How Many Words Does Your 16 Month Old Say?

Not only does she sound right on track/ahead....

BILINGUAL kids are nearly always a whole year or so "behind" ;) single language speakers, and then at around ages 3-5 are completely fluent in BOTH. Age 2-3 is the notorious sentences of mixed origins. So half spanish/half english... or all english but with korean grammar & vice versa.... or half french half japanese but with the grammer split 1/2 and 1/2 too... or all one language, but in the "accent" of the other. And then poof! Their minds separate the two out literally overnight, and they're chattering away like magpies. Tri & quadralingual + households the timeline is ABOUT the same as bilingual. Children's brains are amazing.

Babies don't usually talk that much until later. Mine didn't start saying tons of words until she was 18-20 months. and she's totally smart - knows her colors, numbers, and letters and she's 2 now.

Do NOT get hung up on "how many" words she says. She is developing fine. EVERY baby/child is different. Some kids don't speak a lot at first, but their cognition and understanding is ahead... they will speak more in time.
Don't force it.

My daughter was VERY verbal AND she understood whatever we said from about 1 year old. My son on the other hand did not speak a lot, until about 2.5 years old... and now, he talks MORE than his very talkative sister. So you see, each child is different. Don't compare your girl to others... she is fine. AND, the child's personality has a lot to do with it too... even as adults, some are talkative, some aren't. MAIN THING is that their understanding is appropriate.
Your Pediatrician is not worried... so you don't have to worry, and your daughter is above average.
KEEP IN MIND, that the speaking and talking ability in a child has NOTHING to do with their "intelligence" or smartness.
Einstein did not speak until 3 years old, same as Mozart.

All the best,
Susan

Speech varies very, very widely and it sounds to me like your daughter is on track. I really don't think you have anything to worry about. Does she understand most of what you are saying to her and follow basic commands (bring me your cup, go get your ball, etc)? If so, she's fine. Some kids talk early, some kids talk later. I know 2 year olds who are still saying only 10-20 words.

Your daughter sounds like she's doing great. Just keep talking to her and eventually she'll talk back. And then you'll wish she'd be quiet once in awhile!!

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com

She sounds like she's doing just fine! That is about what daughter said at that age and way more than my son even said at 18 months.

She sounds right on track.... most pediatricians will say that if a child doesn't talk regularly by the time he or she is 3 years old, then there's a concern. Don't worry!

Every child is different! I have three children, a 4yr old, 2yr old, and a 6 month old. I can honestly say by 16 months my 4yr old spoke fluent sentences, not just sentences I understood, everyone understood her. My two yr old was very different. He hardly spoke at 16 months(less then your daughter), now he talks but it is hard for other people to understand. Everybody is different. Don't worry your daughter will start talking and when she does she probably won't stop. Good luck!!!

My son was the same way. At 15 months he only said 3 words (mom, dad, up), but it was obvious he understood me very well. But he also signed many words. The pediatrician seemed a bit concerned at that appointment and I was worried. At his 18 month appoinment, however, he was already speaking over 100 words. I don'think the doctor believed me! It was like it just clicked and suddenly he started saying all the words he knew. So I wouldn't worry. But one thing I did start doing was encouraging him more to talk. Like, I knew he wanted something, but instead of getting it I would ask him to say it, or ask him, "do you want x or y?" Maybe that helped.

she sounds pretty darn advanced if you ask me! My 16 month old son has ZERO words. He's been seen by his ped and early intervention and they say yes he's late but they don't think it's an issue yet b/c he's babbling and like you said, understands so much. so if your daughter has 10 words, I'd say she's doing VERY well!

Regarding the potty training part, have you looked at EC? www.ez-ec.com if you're curious - it's not to early to give her the chance, and it sounds as though you've already tried.
Regarding the talking - is she bilingual? That often leads to "late starts" for talking, but she sounds like she's doing just fine. Keep up the good work!

I think she is fine. The only count I have heard of is "around" 50 by age 2. At 16 mos. she is still young. There are 8 mos. before age 2. Her speech is about to take off though. Soon she'll be talking so much you'll want to lock yourself in the bathroom for some peace and quiet! ;0) If you really want her speech to develop I would suggest singing with her. I know that is how my little one learned lots of her words.

Hello, I am sure that your mother is trying to be helpful, but it sounds like your little girl is right on track. We have four grown children and six grandchildren (I also had a licensed childcare for many years). I have seen babies who were talking before one year and I have seen children who were not really speaking in sentences until they were three years old. Our oldest grandson was one who didn't speak in sentences until he was three. He is now in all Honors classes and getting almost straight A's. As far as I'm concerned, most children will speak at their own pace. Our two sons spoke later than our two daughters. However, the boys spoke clearer once they did talk.
Good luck with your precious little girl.
K. K.

She sounds like she is fine and is way ahead of where my daughter was at that age. Mine was learning two languages too and that does slow them down. At the 15 month check up mine said ZERO words, but seemed to understand evertyhing. I was freaked out. By her 18 month appt. she had 20 words (some in Spanish and some in English). She is two now and speaks in sentences. Don't worry.
My peditrician told me at the 15 month check up that if I was really worried and wanted her to speak sooner I should cut out the Spanish. I am so glad I did not follow that advice.

Sounds like she's doing great to me. My son only had three words at eighteen months (he had zero at 16), we had him evaluated by the Regional Center, he was approved for speech therapy once a week, and his vocabulary exploded almost immediately. Point is, if you're concerned, you can always have her evaluated for free. It'll give you peace of mind if nothing else. But if your pediatrician isn't concerned, I wouldn't be either.

she is fine. if she doesn't talk by 2 then you should be concerned but she is already talking. You also said she understands, so don't worry. Every baby starts doing things at different times. My little one is going to be 2 next month and just now is she starting to copy words that we say. She was saying about as many words your baby is saying just 2 months ago while my friends baby (about the same age) was talking up a storm. She also has 2 older siblings. They will go their pace, just remember to stay positive and encouraging without being forceful. She might not say the words right either. It's ok. As long as you say the words right she will pick it up. They soak in so much. She will get it soon. One day it will just click and she will be copying you left and right. :)

Hi Lucinda,

Every baby is different and do things at their own pace. My little one wasn't saying much around 16 months until we started to encourage her. She could say about 15 words at the time. Our ped said she was doing great and not to worry. I work with her every day and once a week we add a new word to her vocabulary. She can now say over 50 words clearly and she's communicating with us a lot more. Your little girl is doing great! Enjoy this time while you can because all too soon they will be talking so much and we will be missing the "quiet" days. LOL

Your daughter is very normal. The fact that she is understanding & responding to commands, etc. shows she's developing just fine. I know numerous kids who don't speak early on and then you can't keep them quiet once they decide to start communicating. Another thing...it appears that your daughter may be growing up in a bilingual environment. It is my understanding that children who grow up in a bilingual environment start speaking later that other children. But in the end they are fluent in both languages and have a huge advantage in our society. The bottom line is...I would not worry at all!

At 16 months my daughter was putting together 3-5 word sentences that were very clear. Just goes to show that there is a wiiide range for what if "normal". Of course, my daughter was also a little slower in other things (gross motor skills). Believe it or not, she actually spoke her first "clear" word before she even learned how to roll over! LOL They are allll different, in so many ways.

If your pediatrician isn't worried, than I wouldn't worry either! :) The important thing is that she can communicate her needs with you, even if that's pointing to things, talking, sign language, etc...

my daughter was not even saying mama at that age, i thought there was something wrong with her, now at 19 months she has all of a sudden come out with about a hundred words. so dont worry

In my opinion, it sounds like she says quite a few words! I've known several babies who don't say anything until almost 2! Not to worry, everything's fine.

Hi Lucinda,
Not to worry. Every kid develops differently. I do not remember how many words my son (now 5) spoke at 16 months, BUT I do remember thinking that my daughter, who is 2 years older than he, was so much smarter than he was since she said her first word and 12 months and spoke so much more. The point of my story is, he was so much slower than she was on EVERYTHING (walking, talking, etc). and NOW, he is doing things in kindergarten that are more advanced (math and reading) than my daughter ever was. I can tell now he will be better at academics than she will be. I AM SHOCKED since I never would have expected that.

Hence, you can't tell anything yet, so just enjoy this time.

My little guy had almost no "real" words at 16 months, and now at 18 months he has at least 10 words. The word explosion is about to happen, tell your mom to be patient!!!

It sounds just about right to me. My son was speech delayed and had only a couple of words that he wouldn't use consistently. At 2.5 he's talking like crazy, making me a little crazy too!! My son's problem was related to chronic ear infections. My ped told me that as long as my son was communicating even if it was nonverbal we didn't need to freak out just yet. I'm a first time mom so i have had lots of freak outs!! Talk to your ped for reassurance. My son could hear but because of the chronic ear infections everything sounded muffled to him like being under water. It made it hard to learn to make the sounds. now that his ears are healthy he hears well and likes to hear himself talk!!! I'll also add that my grandmother swears that my mom was potty trained at 2 months (no kidding) and my mom says I talked in complete sentences at 6 months. They just don't remember....I guess mommy brain is forever!! AHHAARRAAGGHH!