Okay...I'm a first time parent to a beautiful and smart 17 mo. old. He has hit all his milestones right on time. My question is: How much should I expect him to be talking and how much of it should I be able to understand? He talks constantly but most of the time just gurgles out his words or talks jibberish. There are some words he says very clearly (mama, byebye, baba, hi, see) but I can hardly understand anything else he says. It seems like I remember my niece talking more and understandable by this age but that was 4 yr ago.
I little boy I babysat for was the same way. His mom took him to a speech therapist that told her that what he was doing was very normal and that girls normally develop in their speech faster than boys just like they do in most things. Sounds to me like everything is ok at this point. :)
Your son has a great vocabulary for his age!! Don't worry, he will be picking up more words and saying them more clearly over the next few months. My oldest son said "not really" when he was 15 months old, and I asked him if he was ready to get out of his high chair. I thought I was hearing things!! :) He was talking in complete sentences by 2 1/2. He is 16 now.
My "little guy", on the other hand, is a completely different story. He is 2 1/2, and doesn't say but maybe 10 words total, and never all 10 on the same day...much less making any sentences!
The "jibberish" you are hearing is actually the beginning phase of his speaking. Keep working with your son, and as you see things, point them out to him and say "bird", "flower", "sky", "sun", "light", etc. Then have him repeat the word you just said. Don't forget to include colors and numbers, too. By this time next year, you may even be wondering "how can I shut him up???" (We ALL go thru that as moms!) Be careful, though...since this is the beginning of the age where they do repeat what they hear, you certainly don't want to be using "bad" words in his presence! I guarantee he'll be saying them fast!
Welcome to the FUN stage of being a MOM!!! :) :) :)
My son is 20 months and says about 10 words clearly, and babbles A LOT! They understnad more words than they say.
For instance, I can say, "go and get your shoes and give them to Daddy", and he will, even though he doesn't say those words. Children tend to master one area first. Some talk sooner than others, but they are usually a little behind in physical areas, like late walkers, stair climbers...
And children that are more physical tend to take more time in talking. They master what they are more interested in first.
It's normal. My daughter is doing the same thing (she is 20 months). One thing you may not know is that at this age, they seem to be able to say the last part of words and not the first part. For example, if you ask my daughter what a donkey says, she'll say "haw" (not "hee haw"). Even funnier is that, according to her, a rooster says "doo doo". :)
Hi H.,
I totally agree with Lisa....they understand alot more at this age than they can say.
My son is 23 months old and SO smart but his vocabulary is still not very clear.
He listens to me and understands "almost" always of what I tell him and you can tell he's trying hard to talk back but not all that clear yet.
When I had my daughter, it was almost right at the age of 3 when I could completely understand her and she was speaking in sentences and very clear ones.
He sounds perfect where his vocabulary is at now so just keep talking to him frequently and before you know it, you won't be able to keep him quiet! : )
Take Care,
N.
He sounds right on track to me! I had ECI evaluate my son at 2 and I found out that the only thing that was wrong were my expectations! He understood everything, but spoke in a language all his own! Give him time...it will come and you will wonder why you were worried!
sounds perfect to me!
