Seeking Mothers Help

Sounds exactly like my daughter...I was worried at 20months when she was only saying "mommy, daddy, juicy, and no"...but I knew in my heart that she understands me...she was just a slow talker. Now that she is 2, she is just barely putting more words together and still is mostly unintelligible to the rest of the world...but I know as well as the rest of my family (who told me I was worried for nothing) that she is just fine! Not all kids are the same and some really are just slow talkers!

Hope this helps!

Seems to me like kids are ahead of the curve in O. area or another. She seems very quick to have mastered walking very early. I'm sure her verbal skills are just around the next bend...O. great thing you can do is to read aloud to her. It will help her get a good groundwork for grammar, pronunciation, voice inflection, etc. Kids are NEVER too young to be read to! Even if she seems like she's not paying attention, she is taking it all in. Don't say you have trouble communicating! Talk to her a lot everyday about what you are doing, what is going on, what you think, etc. It will all support her verbal skills down the road. Good luck!

Hi S.,
My son said very little at that age, too and I was starting to panic. Someone recommended "Baby Babble" DVD's to me and I tried them. They teach words and sign language. At 2&1/2 my son still asks to watch the DVD's. We were reluctant to use the tv to teach him, but we found it to be very helpful. He learned quite a few signs which we used to communicate until he started learning more words.
I was so worried that he wouldn't speak, and now he won't shut up!! ;)
If you are really concerned, contact your school district to see if they offer early intervention. If your daughter qualifies, it is usually free. But I'm sure she will be talking in no time. Try learning and teaching her some basic signs (more, milk, please, etc). You might even be able to find sign language videos on youtube. Good luck!

Well you have to remember that every child will hit certain stages at different ages. My 2 daughters couldn't be more different. I don't think you should be concerned but if you are then talk to your dr.. my daughter turned 2 today and she just now is communicating good with us. Just depends on the child

With our son, we talked, talked and talked to him. We would ask him questions, knowing that he could not answer them, but we talked to him anyways. He's always been advanced for his age, (he's 3) and we have people tell us all the time, that talking to him, is like talking with an adult. We never babied him, and never talked much baby talk with him, and I think that's alot of it too. I wouldn't really worry though, she's just barely one! Just talk to her alot and she'll be fine!!

I've noticed with my kids and my friends children that early walkers tend to be late talkers. I think it's because they are focusing more on motor development. It's not ALWAYS the case, but I've seen it many times. The slow talkers I've seen have usually caught up around 2 yrs old, it's like a light switch has turned on.

i think it's a trap we all fall into, ESPECIALLY when our children are early on other things (*high five* and welcome to the walking at 9 months club lol) but we have to remember, they're human. she is a bright child and she'll get it in her own time. don't stress! just keep talking to her, as you're driving, "oh honey, do you see that stop sign? it's RED isn't it! we better stop!" or at the store, "do we want the big milk or the little milk? let's get the little milk." just whatever comes into your head. the more she hears the sooner she'll learn. and yes, talk TO her as if she's going to answer - some day she will! although i must warn you (and some of this is genetics i'm sure), we did this with my son and at 3 he hardly shuts up! lol. he's bright as a whip and a joy to be around, but i always get comments, boy he has something to say about everything, doesn't he? yes, yes he does :P also - use the talking time to teach. she may not want to say "apple", but she can know that it starts with "A". just a thought, if you run out of things to talk about!

Children start talking when they are ready. My mom said I was like that. She worried so much that I would not talk. She said it seemed like one day I just started talking away - full sentences. I would not worry just yet. Just make sure you speak clearly to her with no baby talk and one day she will start talking away!

Good luck!
M.
www.justamom.morethanonemoment.com

Don't worry. Your daughter will speak when ready. My daughter didn't say anything recognizable until she was 22 months old. Within 2 months she was speaking clearly and in complete sentences. My younger daughter is the opposite. Lots of little words, but not clearly and not in sentences. It can be frustrating trying to communicate but remember, one day you'll wish she wouldn't talk at all! good luck.

Wait, why was she off of formula at 10 months? Babies need breastmilk or formula until they are at least 12 months old. Anything else does not have the nutrients necessary to help your baby grow and develop to their full potential.

I've heard of lots of moms teaching their children sign language before they're verbal. Great eases baby's frustration and probably yours, too. They say it's easy and quick to teach. One system is in book form AND on DVD. Babysign? Can't remember. Check your local libraries and/or amazon.com. Just noticed there were some videos of signing babies, and maybe even instructions, on youtube. And here are some instructions on the "How To" website: http://www.howcast.com/videos/22633-How-To-Teach-Your-Bab...

Good luck!

She's only 14 months. It is difficult to communicate with an infant but keep talking to her. She will eventually learn and say more words. My son didn't walk on his own until he was about 14 months but didn't really talk until he was closer to 2 years. My little one is now 22 months. I wondered about the words she can speak when she was about a year. Now she does nothing but talk. Every child is different.

Call your county early intervent program and get her tested or ask your ped for a referl. I listened to alot of people that told me I was overreating and as it turned out I was not.

Like someone else said, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking your child is advanced because he or she met a few milestones ahead of schedule. However, teething and weaning from formula/breastmilk/bottles are in no way connected to the child's developmental ability.

Also as someone else said, early walkers are often later talkers because they've been focusing on gross motor skills rather than language skills. Kids tend to really focus on just one skill at a time, and when that happens, you may notice a stall in other areas. That's perfectly normal and is no predictor of future development (except in the case of significant delays).

My oldest was actually a "late" roller, crawler, walker, and talker. She never really rolled. She didn't crawl until almost 10 months, didn't walk until 13 months, and didn't say more than a couple words until about 14 months. She was an early sitter (4 months), and I think she spent those early months working on fine motor skills and language comprehension. She understood most of what we were saying, but didn't say any of it herself. And when she did start to talk, her speech pattern was halting, and her pronunciation was not good at all. However, by age 3, she spoke very clearly -- even saying the difficult "R" sound. She's now 6 years old, in the 1st grade, and is advanced for her age/grade -- she reads at a 3-4th grade reading level, has a bigger vocabulary and clearer speech than many of her peers, etc. I'm not trying to brag -- I'm just trying to show that even though they may start out with what seems like a "delay," it's not necessarily an indication of future ability.

And FWIW, my younger two both walked and talked earlier than my oldest, but my 5-year-old still struggles with some speech (at a perfectly normal level for her age). My 2-year-old's speech is improving rapidly, so he may be speaking as clearly as my oldest by age 3, but he's also doing just fine for his age.

Take a deep breath, and definitely consult with your doctor if you're concerned, but there is a wide range of developmental ability at these early ages, and I imagine your daughter will be talking before you know it.

First, have you had her hearing checked? I think that is where a pediatrician would start. Could be simple like accumulated wax in ear canal muffles hearing. If hearing is okay speech therapy might help. Most important is to make sure they can hear you alright though, hitting all milestones made me wonder about that.