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My DS is 14months old now and i am worried!
he walks, he walked before his 1st birthday, but he doesnt speak! he doesnt even say mommy daddy, nothing, he babbles and he says uncle which is (ta-ta), he listens to instructions, he is naughty, he runs all over the place, figures out everything. I am just worried about the talking, even teething, he only has 6 teeth and i just read cheesecakemommy, her kid has about 11 and is younger than my ds!
Is this something I should be worried about, Blessed_with_6, maybe you know with your 6 kids? anybody ease my mind? or should I schedule a meeting with the pediatrician?
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NO don't be worried!!!! every child is different and I know of some kids, especially those who are catered to by parents and or siblings, that have not spoken until age 2.
Our 12 month old only says ball and that is for everything. He has said other words like mama and daddy or happy baby... but it is non discriminant and short lived.
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I just asked my son's pediatrician the same question at his one year well-baby check up on Monday. He babbles and makes his vowel/consonant combinations fine but he doesn't seem to really say much that makes sense (I'm fairly certain he knows ball and he seems to know happy and mommy, maybe daddy and doggie). My older son was an early talker and speaks very well for a 3-year old so I was a little bit concerned that my younger son seemed to be so different (I know, bad mommy for comparing my children, but...)
Anyway, the doctor said that there is a pretty wide range in verbal development for boys. He wasn't worried as long as my son was saying a couple of words consistently. I can also tell you that two of my friends have girls who were very late talkers. One didn't really start talking much at all until 19 or 20 months and the other one is still in speech therapy. They are both doing well now at 3 years old. It's my understanding that if a child isn't really talking by 18 months, then they start considering speech therapy.
Also, is it possible that your 14-month old isn't talking because he doesn't need to? I know you have an older son, does he communicate for his brother?
If you are really worried, then I would recommend calling your son's pediatrician and explaining the situation over the phone. You can always schedule an appointment if the doctor feels the need to further evaluate him.
As far as the teeth are concerned, I wouldn't be worried about that at all. My son still only has 2 (he didn't get his first one until 10 months) and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get the rest. The doctor was not concerned at all about that.
Even though they say that things like early or late teething and walking can run in families, I am discovering that while one child may follow that curve, a sibling may not. My older son talked early, walked by a year, and got his first tooth just shy of 8 months. As I mentioned, my 12-month old barely says any words, is not walking, and didn't get his first tooth until 10 months. He's a happy, well-adjusted child, he's just developing at a slower rate than his brother that's all (he's also a second child and doesn't get the same individual attention that his brother got at his age).
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Thank you ladies, I know it is probably not a big deal, but it is so worrying! he points, he akes what he want known, he shakes his head to say no. so maybe he just cant be bothered to talk yet! he is getting two languages spoken to him so maybe he is confused, but he understands both langagues! I think I will give it couple more months and see what happens.
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Originally Posted by Rakshanda
Thank you ladies, I know it is probably not a big deal, but it is so worrying! he points, he akes what he want known, he shakes his head to say no. so maybe he just cant be bothered to talk yet! he is getting two languages spoken to him so maybe he is confused, but he understands both langagues! I think I will give it couple more months and see what happens.
See, your DS does things that my baby doesn't - he doesn't shake his head for no, he does skreech (loudly) or he pulls away or bats our hands away from him to say no. As far as the teeth - our first was not like that at all! He had maybe five or six teeth at a year.
They are so polar opposite in EVERYTHING. He seems very developed and language will come. I too was a bit worried because at this stage Marcus had a full vocabulary and was saying new words almost daily. By a year and a half he was starting to put two and ocassionally three words together.
Don't compare your children if at all possible and please don't single out a few kids that seem advanced in your eyes - look more to general trends that pediatricians will use. Talk to your pediatrician next month at the 15 month well visit.
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I echo what others are saying. At 12mths my dd was a little behind as far as speach development, but caught up by 18mths and now she talks non-stop all day at 33mths!! She also walked at 10mths and had full set of teeth and started cutting her 1yr molars at 12mths!
DS is 10mths w/3 teeth and I don't think he'll walk for a few more months. Speech is mostly grunts and some vowel/consnants as well as lots of rasberries! I've worked hard to teach myself not to compare them and to relax. Everything will work out in the end.
As far as teeth, our dentist said he doesn't mind if they come in late, becuase then they are not exposed to sugars as long!
I know it's hard not to obsess, especially with all the hype about Autism, (Idon't even watch the commercials or read the ads) but we should try to let things come in time and just support our kids' development as best we can.
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okay, ladies I will try to relax and not compare. It is tough not to be worried about these things, but I will try.
Thanks!
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Your little guy sounds so much like mine!!! He's also 14 months old and barely says a thing. He does do some babysigning (mostly just "more") and we think that we've heard him say "kitty" and "daddy" but that is all so far. Although he took his first steps at around 12.5 months, he just isn't interested in walking....crawling is so much faster for him! Just this week has he really started to become more interested in using his walking skills...
I too was concerned about my ds's "quietness" but I am certain that it's just his way of doing things. From some of the research that I did, I learned that receptive vocabulary (understanding what you tell him) is just as significant at this age as his actual verbalization - or lack thereof.
Like several of the other ladies suggested, I'm going to mention it at his 15 mo. appointment next month (it's on Nov. 9)...if yours is earlier, I'd love to hear what you pediatrician has to say about it! In the meantime, I'm just going to try to be patient....I just so anxious to hear what ds has to say!
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Ds talked a little at around a year, but then after a year he went back to three words: mommy, daddy and banana. He didn't really start to speak until he was 2 and then he really took off. I think your ds is just fine.
Also my ds got his First tooth at 12 months! Again I think your ds is just fine!
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Does your little one have older siblings? My 15mo. doesn't use words alot of times b/c his brother will tell you what he wants/needs and the little one knows it. My husband refused to speak until he was two (he was capable of doing do) b/c his sister always did it for him.
On the teeth thing, I know a girl whose oldest daughter didn't get her first tooth until she was two. They were actually getting ready to make her baby dentures when her teeth decided to come in.
HtH, Jess