How many words do your 15 month olds have and what's 'normal'??

[2BoysAndNoMore]

Title says it all really. Just wondering what your 15 month olds are saying.

My 15 month old DS is saying:
'More'
'Baa' for ball
'tock' for clock
'Cooker'
'daar' for car
'bus'

Is this normal? I am pretty sure my DS1 had more words but can't be sure how clear they were. Any need to worry? He points, claps when I say 'clap clap', can pat his head when I ask him where his head is, points to his mouth when I ask him. What can I do to encourage him?

[mel191187]

Hi my son is 26 months old and only says about 15 words he's just been referred to speech therapy to help him but they don't seem too concerned because he understands every thing he is told. It's just down to laziness I think. I wouldn't worry just encourage him and keep repeating words and talk to him lots

[2BoysAndNoMore]

Thank you mel I am just worried as I people keep expecting him to be saying more and I am sure that DS1 could but I may be wrong about that. It's hard to remember, he's 5 now but I do remember him speaking in fluent sentences by 22 months. Only 7 months away and I can't imagine DS2 doing this. I know I shouldn't compare them but he still seems such a 'baby' by comparrison to DS1 at this age.

[WidowWadman]

There's a wide range of what is normal. I wouldn't worry.

David Crystal has written a really good book about first language acquisition, which is both reassuring and entertaining (the chapter about how to edit tape recordings may be a bit dated though0

[MissMitten]

Looked this type of thing up the other day for my 16 month old and half a dozen or so words at this age seems to be perfectly normal. Here's a link to one site that gives the 'norms' for baby and toddler age groups: www.haltonandsthelenspct.nhs.uk/pages/YourServices.aspx?iPageId=10169

So don't worry, sounds perfectly fine.

[MissMitten]

PS our current words:

Up!
Down!
Ot! (for hot)
Dada (but not Mama!)
Nat nat (for night night)
Go!
A-gon (for all gone)
Nana (for banana)

And lots of animal noises!

[breatheslowly]

Here is some centile information, though I am struggling to interpret it. DD had about 20 words at 16 months, but has generally been at the more verbal end of the range, so 6 at 15 months looks good to me.

[SuperDuperTrooper]

My 15 month DS doesn't really say anything. The occasional mama and the occasional random word that he seemingly imitates there and then but doesn't say again. I'm trying not to worry as his understanding is great.

[UniqueAndAmazing]

argh! I didn't see this thread - I've just started my own!


DD says
hello
bye
dada
mama
Ta
(and something that sounds like) oh dear

she's 15.5mo.

[UniqueAndAmazing]

she does a random laugh too, mainly when other people are laughing - it sounds like one of those laughs adults do when they haven't understood the joke but want to look like they have.

I think she says "ta" for "please" and "take this" but it could be that she's saying "there you are"

[UniqueAndAmazing]

ooh, yes MissMitten - she has a lift the flap noisy book, and she imitates the horse and cock.

[Bumpsadaisie]

I've just done that questionnaire Breatheslowly posted on how many words said and understood. My DS, who turns 17 mths tomorrow, came out as understanding 200 and saying 17.

My feeling is he is quite a verbal child - he's quite like his sister and she was quick to talk too. (Slow on other things tho!)

[Tinkerisdead]

Mine is almost 14 months and we have
Mama
Dada
Nana
Whack - duck or bird

She can clap point and makes a fish face for fish. My older dd was saying far more I'm sure. I do wonder whether its because I haven't got the time to sit one on one talking to her like I did with dd1.

[Jojobump1986]

At 15 months DS was only saying 'giggle' (tickle)! He's now 17 months & has 25 words! It's been a busy 2 months!

[franciscantrip]

DD is 17 mo and says:
mama
dada
dada (meaning her brother, whose name isn't anything remotely like this!)
gaga meaning banana
gaga meaning yogurt
shoes
quack meaning duck
oo-oo meaning monkey or dog
eh-oh (tellytubby style)
no, which is more like a sardonic teenager the way she says it, with a pout and a shake of the head
yep!
I swear she said 'horsey' at the weekend but DH doesn't believe me!
and that's basically it, although she comes out with sounds which sound astonishingly like phrases at times ("there you go", "is that it?" and other similar things - it's the intonation rather than the words).

Her brother at the same age had 50+ words including two word phrases, although he was definitely on the forward end of the scale (and doesn't shut up now either!) and I have been a bit worried about it to be honest, but lots of people have told me that this version is much more normal than what I encountered with DS. She is quite good at communicating what she needs, one way or another and her understanding is fine. And she has much less opportunity to have her say, with her brother around!

[Weightlessbaby]

DD 13 mo and says
Mum-mum (oddly-and much to the annoyance of DH-she was saying this from around 8 months!)
Dada
Nana
Hi-ya (I think for hello as she does it when waving)
She babbles like mad and points and makes incomprehensible demands a lot - am hoping to be able to make more sense of it soon as it is very frustrating for both of us!

[Jollyb]

At 18 months DD only had a couple if words - shoe being one of the them. Around 2 her vocab suddenly expanded. She's 2 1/2 now and chats away merrily.

[UniqueAndAmazing]

DD's yes is so cute, because she shouts "yeah!"

[notcitrus]

Ds could do great pointing and urgent noises at that age, but no words except dadda until nearly 20mo when he exploded with words and signs - couple hundred in a month.

Dd is 14 months and has a lot more syllables but has just mastered pointing. She signed MILK from 9 mo but soon used it to mean 'gimme thingy' so not so helpful. She says duck, and sort of says mi' ma-ma da-da and her and brothers names, but not clearly.

Her understanding is suddenly good - responding to where's your... or see the ...

HV at ds's 11mo check said look for 2 words together before 2 years, and if not get on waiting list for help just in case, but try not to worry if they aren't using single words before that, only if not pointing by 18mo.

[Figgygal]

DS is 15 mo and he says mummy, daddy, bubble and uh oh that's it although he growls like a wild animal and snorts like a pig as he loves peppa pig. He understands a lot but not saying much in fact mummy seems to be a universal term for a lot of things and people including my cms husband.

[UniqueAndAmazing]

jinx - I'm sure the words are only approximations here.

every now and then a word will appear that fits with what you expect to gear. it happens afew times and you can call it words.

[brettgirl2]

Mine is 14.5 and says:
Hannah (big sisters name)
hello
bye bye

The milestone is 6 words by 18 months so if they are saying anything at 15 months that is fine. Dd 1 didn't say anything until 15 months at all. By 20 months people were commenting on how good her speech was.

People talk a load of bollocks about things like their children talking in sentences etc because it has to be them who put the words together not just copying phrases.

Once their speech takes off they learn tens of words a day so being able to parrot 'duck' at 12 months becomes of little consequence!

[Bumpsadaisie]

Good point made from previous posters - they really do explode with language, usually in a couple of months. A 15 month old is a totally different kettle of fish from a 20 month old when it comes to talking.