Soon 8 Months Does Not Babble. Very Sad.

My first-born son never said mama or dada or anything recognizable for a long time. He never crawled either; went straight to walking at 10 1/2 months.

He said his first word at 17 months after making nonsense babble forever.

Fast forward to now - he is 3 months shy of his 4th birthday and we literally can't get him to be quiet! There are days I think he needs a mute button :) I love him, but good gravy does he talk us to death!

In short, stop worrying about this. He'll be fine.

I think for some things kids,do them in their own time. I know you are worried but I would not be yet. I would not be worried unless you child was 18 months old and not saying anything. As long as he is reaching all of his milestones just keep talking to him and reading to him. My son did not walk until 13 months old and I was worried. Once he started he did not stop and was into everything. He started speaking more once he hit about 18-19 months and when he was around other kids all day,in a daycare enviornment.Enjoy him right now.

I drove myself bonkers constantly comparing my first daughter to the "what babies do when" charts. It's so so frustrating because we only want our children to be happy and healthy.

Some babies do the physical stuff faster - standing, peek-a-boo, cruising, etc before the talking. Some talk sooner but don't walk till 16 months (which is still in the 'normal' range).

Really, it sounds like you have a perfectly delightful baby and should just enjoy him! At your next well-baby check-up bring up your concerns to your doctor, but try not to stress about it :)

All those vowels ARE babbling. That's what babbling is! You've even got some consonants in there. They're vocalization. Don't expect mama baba dada etc for 4-6 more months. They might come sooner, but prior to 12 months is rare.

Mama baba dada stuff is TALKING... as in first words. Which usually starts right around 12-18mo. So when you're looking at milestones... he's babbling... which is great. Talking milestones just BARELY start around 8mo (as in some few babies do... the same way some few don't start until 2.4), but most start in the 12-18mo range. ((BTW... if he doesn't have at least 8 teeth, 4up 4 down, it's almost impossible to do consonants... the tongue and lips have nothing to bump against. You can simulate the effect by putting your tongue in between your teeth and trying to make an M or B sound. Without teeth as a backstop, it's just mushy. But even if he has teeth, he still sounds right on track)).

Just look back 4 months from now... and see how far he's come. He'll develop as much in the next 4 months. Enjoy your son, he sounds awesome.

He sounds normal to me and what a bonus having such a happy child! I'd have to check baby books, but I doubt my kids said anything close to words until after one. My oldest didn't talk much until he was two and he's excelling in school at seven.

You can drive yourself crazy looking at all of the milestone charts. The real test is whether the pediatrician is concerned and since you're probably on the track where you still visit often, you would have had some indication that things were off. Definitely get the reassurance you need, though, by contacting the pediatrician now if it's driving you crazy.

Talk to your ped. try to have a hearing test done on him or take him to an ent and have his ears checked to be sure that there is not an over abundance of fluid in his ears as well as wax.
My son did not hardly talk at all till he was two and at three he was put into speech threapy. He is now four and saying close to 4 and 5 word sentences. Nobody but me can understand much of what he says. It is very hard for me to want to put him in a day care of preschool because of it, but his speech has improved so much in the last two months that I am ready to start looking.
Boys do seem to take longer to talk and if he is not your first it can be even longer because the older kids like to talk for him.
If you are loosing sleep like you say talk to your ped. and see what they say.
Good luck.

RELAX!!!! Children develop at different rates. My son NEVER crawled. He walked at 10 months, started running two days later and hasn't stopped YET!

Those milestones are just guidelines. Some children pass them sooner than others. Don't worry yourself sick about it. Whenever you give him something, show him something or pick him up use words to describe what you're doing or what the item is. He'll get the hang of it. Now go enjoy that wonderful little boy. They DO grow so fast!!!

Remember that the "milestones" are simply guidelines- each child is different and none of our kids read the books ;-) One thing I remember learning about development when my daughter was younger is that kids brains can't concentrate on developing too many things, so since your son is excelling in physical developmental milestones the verbal may come a little later since they can't really concentrate on both at the same time. My daughter was avanced at verbal/social skills, but slower with physical milestones. My daughter didn't sit up unsupported until she was at least 8 months, didn't crawl until 10 months, but then walked at 12 1/2 months. After her early verbal start, she didn't really start talking until at least 19 months (after she'd advanced her physical skills) when she started an insane verbal and vocabulary explosion. So, my point is that kids develop at different rates as they grow, and they will have times when physical skills seem to excel, and then at another time verbal will grow. Your son is demonstrating excellent social skills and is on track with physical development and he is able to make sounds, so I think he's just been concentrating on physical development for now and at some point his brain will switch over and he'll surprise you by spouting off a whole bunch of new sounds!

He sounds just normal to me, I don't remember my son ever repeating the sounds like "ma-ma-ma-ma". He is saying vowels, which is what babbling is. He is just speaking in his own language :-)

Just to ease your mind, you can all your pediatrician's office and ask their opinion on the phone even before the 9 month checkup. You may also consider asking them about a hearing test (when is it needed, etc)...

He sounds fine to me.

Have you yourself checked his hearing? Stand behind him without his knowledge and clap your hands. Does he turn around or react?

Have your husband sit with him, then you call your sons name from another room.See if your son has a reaction?

Also when he reaches up to you to be picked up say the words.
" Hold me please." or ask him "Do you want me to hold you?"
This turned into "hold you me" for our daughter.. .

When you are handing him food state what it is. "Here are some Cheerios."
"mmm, beans"

During bath time make it a running dialog of every thing going on..

"Ooo, the water feels nice and warm."
"You are wiggly". "feel this soft towel". "I am washing 1 toe, 2 toes, 3 toes.".. Sometimes you are going to feel strange like a narrator on the radio, but all of this is helping your son learn.

If he is hearing you he is learning.. You just need to be his vocabulary for now..
I do not think you have anything to worry about.
..

He sounds perfectly normal and delightful to me. Not sure what you're so worried about... Relax. He sounds completely fine!?!?!

Aw, I hear the deep sadness and frustration in your question. Please try to relax. Babies develop language at their own pace. My own daughter went from an occasional word here and there to full sentences at 18 months! And believe me, I was very concerned before that happened! Apart from what others have mentioned about having his hearing checked and keeping up a constant monologue to him as he goes through his day, reading to him, and speaking with your pediatrician, I think the best thing you can TRY to do is not stress too much. Easier said than done, I know. He sounds like a delightful baby who has reached all his other milestones on or ahead of schedule - enjoy him!

He sounds just like my son was at 8 months - mostly making vowel sounds and not babbling. He now at 16 months doesn't necessarily babble per se, but makes 1 syllable and some 2 syllable sounds, but his "words" are mostly only discernible by either his father or myself. I only know of one other baby who "babbles" and her mom is particularly talkative - the child clearly takes after her mother...so I would not be worried in the slightest - it sounds like your baby is right on track.

My son is 19 months, and he's struggling. He will say a couple of things (Mom, Dad, up) when prompted. He babbles, but doesn't really use consonants well. I could go on, but ...

I talked to the Ped. She wasn't too worried, but said it couldn't hurt to get his hearing checked and to be evaluated. We went for his hearing test, and he completed about half the test and lost interest. So far, so good, but we're going to come back to finish the test.

Went for the eval. He seems to be at about a 12 month level, which is not ideal. But apparently kids often have a "language explosion" between 18 and 24 months. He'll be reevaluated at 24 months, and the speech therapist gave me some things to do to help him out.

Please don't worry! He's learning to do so much right now. He just doesn't have the energy to work on this also. Also, as sexist as it sounds, boys really do tend to work on motar skills first and speech second.

no not necessarily. I have a son who has been babbling since 3 months old. he babbles non stop. you are expecting mama dada ga ga so forth my 2 1/2 yr old didnt start that till about 2 and does it very seldom the only time he does it alot is during cio. he screams mama dada bubba good boy. heart wrenching but he has to learn to put himself to sleep. niether of my boys did more than what yours is doing at that age and both needed tubes.

my personal opinion is get his ears checked for fluid. he is not deaf or hard of hearing cause he responds to noises behind hm where as my 2 yr old doesnt. I think your paniking a little early. mine says less than 20 words and seems not to respond to sounds behind him. he reacts to deep voices and not low voices. I am not paniked at this point but wandering if he is tone deaf. I think maybe your a little early to react. I am not paniced and mine is 2 1/2. give him a couple 2 or 3 months before you get too worked up. but do get his ears checked. if they have fluid on thier ears they will not hear things right and will not repeat them right.

as far as the milestones go that is just a guideline. milestones say they shouldnt teeth before 6 months mine had broke all of his by 6 months :) so much for that milestone. all kids are diffrent don't panic yet

He is only 8 months old, I would talk about it with his doc at the 9 month well check, but every child is different in their learning so dont be saddened. You might start playing childrens music for him, there are tons of CD's at Wal-Mart, my boys love these. He will get the hang of it.

This happens a lot with kids that get a lot of attention. Don't worry too much about guide lines. Guide lines are just averages to make sure your child isn't too far off. Your child sounds like he is doing a lot of the things he should be at his age. He doesn't need to babble or talk because you get things for him and pick him up when he wants you too. Why would he need to talk then? Don't worry, he will when he's ready.

Hi TJ. What has your doctor said at your check-ups? Does he seem worried? Some children just don't follow the "normal" milestones and march to their own beat. My youngest never babbled. In fact she didn't talk at all except for Mama and Dada and NO until she was three. Then she just suddenly started talking in full sentences! It was like she was saving up until she could do it just right. She also didn't crawl much...she just started crusing (walking around holding on to things) and climbing around the 9 month marker. If he engages with you, reacts to sounds, and plays then he is more than likely just fine and you need to sleep and enjoy your little one while he is little...they grow up soooo fast! Don't let all the books scare you. Don't compare your son to anyone else. Each child marches to their own little beat and none of them are wrong, just their own. Best wishes.

He sounds to my unprofessional ears (but mama to 2) to be very "normal." Please try not to get too worked up about this. I don't see anything for you to be concerned about. Recognizing you, turning to sounds, playing games & socializing are all great things. If I was you, I wouldn't be concerned about babbling until he's at least 1 year old. All of the things you described...eye contact, lots of smiles, turning towards sounds, socializing & playing games...seem to be right on track. Don't worry!

i wouldn't worry yet either! sounds like everything else is right on track. both of my boys were late talkers. keep talking to him and read books. he won't show too much interest in books...probably will just try to eat it :) but he will hear you talking and that is the best thing to help him right now. he understands you, believe it or not! talk to him all day...tell him what you are doing...making dinner, changing his diaper, making his lunch, etc. he'll talk before you know it! my 16 month old really only says mama & dada but understands everything we say & my first was the same too.

You ask for personal stories, so here goes... both of our boys were very late talkers (I don't remember all the specifics of what they said and when) but now - at age 4 1/2 - I can't shut them up ;) Their vocabulary is huge and their questions are thought-provoking...

Based on our experiences, here are my thoughts: The range of skill development at this age is so huge, and it seems like your son is doing all the important things on schedule. I really wouldn't worry about one small aspect of his growth and development. However, you are his mom, so it's important that you feel comfortable that his language skills are progressing as they should. The best way to do this is to have him evaluated. Pennsylvania has an early intervention program that is coordinated through local agencies who will evaluate your child in your own home. Based on their assessment, they may recommend and perform many different types of services (including a more comprehensive hearing exam - even though he is obviously hearing most of what's going on around him, they can make sure that he is hearing all frequencies effectively). We used an in home speech therapist for a couple of years, because I figured that it couldn't hurt and it didn't cost a dime. I still have no idea how much it helped with their speech development, but it made us feel comfortable that we were doing all we could for our children...

Hi TJ,
As other moms have said: guidelines are just that--guidelines. What your baby does might not fit those guidelines, specifically.
IME, kids excel O. way or the other at that age--physically or verbally. Mine was a yakker! But a later walker.
Your son sounds like he is physically ahead with some gross motor milestones like grabbing, rolling over, etc. Soooooo...speech may come a little later down the road.
Best advice I ever got was not to compare your child to other kids. This is only the beginning. Odds are, he's fine and he'll do it when he's ready.
Keep in mind it's been said that you spend the first few years getting them to talk and the next 15 trying to get them to be quiet! LOL
Talk to your pediatrician, as you said, and I'm sure it will put your mind at ease! Enjoy that little guy!

I totally remember where you are. With my son, I always wanted to be sure he was on track with his milestones. I think there's so much information out there now, which is great, but it also creates a lot of stress! With my son, my big worry was autism and the association with talking. What I can say is that I remember reading that one of the early signs that it's NOT autism is if your son shows spontaneous displays of affection, like smiling at you when you walk in the room or kissing you or whatever. I'm by no means an expert, but it's something that helped me to relax when my son was that age. Kids unfortunately develop at their own pace, which is incredibly frustrating. Both of my kids have been late talkers, with my son having a language explosion between 18-24 months. According to my ped, boys tend to be later talkers for one reason or another. If he's making sounds, he's babbling and I'm sure your ped will reassure you of that at his 9 month check up. Your son just needs to figure out how to make all of the sounds with his tongue and that takes time. He'll get there. Good luck and take lots of deep breaths. Unfortunately this is probably just the first time (of many times) that your little one will drive you bonkers!

I think you may be taking the consonant too litterally as the only form of babbling. Ma, na ba, ga, and da are usually first, but I would not be sad yet. He sounds like he is really on track for 8 months.

To be sure, you could start with his ears, make sure that he can hear the sounds ma, na, ba, ga and da, if he has fluid or wax it could be as simple as he is not hearing it, so he is not trying to repeat it. If it continues, you could expolore a speech evlauation, but this is nothing to be sad about, it sounds like articulation, not the kinds of developmental delays that I think you are reading about and that scare you. You have obviously read about eye contact, and that means nothing if your son can look at someone, it is the reciprocity he has with eye contact that is important! He has that in spades! I have two kids on the autistic spectrum and both could look me in the eye, but it meant nothing to them because they were not taking in the kind of information and then using it to interact with you with the joy and delight that your son is. They were just taking in the sights, your son is doing something with what he reads from your response and trying to draw you in, that is a huge milestone, so if you are thinking autism, don't bother.

I really doubt that this will turn out to be a problem at all, but consult your pediatrician, and keep an eye on him, and if the words and consonats don't show soon, just get the evaluation and quit worrying about it.

M.

I havent read any of the other responses but i have to say first of all my now 5yo never crawled he started walking at 10 months. He also never uttered a sound until he was well over 18months and you know what.. He has a more advanced vocabulary then most kids his age. The words he uses in the right place have blown teachers and dr's away and i honestly think it had to do with the fact that first of all we didnt push him and second of all we always talked to him normal never baby talk...so i wouldnt worry about it my nephew now on the other end didnt start talking till he was almost 3 and still doesnt talk to well he just turned 5. The dr just told his mom that by the age 2 and a half if they arent really talked then you need to look for interventions. So just keep that in mind and dont stress the small stuff..

I think this all sounds very much like my son. My son is now almost 2 1/2. He was a bit of a late talker but he is saying several new words a day now. The pediatrician should be able to ease your fears but I don't think you need to worry.

I know it's so hard not to worry and I completely understand, but they always say not to always compare your kid to those milestones. My nephew (now 3) didn't start talking until he was 2. (he's the youngest of five, so everybody was doing the talking for him) Also- he never wanted to crawl... he just went right to walking. Now he's perfectly normal. Every kid goes to his own pace. It sounds like your son is definitely communicating with you (reaching for you, peekaboo, etc...), so he's finding a way... Maybe some baby sign language DVDs? He may want to connect the physical sign with the verbal sign.

Good luck! I'm sure he will surprise you soon.

I just thought of one more thing... My son REALLY started to babble (dada, mama, bla blah) when I played the Kesha song for him 'bla bla bla.' That's what set it all off for him. He likes catchy repetitive tunes... (Now he likes to say "wee wee wee" and I say "all the way home." (He's 14 months now... for a while it was nothing but dada, mama, pop pop, baba, etc...)

I am glad you're going to talk to your pediatrician, because I know he/she will set your mind at ease! It sounds like your son enjoys social interaction, which is what really counts. Maybe he's not ready to mimic the consonants you want him to repeat. Maybe he's still practicing the vowel sounds. Or maybe he is busy mimicing facial expression right now, and trying to learn what they mean. You said he's a very smiley baby! All of these things are components of communication anyway, and one thing I've learned from my son is that babies will only practice what they want to practice!
My son is very cautious. He spends lots of time watching and listening before even trying a new skill. (It wouldn't surprise me if your son is just intently listening to you make these consonant sounds that he's soon going to try to make on his own!) My son practices one skill till it's beyond perfect before moving on to another skill. It's a really slow process that sometimes worries me too!
My son was one of those kids who was quick with verbal skills, but very slow with gross motor skills. For example: He was getting up on all fours for over a month before he finally crawled. He'd just rock back and forth on all fours for ten minutes at a time and fuss at me. It was painful to watch, as I cheered him on and waved favorite toys in front of him like all the books advised! When he (finally) crawled, he started pulling up immediately, so I thought he'd be walking soon for sure. I even moved all the furniture around so he could cruise from piece to piece like all the websites say. Forget it! Walking took even longer than crawling. He was 16 months before he really let go of our hands and walked on his own. In the meantime, my best friend's baby was running already! I really know how you feel when you're worried about milestones. It worried me every week when I carried my son into storytime while all the other babies his age walked in. But now at 17 months, after constantly practicing his new walking skill, he's almost walking as well as the others.
As far as language goes, it's always good to share nursery rhymes and songs. Your son probably won't repeat the sounds, but he'll love hearing them. Some of the first repeating my son did (around 12 months) was "BaBaBa" from "Ba Ba Black Sheep" and "RoRoRo" from "Row Row Row Your Boat." At twelve months he said "Dada," sometimes "Mama," and "Baby." But by 15 months he was topping 30 words! (Of course, only four of those were clear enough for people besides close family to understand.) When he started talking, I was shocked at how much he was actually remembering from before he was a year old. He calls his feet by a nickname that I stopped using by around 9 months, when I figued I should use the word feet so he wouldn't be confused! He calls cats "Ni" because his aunt's cat (that we've seen all of twice!) is named Honey. It's crazy what they remember! I guess my point is, everything that you say now, he's hearing. Believe me, I didn't think that my son was paying attention to the cat's name while he was crawling around after it, but he was! You're going to see the same thing happen with your little ray of sunshine soon enough!

I am a pediatric speech language pathologist. What you are describing is in the norm for babies that age. When you read about developmental milestones with speech development, you need to remember that those are estimates. Every child is different. As long as he is making any type of sounds I would not worry. You need to relax and enjoy your child at this stage. He is FINE!!! He sounds alert and social!! Please relax. You will drive yourself nuts over nothing.

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I am a pediatric speech language pathologist. What you are describing is in the norm for babies that age. When you read about developmental milestones with speech development, you need to remember that those are estimates. Every child is different. As long as he is making any type of sounds I would not worry. You need to relax and enjoy your child at this stage. He is FINE!!! He sounds alert and social!! Please relax. You will drive yourself nuts over nothing.

My son was a late talker too and one of the things that saved us was using sign language. I got the Baby Signing Time DVDs and started signing to my son when he was about 4 months old. He signed a lot even though he wasn't much of a talker. Now, at 3, he never shuts up! So, talk to your doctor, but try another way of helping him to communicate too. My guess is that he'll be just fine!