How Early Did Your Baby Say Words?

Updated on December 28, 2006
C.M. asks from Beloit, WI
20 answers

My son just turned a year old and the doctor said that he probably should be saying a few words now and about 10 by 15 months. He said it wasn't a concern that he wasn't. How early did some of your children begin saying words?

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

Gavin is 16 months now and his vocabulary has just exploded. He says quite a bit now and tries to imitate everything we say. Thanks for all the advice!

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.S.

answers from St. Cloud on

I have heard baby sign language is the way to go, starting early!
I think just repeating everything to him might help at this point...show him the apple and keep saying "Apple, yummy apple, red apple, ect...."
My children often learn from being around other children as well.
Does he go to daycare or play groups? Might be something to look into...
Good Luck!

2 moms found this helpful

B.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

Every child is different. My oldest didn't so much as say mama when he was a year old, and he was over 2 before he started talking. He's now 4 1/2, can read small words and talks non-stop, he is the most understandable 4 year old I've ever listened to, very clear.
My youngest is 15 months and he talks more now than his brother did at 2! Crazy, stuff like more, down, up, mom, dad, brudder, puppy, kitty, choo choo (train), shoes, outside, no, yes, etc. He talks up a storm and it amazes me. However my oldest was walking at 9 1/2 months and very physical, he was and always is much more coordinated than his peers and did all the physical stuff early. My youngest isn't as coordinated or as 'advanced' in the physical area. H ewalked at 11 months, still falls all over himself and just doesn't seem as 'handy' as my oldest. Different kids, different skills.
Don't worry, one day he'll wake up and you'll be beggin him to be quiet for just one minute! LOL!

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.T.

answers from La Crosse on

My daughter turned 1 in Oct. She says about 5 words all together.The only 2 she says regularly are uh-oh and no. She can say mama and dada and baby but only if she is in the mood.Dont worry about how many words he can say I am sure he'll start talking when he's ready.I have 5 kids and they all started talking at different ages.Some kids are quicker then others, just as with all stages.Some walk sooner then others.But with all kids they do things when they are ready.If the doctor isn't concerned then dont worry.Just remember that sometimes they say a word but then you wont hear it for awhile.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.

answers from Minneapolis on

I wouldn't worry about it. Kids will talk when they are ready. My first daughter started talking when she was 8 months old. My second didn't say anything really until after her second birthday, and both are doing just fine with their vocabulary. They are 5 and 3 now and both are either at the right level for their age. I'm sure your son is just taking his time to absorb all the information and words being used around him. He'll be talking in no time. You'll see!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

My 15 month old isn't saying much either - although he tries, Mama, Dadda, something that sounds like TJ (our oldest son), uh-oh, and see are about all he gets out now. Keep repeating & pointing to objects over & over, soon he'll get the hang of it & he'll be talking up a storm.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

My daughter is 18 months and she said daddy as a Christmas gift to my fiancee last year she was 8 months. But she was also walking at 7 months. Remember that each child is different. I wouldn't be concerned!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

My son didn't say much (if anything) at 1 yr. Now he is 20 mo. and talks in phrases (and ALL day long - ha,ha). I was worried at 1 yr about him not talking also...but it really does come eventually!!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

My daughter barely said anything at at year. Mama or Dada was about it. But she walked at 9 months. Very interested in moving but not so interested in talking. She didn't really start talking much until 2 - now she is 3 and talks non-stop! I wouldn't worry about it. They all progress at their own rate. We did use baby sign though. That was wonderful.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

My son is 14 months on Christmas and he says Mama, Dada (they were his first words at about 7 or 8 months I'd say). He says his best rendition of "nala" our cat. It's not perfect, but we know what it is. ...and he days deer, (actually sounds like beer) and he attempts to say cookie, cookie, cookie monster when pointing to the cookie monster ornament we have on the tree. We know what he's trying to say, but it actually sounds nothing like it.

I my doctor hasn't mentioned anything to me yet about his vocabulary skills, so I wouldn't worry.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.T.

answers from Minneapolis on

C.,

My cousin son did not start saying words until he was over 2 years old. I guess it all depends on when the child is ready and how often you sit with them and talk with them so they can start copying you. My daughter was 7 months when she started to say ma ma and da da and now she is almost ten and she tries to mock me on alot that I say so you can tell she is trying. Like I said, all children go at there own pace. Just keep trying to work with your child in your spare time and one day you will be surprised.

H.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.A.

answers from Minneapolis on

Don't worry, my daughter was the same as your child and before you know it he'll be blabbing away. I notice a lot of people like to brag about they're children saying amazing things at an early age. I don't buy it lol. Try not to compare your child to everyone else's. Cause everyone thinks their own child is the smartest most advanced child in the world. :) I do believe some kids say things really early but most kids take their time. Don't worry!!!! :) As long as your not concerned about any other development stages he should be just fine. My daughter said daddy & buh-bye for the longest time but didn't actually start w/ other words until about 13/14 months and by 16 months maybe about a dozen words. Now she's 19 months and she wont shut up lol! She mocks everything we say!! So enjoy it well ya can, because before ya now it you'll have a little mocking bird at your feet.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

I wouldnt worry to much yet. By a year old, especially boys tend to run slower in speech, they should be able to say momma or dadda or both. He should be able to say things like nummy or something of the sort. By 2 there should be more words. At 2 children should be able to start making small sentences. Like I want juice. Every year it should improve and have and increase in vocabulary. My pediatrician said that by 5 years old you should be able to understand everything they say.

My son is 2 1/2years old and at a year old he only said minimul words and not all the time. But now a year and a half later he is counting to ten and I can have a conversation with him. He even started asking questions. When he was a year old I was concerned because my daughter was speaking at 10mos, which I know is extremely early. So I spoke to the pediatrician and he gave those guidelines to go by. One thing I always made sure to do was never stop talking to them. I read stories all the time and always tell them what things are. I am sure you do to but I guess I am just saying dont get discouraged. Only you know your child and just keep and eye out and if you are still concerned you can take them to speech thereapy. They will assess your child and tell you helpful info also.

I am a sahm of Tabitha 3 and Matthew 2 1/2.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.C.

answers from Minneapolis on

At 14 months my daughter could talk quite a bit but she couldn't walk yet. My son is 19 months old now and only has about 25 words. At a year he started to walk but he said just a couple of words and I'm not sure there was much meaning attached. Don't worry a bit!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.H.

answers from Wausau on

I have 3 children and they all spoke words at different times.In my experience(I have 2 girls and one boy) my girls spoke sooner than my son. My son will be 2 in January and only began to speak words at 1 1/2. My daugthers started at 1. i thinks it's different for evert child but in my case, my daughters started before my boy.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.B.

answers from Green Bay on

Hi C..

Mine four all talked at diffent times. I thought something was wrong with my third, because she seemed to have almost nothing to say until almost 2! But she's in 1st grade and doing remarkably well.

I dreaded the well baby check ups because there was always SOMETHING that wasn't "status quo" for each of my daughters.

I don't know why doctors feel the need to let us know all of the "norms" because all babies develop so differently. Like most of the moms here have said, some walk early and talk late. Some talk early and walk late. Some never crawl. Some don't talk until 18 months then all of a sudden you can't shut them up!

When you think about it, there are a lot of norms we as adults don't fit into either. There are short people, tall people, people who like to read, people who don't, people who like to talk A LOT, people who are more quiet, over achievers, under achievers, people that are fitness nuts, people who are happy to just take a daily walk, people who like crowds, people who are more solitary...Much of what doctors use to judge "normal" can be chaulked up to a baby's personality.

Your little one is most likely taking it all in and doesn't feel the need to talk yet. I do agree with the poster who recommended sign language. I taught it to all four of mine. It really cuts down on the "pointing and grunting" factor! They all knew "momma", "hungry", and "thirsty". Some I taught more, some I taught less depending on their needs.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.R.

answers from Minneapolis on

I may not be the best advice-giver of the bunch. My son (now 3) started talking at 7 months, full sentences by 10 months. Now we can't remember a time when he couldn't talk. I just credit the fact that we talked to him constantly like he was a regular person (not an infant) - we explained everything... grocery trips, what we were cooking, what we were having for dinner, what we were doing... we never babytalked though. I think he just picked up on it. Like a couple of the other moms said, our son didn't start walking until 14 months so he was more vocal sooner than he was physical. Now everything has evened out - his speech still shocks people (he doesn't really sound like a 3 year old), but he's physically on par with other kids.

My best advice is keep talking to Gavin, read to him often and don't sweat it. He'll figure it out in his own time, and at some point he'll talk non-stop and you'll wish for quiet! :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.H.

answers from Madison on

My son turned 1 on 11/11 and at that point all he was saying was da da, uh-oh and touchdown (don't ask, we watch a lot of football). Recently, he has been trying to say a lot more and his vocabulary is increasing slowly. Don't worry, just keep working with him.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.E.

answers from Minneapolis on

My son is currently 14 months old and has about 7 or 8 words. His first word was actually doggy and that was at around 10 or 11 months. If the doctor isn't worried, I wouldn't be either.....kids develop differently and he may just take off in his speaking in a month or two.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.T.

answers from Green Bay on

Both my children were talking before they were a year old. However, do you know this doctor well and trust him? If so, and he is not concerned, then you should try not to be concerned either. I know this is a lot harder said than done. Each child progresses differently. I know some children who started talking later but then when they did begin speaking it was two or three words at a time. It seemed that they were just taking everything in and then jumped the stage of one word at a time to two or three. If you do not know the doctor well or just aren't sure, it never hurts to get a second opinion. Have his ears been tested? Sometimes that affects speech too. Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.C.

answers from Rockford on

i would not worry about it my 2 oldest started speaking early about 8 months my 2 1/2 yr old is just now starting to say words if their guts and pointing works it does take a while before they will start saying words my 7 month old says momma

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches