chair, ect... Give it time, one day he will wake up and say a complete sentance!

Rivka - posted on 05/01/2010

I was reading about this and the main important thing at this age is that your kid understands you. It sounds like he does, so I wouldn't worry.

Kirsty - posted on 05/01/2010

My little girl is very advanced for her age she has began attempting to string two words together, her favorite saying at the moment is "go out", she has a vocabulary of about 60 words including dog, woof,cat meow, cow moo,pig ,sheep, door, car, bus, chair, book, bricks, yes and her favourite no. She really picked most of these up copying people and didn't really bother with baby toys after turning 1. She is a proper little madam though. My niece is 2 nearly 3 and can only say a few words but is brighter in another way lets say seeing how things work. Each child is an individual, your little boy seems fine to me and I wouldn't worry too much you only really have to start worrying when they are like 3/4/5 and they are way behind their age group. Just enjoy the peace and quiet because when he can tell you everything he wants you will not hear the end of it until he gets it. My little girl will make a good debater one day lol enjoy you son as it will fly by, as has the first 17 moths.

Ruth - posted on 05/01/2010

My daughter (18 mo) makes a lot of nonsense sounds, and also a fair amount of imitation--I'll say a word, and she'll repeat the first syllable, or at least the starting consonant. She has 0a few all-purpose words--"ba!" means about half a dozen things (bath, bag, ball, bib, book, potty, baba for bubbles, paper,and bye-bye) and "no" means no, yes, you can't have it, I want it, and various other things. She understands lots of things, and takes directions fairly well, so I'm not worried about her speech development. (I also did linguistics in college, and she's showing all the signs of language development in the proper order, so I'm not going to worry about the timetable).

I've heard that doctors sometimes get touchy about speech development, because if there IS an actual problem, it's best to start treating it as soon as possible. But at that age it can be a little difficult to tell the difference between an actual problem and a slow speaker.

Analee - posted on 05/01/2010

My son is 17 and 1/2 months and really not a talker, I have yet to hear mommy, although he is very good at dadda! He makes different noises more than talking, he goes wow and uh oh. He understands a lot of words and started to do different signs with out us teaching them. But as far as talking, not at all

Anne - posted on 04/30/2010

Freddie is the same, he understands alot more than he says. I was asking the docotr on thursday about it and he said boys are more lazy with their speech but as long as they are making different sounds and pointing not to worry as they'll more than likely start talking without much warning and will probably string more than one word together. x

Natasha - posted on 04/30/2010

Nilah says a lot and she repeats a lot. All kids talk at they own pace just like with everything else in life

Kristen - posted on 04/30/2010

Our 18 month old, Nate, also only says mama, papa, hot, all done, and dog (and now "oopsie" - hilarious!), but is extremely verbal in his own language with so many different sounds. My husband apparently didn't talk until he was 2 years old, and like some of you have indicated, went right into full sentences (according to my mother in law). :) Nate also uses some sign language and is very communicative in other ways, has been walking/running since 10 months old, eats well at every meal, and loves to read (and read TO us in his babble) as well as be outside and active, so we figure we have nothing to worry about - and neither do you!

Randi - posted on 04/30/2010

My daughter is also 17 months old and I feel sometimes she doesnt talk much either. She says the same things your talking about, she can say syllabls too. The words dont always sound like they should but she knows how many syllabls to use. "Love You" is luh u, sometimes when shes being lazy its just nuh nuh. I never worry about what the doc says, as far as talking and things go because again they are only 17 months old. In time they will learn. My little brother didnt talk until he was 4. Once he started he didnt stop. My cousin didnt talk until he was 5. Dont be too worried.

Cassie - posted on 04/29/2010

This is all reasuring for me too. My daughter dosent say many words and laughs when I make animal sounds. She teases me and if I ask for something she gets it or does it. My son who is now 4 is behind on understanding language but real smart figuring out how things work. MI has special classes for him. Be glad if your dr is checking into everything.

Lesley - posted on 04/29/2010

Do not feel bad. Zorriah and I are going through the same things. She says mama, dada, eat-eat, and gigi (for her godmother), and that's about it. My daughters doctor has made me feel the same way plenty of times. Your baby will start talking in no time. They do things at their own pace and when they feel comfortable. When he is ready he will be talking in full sentences, then you are going to be asking for peace and quiet. LOLOL Good luck

Tani - posted on 04/29/2010

More and more I get kids referred to me who are younger than 2 years. Recently, I have gotten a few 16 month-olds! Two years of age is a good age to count number of words, "putting two words together" and such. If you are stimulating your child visually, auditorily and by tactile means and exposing him to new words everyday, then don't worry....boys tend to develop slower than girls when it comes to language skills. Also, it's perfectly okay if their words are not very clear at this age.

Anne - posted on 04/29/2010

That is crazy about your pedi. I am trained in early childhod sped and have a 17 month old and yes they should have 10-20+ words at the age of 17 or 18 mn it does not need to be completely understood by all. If this was the case past 2 years, then yes it should be evaluated. My 17 month old is saying dada, hi, mama, papa, doll, dog, duck and a few others. I understand all but most would not. There is also lots of babbling going on. My first was a very advanced at this age so yes it is easy to worry. But do not. Just keep "tabs" and see if thare is a growth pattern between now and 2 years. :-)

Kristine Bernadette - posted on 04/29/2010

babies have different development and probably your baby is just not yet ready to talk a lot..hehehehe...my baby babbles a lot of words and so i mimic all his words eventhough i dont understand it..my mom told me that i should always talk to my baby so he would also mimic me just like what i do when he babbles.i think that it is effective..and i usually make him watch cartoons that are enjoyable and somehow educational (like dora and diego).. and i think he learns more words with it..now when i ask him what the sound of the train is he would answer me with choo choo!(got it from dora)..he says og(dog), cack(cat),lelo(lion),go(goat),ish(fish),mama,papa,bals(her aunts name),ko(uncle's name),hi, bye, chit(sit),dede(bottle) and he still is learning more...

Natalie - posted on 04/28/2010

my daughter is real chatterbox..she says: mum,dad,aunty,nan,papa,no,go,stop,sit,sit down,drink,moon,star,sun,flower,park,car,beep beep,dummy,pinky,bear,chair,duck,puppy,out,what is this? what is that? who is this? whos that? plane,jump,bat,food,meat,cheese,please,ta,pretty,nose,eyes,
mouth,kiss,doo doo (bottle),biscuit,oh no!,oh oh! she can also name 8 family members (incl.our dogs name) and 'Jesus'
and the list goes on...these are whats from the top of my head.

Kristen - posted on 04/28/2010

I think you really just have to go with your own gut feeling. If you feel they are doing fine then they are. All kids are different. My daughter was born november 17th and she really says alot. She will repeat everything. But i have a sister in law whos daughter was born the day after and she only says about 3 or 4 words. I think they just try to make us nervous. I think hes fine. Were all moms and we know our kids not the doctors.

Rachel - posted on 04/28/2010

Don't let your doctor make you feel this way. Mine sorta made us feel that way. My Son was born Thanksgiving day 08. He just turned 17 months yesterday. My son doesn't say much. He's very active and understands directions like "put it back" or "close the door" "where is your cup" He says words like Hi hello daddy mama " mo mo" means more and he just now saying doggy. Don't worry just encourage him to talk and read word/picture books to him,it will happen! I don't know why doctors put pressure about this all kids are different.
Hope this helps

Mel - posted on 04/28/2010

Charlie has a vocabulary of about 20 words that are easy to understand, the rest is just babbling!!! I think vocally he is developing fine. Maybe he should be saying more but I wouldnt have him any other way.

Jacqui - posted on 04/28/2010

kitra... I felt the same when we left V's 15 month appt.. because she wasn't saying anything... now, at 17 months, she only says daddy and cheese with any clarity... she also will mimic any "s" sounding words.. eyes, Jess, fishes.. etc. She doesn't say mama.. :( I know she will get there when she's ready.. she babbles all the time and she understands, so I don't stress.. well.. not too much anyway.. LOL.. my sis was one of those that talked later (she was 2 before she said anything).. and she's perfectly fine. :)

Claire - posted on 04/28/2010

Hey Kitra- it sounds to me like your little one is doing just fine :) My DD had a rough start when she was born on 21 November 2008, and as a result she's been in Early Intervention including speech therapy since she was born, more to monitor her progress than anything, because she's doing very well. At our last appointment last month, she was only saying a few words (dada/ mama/ boo/ ta (thank you)) but she could do maybe fifteen animal noises (woof/ meow/ raarr/ baaa) etc. Animal noises count as words! And her range of receptive language (what she understands) was amazing- she could do three part requests (like go to your room, get your ball and give it to daddy). At this age they only need to be doing two-part.

Anyway! The point is, her receptive language skills more than made up for any slowness in her expressive language skills, and showed that she was definitely on track in her development. She was an early walker, too, and I was always told that early walkers talk late, and vice versa. There are exceptions, of course, but it seems hard for them to focus on both areas equally.

Just in the last week my little one has finally understood how to imitate almost everything we say (uh oh- time for the swear jar!) and is adding literally three or four words a day to her vocabulary. Her favourites at the moment are "cheese" and "bubble" :P

Your little one will take his own pace, and I'm sure he'll be chatting away to you in no time at all.

Helen - posted on 04/27/2010

My little guy was born on the 17/11/08 and he walked at 9 months too. The only words he says clearly are Mum and Dadad but he understands EVERYTHING, can follow instructions and communicates quite well with his squeaks and pointing. He tries to say lots of other things but he hasn't really got his consonants sorted out yet so it's all vowels - bath, park, car are regulars. According to my Miriam Stoppard book at 18 months your baby 'may' be able to use 10 words with meaning, so at 17 months I reckon our bubbas are just fine. There's an old saying 'first to walk, last to talk' - guess they spend all their time perfecting their physical skills they don't practice other skills as much!

Kelly - posted on 04/27/2010

Hi my 18 month old daughter can say clearly, Mummy, dada, poppa, nanny, parden me, book, ball, car, juice, no, and then other word that we no what they mean like ela is elephant and bot bot is milk and im sure there is alot i have missed but hey they all develop at there own pace there is no race :-).

Stacie - posted on 04/27/2010

Don't stress!! I know I probably sound like a broken record...but every baby is different! My daughter, who is four now, spoke over 75 words when she was 17 months. My son is now 17 months and only speaks a handful of words. He understands everything though ... asking him to go get something, not to do something, etc. I was concerned, too ... but after speaking with my pediatrician, my son's daycare teacher/owner and several other parents ... I'm not worried at all. My daughter had the temperment and personality to sit still and take it all in. My son is constantly on the move and doesn't have the patience. Also, I don't think they will even consider testing for "speech delay" until they are two anyway. So all I've been doing is taking one word I can commit to saying at least 10 times in a day over a week and saying that to him. Just last week he learned to say ball!!! Just breathe ... he will talk - don't worry, unless you notice other things coupled with not talking. Like hearing problems, etc. Good luck!