How many words can your 1 year old say?

Amanda - posted on 08/30/2012

My baby girl just turned 1 today, and she has over a 20 word vocabulary. I was wondering if that was normal, but it is true that every single baby is an individual and grows at their own rate.

We were worried cause she had Craniosynostosis which means she wasn't born with a soft spot for her brain to grow, and she was a little behind in some development. She had to have 2 operations, and started saying a lot by 8 mos old...but the words she says that come to mind are:

Dog, cat, hi, hello, Dada, Mama, again, no, what,"I got it" "I want it" sometimes she says "I love you" She constantly says "Hi Dad" she even says some Spanish words, and she's as white as can be :P (But it's cause I speak Spanish sometimes to her older sister,)

Vaca (cow), Nada (nothing), Hola (Hello) There are so many more words she says, but I'll cut it short.

All kids are different!!!

Jasleen - posted on 06/07/2012

my daughter started talking and saying clear words when she was 9 month. now that shes 14 months she knows a lot of words. shes soooo talkative. she said daddy, mommy, cat, dog, fish, juice, bed, pillow, kangaroo which is a hard word to pronounce. and a lot lot more.

Mariane - posted on 05/31/2012

Hi! I'm a speech and language pathologist and I also have 3 kids of my own. It's true that some kids learn to talk earlier than the others (especially girls). They actually don't acquire the words at exact ages, there's an age range for it. In general, increase in expressive vocabulary usually occur between 15 to 20 months. Beyond that, they could already combine words to utter phrases then simple sentences.

Casey - posted on 05/10/2012

My son had 10 words by the time he was 1 yr old, and his Dr. was very happy about that. He said most children only have 3 by a year old.

Kayleigh - posted on 05/10/2012

Does your baby move alot? My neice was almost walking at her birthday but did not talk... my son did not even crawl at 9 months but used sentences and they were together a week end and he taught her to talk and she taught him to walk.

Amber - posted on 04/18/2012

That's what my doc said too, but I say as long as they are talking it's fine. She's probably saying a lot more words than you can understand. To her they sound correct and to you they sound like babbling. Also some kids talk and some don't and most don't understand the words that they can say anyways. I wouldn't worry about it.

Bethany - posted on 04/08/2012

My son's first word (down) was at 20 months and it quickly developed from there. We did sign language, and he was an early walker (9 months). It just depends - is he engaged, is he involved, then he is fine....

Eileen - posted on 03/24/2012

My grand daughter is 13 months now and she is quite vocal,but I've not heard an actual word yet ! Relax...This whole age thing loses its importance in a couple decades.We each grow in our own time.

Elizabeth - posted on 10/02/2011

My daughter's ped said 2 words @ 12 months is normal and they want them to know 5 by 15 months. At her checkup she could say dada and gaga (my mom/ her sitter) the next day she started saying mama all the time and now she also says "hey" a week later

Cambria - posted on 04/15/2010

A one year old should be able to say at least 12 words that we can recognize and attach meaning to really I think it is because he likes books so much mama dada, Tezia (a cousin), bird, juicy( his sister) ,Aveah(his sister) ,(no no, Jesus, up, more, which he can also sign) ,bye bye, dog, cat, stop

Becky - posted on 04/15/2010

The talking will come in time. Doctors are so focused on making newborns into geniuses, they forget that babies need time to be babies. The one thing I did as my son approached the time to start saying words was I spoke to him in a normal way without all the baby talk...though not like an adult. One of the true ways to teach them to talk is to talk to them and talk to them often. Too many parents don't do that and that can hinder their speech development. They also learn larger words earlier. When my son was 3, he was playing with some Old Maid cards and he asked me if I wanted him to separate them. He knew what the word "separate" meant and he used it in the correct context. But every child develops differently and it's not up to doctors to tell you how many words your 1 year old should say. Before you know it, your daughter will be talking all the time and you won't be able to get a word in yourself...lol.

Joanna - posted on 04/14/2010

At 12 months my daughter could only say "Elmo" "Mama" and "Dada." She didn't start really talking until 23 months old.

Kelli - posted on 04/14/2010

My daughter is only 12 almost 13 months old and only says mom mom, da da, and ba ba. All babies are different. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Personally I have never seen a 1 year old with a 7 - 10 word vocabulary?

Kate - posted on 04/14/2010

My doctor said she should be making 7-10 different sounds, ba, ma,da etc. don't worry about it! If the baby isn't speaking by 2.5 - 3 years there may be cause for concern but not now!

Rebecca - posted on 04/14/2010

my son only knew about 4words at 12 mnths and then like within a month he just picked up about 5 more! He's 14mnths now and says mummum, dada, up, ta, whos that?, there, whats that?, wee wee, (and his personal favourite) mmmm yum!

Meghan - posted on 04/13/2010

My son only said about 3 words at 12 months.at 18 months he is saying over 50-so it happened very quick! Stevie is right, from what I have read and been told (just took him for his 18 month immunizations) at 18 months they should be saying 7-10 words.

Katarina - posted on 04/13/2010

My son is 12 months old and he says Mumma, dada, No, Dog("og"),Hey,uh-oh,Dale(our dogs name).

Krystal - posted on 04/13/2010

hi my son is 11 months old and can now say muma, dada, nana, baba, hello, bye, yes, no and dog. some babys just learn quicker than others as long as your baby is trying to say words i wouldnt worry, shes still young, if she not saying much by 1 1/2 - 2 years then its time to worry. as long as you keep encourageing her, play games with her, read lots of books with her, make her as interested as possible, she will only learn when shes ready but there is no harm in encourageing her. some babies dont say anything till 15-18 months.she sounds like shes doing good, no baby is a text book baby so try not to worry when they say she should be doing this,this and this at this age because no baby is the same and they all learn and develop at different ages and stages. as long as shes trying thats all that matters, she will get there in the end. i am nvq level 2 qualified in childcare learning and development and she sounds like shes learning just fine. like i said if she isnt saying more words and trying to say some sentances by about 2 then, then there could be a speach problem or learning problem but like i also said she is still young she has plenty of time to learn and figure things out.my niece is nearly 16months old and all she can say is mummy,daddy, nanny please, cup, juice, milk, cat,dog, summer (her name), dum dum (her dummy), and din dins (dinner). she knows what they all mean, but she cant say anymore than that yet. anyway. i hope this helps in some way. i guess what i was trying to say was that you cant always take what they say to heart because you'll be forever worrying about wether shes behind or not when in fact she not, shes just learning at her own pace. best wishes :) x

Stevie - posted on 04/13/2010

who is your dr that isnt right unitl they are closer to 2yrs my son is 17 months and at his 12 month check up he was only saying 2 words mama and dada now he talks all the time but he wont say mama hardly anymore he says a bunch of words mostly all gabber and yells and that is ok i think the words he does say not all of them does he really know but no your dr is wrong average is only like 2 give or take and as long as they babble they are just fine...maybe look for a new dr

Cambria - posted on 04/15/2010

A one year old should be able to say at least 12 words that we can recognize and attach meaning to really I think it is because he likes books so much mama dada, Tezia (a cousin), bird, juicy( his sister) ,Aveah(his sister) ,(no no, Jesus, up, more, which he can also sign) ,bye bye, dog, cat, stop

Becky - posted on 04/15/2010

The talking will come in time. Doctors are so focused on making newborns into geniuses, they forget that babies need time to be babies. The one thing I did as my son approached the time to start saying words was I spoke to him in a normal way without all the baby talk...though not like an adult. One of the true ways to teach them to talk is to talk to them and talk to them often. Too many parents don't do that and that can hinder their speech development. They also learn larger words earlier. When my son was 3, he was playing with some Old Maid cards and he asked me if I wanted him to separate them. He knew what the word "separate" meant and he used it in the correct context. But every child develops differently and it's not up to doctors to tell you how many words your 1 year old should say. Before you know it, your daughter will be talking all the time and you won't be able to get a word in yourself...lol.