When Do Babies Start REALY Talking?

My son started repeating things at about 16 or 17m. He's now 18m and can put 4 words together into phrases. The dr. told me that's very advanced. When my son was 12m he said 2 word phrases mostly.

There's a big difference from child to child though. I think it partially has to do with their brain and speech development and partially to do with their environment. My husband and I talk noooonstop. Going up stairs we count each stair together. While getting dressed, we think aloud ie. "Now We're putting on the first sock, then the second sock. Then we'll need some shoes..." so my son is constantly exposed to words. We speak in french, english, and sign language and he can communicate in all 3 languages. He must know 100 words by now; at 17m it was something like 60. But I'm told he's unusually talkative for his age. I've met 3 year olds who don't form coherent sentences and they're not developmentally delayed; it's just that nobody talks to them and they have a quiet family and are in daycare and only communicate with babies, not adults constantly talking to them.

They start talking when they feel like it. My son didn't talk untill a few months after his 1st bday.

Here is a great website link that will tell you what children should be saying and understanding from Birth through 5 years old. Under the chart are also some great suggestions on encouraging and stimulation language at home! Great for kids at any level of communication! ASHA is American Speech Hearing Association- so this information comes from experts in the field of communication. I'm a speech pathologist and work with children 0-3 (through the local Infants and Toddler Services program), and I love this chart- I give it to parents all the time!
Any questions feel free to ask!

http://asha.org/public/speech/development/chart.htm

I just noticed that if you click on the word "development" in this link- it brings you to a mamapedia link- so make sure you click on the beginning part of this link lol!

Also- if your sister's daughter is two, and is still not talking, I would share this chart with her. If she is concerned she could contact the local Early Childhood/Infant Toddler Services program- and they can evaluate and give services if needed. It is always a free service! Contacting the local school district will help if she is not sure about who to call- they can usually help with giving contact information for the infant toddler services. At the very least, if your sister calls, they will come out and if she does not qualify they can still give great suggestions to help encourage language at home.

Baby talk until around 3 then 3-4 word sentences and if your daughter will be anything like my son, he hasn't stopped talking since. I miss the days of babbling and baby-talk.
Congrats on being a mom to a one year old.
S.

When my son turned 15 months, his language really took off. He was literally adding a new word every day. Around 18 months he started stringing words together, and somewhere between 18 months and 2 years he was saying sentences. We can now have conversations with him. Every child is different. I would say my son was an early talker, as many other kids I see around his age aren't that far along. Even his cousin who is over 3 doesn't talk as well or as clearly as he does, so it just depends. Every kid is unique and different. :) We read a lot and I'm a pretty big talker, so I think that really helped him.

T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com

Totally depends on the baby and how many languages they're learning.

Some kids are talking at 1 some not until 3ish.

It really depends on the kid. My daughter was speaking in full sentences by 17 months old, but that isn't typical. My son is now 22 months old and he is saying lots of words, but is just now starting to string 2 words together. I would say that sentences probably start at around 2 to 3 years old, but again, it just depends on the kid. Also, girls generally talk a little earlier than boys do, but not always.

they are all different but generally around 24-30 months.

Congratulations.. A big girl now! They become more and more fun.

There is such a wild difference for truly speaking and understanding.. Our child was an early speaker, She could say the word "frustrated" in a proper way before she was one.. On her first birthday we gave her punch in her sippy cup (her first day to use a sippy cup too). She had never had anything with sugar in it before. The first sip her eyes became wide and she she said "Oooo, candy juice!" She had never had candy, ever..

She would ask "what dat?" all of the time. When we would tell her she would repeat the word and it just added on and on. At an art fair we saw an artist that made amazing ceramic houses that were all crooked and detailed. our daughter walked up looked a them and announced "house, pier and beam!" She was about 20 months old..

So keep talking and asking your child questions. She is absorbing all of the time. Some children do not talk till they are past 2 and they are just as bright as early talkers.. It is just an individual development.

Each child is different and they develope at different rates, especially when it comes to speach. From what I can remember, and friends who have kids, usually around 18-22 months they can start saying real words - juice, ball, etc. Around 30 months, they start to put a few words together. However, some children will just do the baby talk and skip directly to speaking sentences.

Full sentences, around 2-3 but 'really' talking as in a conversation - 4 or 5.

You really can't tell! I have 2 daughters, 3 nieces and 3 nephews! Heres my experiences: My nephews didin't start talking till they were 2, but also had dayschool helping teach. The oldest niece is 3 and just started talking words (she had ear problems and wasn't around many other children.) The second oldest is 2 and she speaks like a 4-5 year old but has gone to a monastary (sp?) since 6 weeks. My oldest is 18 months and speaks sentences and words, but its hard for other people to understand her... it's mostly family and close friends who she is around and understand her. We have never had a problem with her speech... She has been speaking since 6-9 months, but again a lot of time strangers don't understand her unless she repeats it a couple times! My youngest is 6 months and she already says mama. When she wants a bottle she says mama if she wants to be held she says mama. It's her favriot word lol! She only uses it when she wants me, so I know she knows I am mama! It all depends on the child and really what you concider talking! Congrates on the baby girl turning one! I love this age! They are so much more vocal and fun bc of walking and running and its just all out a wonderful age! Realx, every baby talks when they are ready... just keep talking to her and repeating words! Read to her point to things and renforce the word. Hope this helped =)

I have also heard it depends on how many languages the baby is absorbing. I don't know if you speak more than English with your daughter, but my 8 month old hears 3 languages (English, Hebrew, and Spanish) pretty consistently and her pediatrician warned us that she might start talking "late" but when she does she will know exactly which language to speak with each person.

it varies I had one that didn't talk till around 2 1/2 going on 3 but he needed tubes. the tubes went in and I swear his vocabulary went up 150 words in a week literally. my youngest is 23 month and he babbles constantly. he says sparatic words and says words he shouldn't be able to say yet. things like "daddy gone" "right there" 'whos there" this is uncommon because they usually say the simple words dada ball mama doggy etc.

his words aren't consistant yet. he has tubes also. but he still doesn't say mama. There is no set rule on speech since there are so many factors like tubes that could delay it. Each child is an individual and should be treated that way. My oldest speech went up with his tubes my youngest it took the tubes longer to do the job they were designed to do. but he is talking younger than his older brother. you can't compare kids. like walking and talking all happens at a diffrent age. and both of my kids are totally oppisite of each other in all ways.

My youngest got his tubes sooner than his big brother because I had been there already and told his doctor I wanted it done the sooner the better because I was trying to avoid speech therapy. it may not have worked but I did what needed to be done as soon as I could. Its too early to determine it didn't work either. I have had several people who hear my son babble constantly say when he starts talking it will be complete sentences and he has 2 word combinations so they weren't too far off.

relax and enjoy her birthday celebrate her being an individual and don't compare her. They need to know its ok to be them.

My daughter didn't really start talking until 2. Now she's 2.5 and repeats everything!

It depends on the baby! Don't compare your child to others ... it will only cause grief for both of u! My son started talking "properly" when he was nearly 3yrs old while my daughter talked at 18 months (and hasn't stopped! She's 14 now and her poor 16yr old brother STILL can hardly get in a word edgewise!) As long as there's nothing physically or mentally wrong with the child, they'll each reach their milestones in their own time. By the way, if you talk to them like people and don't just "baby talk" to them, they'll learn "proper" words quicker!

To me it seems the general age for walking is around one and for real talking is around two, but timing can be so different among different children. Both of my sons walked "late" (15 months) and talked somewhat late as well, although it's hard to pin down an exact time when the talk became "real". Now they're 7 and 10, very athletic and in advanced classes at school. There's not much you can do to change their interal clocks. Just talk and read to your daughter (and niece) a lot, and enjoy their achievements as they come.

I stay home with my son and talk to him constantly. At 18th months he had about a 20 words in his vocabulary and by his 2nd birthday he was saying 4-5 word sentences. At 26 months he has an enormous vocabulary. Every child is different though and pick up skills at a different rate. I think it depends on how you talk to them. I never used baby talk.