How late did your toddler start saying sentences?

[NettleTea]

I'd like to hear others' experience with this. Was your toddler a late talker? When I say talking I mean more than one word at a time. Sentences, several words, etc.

[Mrs-Mama]

DS started putting 2 words together a week before his second birthday. I don't remember specifically about sentences but I would say around 2.5 years.

[ozark]

My little bunny's language explosion started around 18 months. I couldn't tell you if it's normal though, as we don't have ANY other mom/kid friends.

[tinyblackdot]

I think all kids are diffrent, some talk early and some dont find the need for words for a while.

My dd spoke quite early, but my neice really didnt start talking more than one word until she was about 3 1/2 to 4....But there are 2 diffrent families with 2 diffrent personalities and dinamics. I am very vocal and talk ALOT, and i talked to my dd alot.....my neice on ther otherhad had an older sister that talked for her most of the time, and was in daycare and was raised by a single mom that worked full time....she didnt get alor of chances to talk.

[NettleTea]

Originally Posted by tinyblackdot

I think all kids are diffrent, some talk early and some dont find the need for words for a while.

My dd spoke quite early, but my neice really didnt start talking more than one word until she was about 3 1/2 to 4....But there are 2 diffrent families with 2 diffrent personalities and dinamics. I am very vocal and talk ALOT, and i talked to my dd alot.....my neice on ther otherhad had an older sister that talked for her most of the time, and was in daycare and was raised by a single mom that worked full time....she didnt get alor of chances to talk.

Thank you.

My son is 2 1/2 and has not said anything more advanced than two word sentences. He doesn't talk a lot as it is and when he does say something it is usually one word at a time. Sometimes it is his own language (if you know what I mean..."made-up" words). Other times it is clear, obvious words.

We moved 4 times last year. And I think that has stressed him in ways we do not see. Could this be the reason for the delay? I've been thinking it is. To top it off, we had a baby in January. So, this past year has been a rough one for him. It's been tough for my husband and I and we're at least old enough to comprehend what is going on...I can't imagine how much more difficult it's been for him.

I've been considering trying some sort of aromatherapy with him to help out with whatever hidden stress is there. Does anyone have experience with that? Any other suggestions?

Btw, he is obviously very intelligent. And he is great at retaining words. He just doesn't use them a whole lot.

[tinyblackdot]

Your very welcome ((hugs))

Oh goodness that is a lot of changes for anyone.

Maybe try to set aside a day a week to just spend with your lo...just him, would that be possible?

If not what about a mothers day out where he can spend with peers? Or a science class or something?

What kind of things does he like? Could you do something with him like a nature trail hike trough the park, and just let you and him enjoy the peace and quite? If he talks to you then respond to him like an adult would another adult? Like if he says "whats that?" Tell him simply what it is, and explain it in the simplest terms and then just ask him a simple question about it like "what color do you think it is?" or "where do you think it came from?" Invite him to use his words, and be patient. And no matter what he says or doesnt say for that matter go along with it. Then maybe let him have a basket and ask him if he wants to keep whatever it is (rock, leaf, flower.....) and let him put it in the basket.


Or put aside an hour before his bedtime to just spend with him reading? Just some calm and soothing time with you?

[briome]

My 2 1/2 also sems to be a bit late with the talking. I go back and forth about worrying, but he is making progress and is obvious he is smart and way ahead on physical milestones. His older brother was early in speaking and had a large vocabulary and complex sentace structure at this age, but he was not as physically advanced as his little brother is now.

I suspose I might make it around to have him tested or ask his doc, but I just had a baby 2 weeks ago and we have a lot going on!

Hmmmm??? I wonder!

[NettleTea]

Originally Posted by tinyblackdot

Your very welcome ((hugs))

Oh goodness that is a lot of changes for anyone.

Maybe try to set aside a day a week to just spend with your lo...just him, would that be possible?

If not what about a mothers day out where he can spend with peers? Or a science class or something?

What kind of things does he like? Could you do something with him like a nature trail hike trough the park, and just let you and him enjoy the peace and quite? If he talks to you then respond to him like an adult would another adult? Like if he says "whats that?" Tell him simply what it is, and explain it in the simplest terms and then just ask him a simple question about it like "what color do you think it is?" or "where do you think it came from?" Invite him to use his words, and be patient. And no matter what he says or doesnt say for that matter go along with it. Then maybe let him have a basket and ask him if he wants to keep whatever it is (rock, leaf, flower.....) and let him put it in the basket.


Or put aside an hour before his bedtime to just spend with him reading? Just some calm and soothing time with you?

Thank you for your suggestions. Those are all so simple and peaceful.

A lot of times he seems really bored and under challenged. We've been trying to figure out what to do about this. Toys that we purchase for him are old news to him within a day. He prefers items from around the house, but once the novelty of that wears off then what? We only have so many things around the house!
So, I feel at a loss when it comes to things for him to play with.

Yes, we do respond to him as we would an adult in simple terms. We've never done "baby talk" or things of that nature.

And yes, he really, really loves going outdoors and nature so I imagine his heart would be filled to the brim to go on a nature walk!

I'm going to try some of the other things you mentioned. Thank you.

[NettleTea]

Originally Posted by briome

My 2 1/2 also sems to be a bit late with the talking. I go back and forth about worrying, but he is making progress and is obvious he is smart and way ahead on physical milestones. His older brother was early in speaking and had a large vocabulary and complex sentace structure at this age, but he was not as physically advanced as his little brother is now.

I suspose I might make it around to have him tested or ask his doc, but I just had a baby 2 weeks ago and we have a lot going on!

Hmmmm??? I wonder!

Hi,

Does the older brother speak for him a lot of times? I've read that an older sibling speaking for the younger sibling can a lot of times inhibit the younger sibling's speech development. In fact, there is a poster in this thread who mentioned their niece being in this same scenario.

And then with a new baby...that might be an inhibitor as well. I believe it to be one with my little guy as we just had a baby in January.

[rightkindofme]

Originally Posted by NettleTea

A lot of times he seems really bored and under challenged. We've been trying to figure out what to do about this. Toys that we purchase for him are old news to him within a day. He prefers items from around the house, but once the novelty of that wears off then what? We only have so many things around the house!

I actually think that trying to find things for him to play with is not a great plan. It sets up a cycle where you are entertaining him and he needs to learn how to do it. I uhhh kind of ignore my daughter for most of the day. (That sounds so awful!) Let me rephrase so I sound less negligent.. She has lots of free play! Yeah! That's it. The best thing I have found for refreshing her interest in stuff is to clean up her mess. This sounds so minor but I've been very lazy since having a toddler and I only do a pickup once a day. :P The next day we just start all over again and she 'rediscovers' all her stuff again. I've been really consistent about saying, "I have work to do so it is time for you to entertain yourself" since she was tiny and now she's almost two and she can entertain herself for hours with only minor check ins during the day. It has *so* paid off. And I feel like it has helped her talking because she is incredibly imaginative. She makes up (sometimes odd) stories about what the cups are doing and she she likes to ask the stuffed animals what they did today and they rattle of a strange list of things.

Mostly though, on the talking bit--don't stress. Some of the latest talkers are the brightest kids. Early talking seems to only have a minor correlation with later success.

[kcstar]

In *speech*, DS (2.6) rarely says two-word sentences. "Please, mi (milk)?" and "Please, cracker?" are the most common. He'll happily rattle off the numbers up to 10 or 20, but he hasn't connected them to the # of objects yet.

DS has been developing quite a repertoire of *songs* that he loves to sing/recite, in which he manages quite longer sentences.

We've had a rough year, too. The moving was handled before he turned 1, I doubt he remembers that, but he's been to two funerals and his other grandma is in chemo.

[~cassie]

My oldest was about 26 mths when he started talking a lot. My middle son is delayed b/c of the hearing loss but I would say about 3-4 mths ago(so maybe 29 mths) he started putting 2-3 words together and now he is still at the 2-3 words but he will jabber a lot like he is trying to speak in long sentences but who knows what he is saying. My youngest will be 2 this summer and has been doing 2 word phrases for a few months now.

All kids are different.

[ellemenope]

My brilliant and well-adjusted niece did not talk until she was 3. They had just requested intervention when she just started talking one day and has never slown down. Her speech is now advanced for her age.

And, my SIL talked to her daughter nonstop. She is a devoted mother possibly to a fault. Everyone used to comment that my niece did not have to speak because her mom would read her mind. They lead very stable lives. No stress.

I read somewhere that when professionals calculate stress in children they assign values to possible stressors in their little lives and add them up. I remember that moving and adding a sibling were very high on the list.

[pbjmama]

My ds was over 3 before he began speaking in sentences. He only had 5 words at 22 months and a little over 50 at 2.5 - he was evaluated and re-evaluated and found to have a maximum of a 35% delay as his receptive language was excellent. He is now almost 4 and is in speech for articulation. And with in the past few months he finally started the word vomit. Can't complain because I waited so long for him to tell me what was going on in that head of his!

[indigosky]

DD started to use 2 word sentences a bit at 26 months, and then much more at 27 months. She didn't really talk much at all until 23 months, when she started saying mama and dada. Now at 29 months, she's quite the chatterbox and is talking in sentences. It seems like once it takes off, speech can come surprisingly quickly.

When she turned 2 and was talking so little, I started reading a lot about late talkers, and I did set up an appointment for a free assessment with Early Intervention (through the state). By the time the assessment was scheduled to happen she was talking so much more that I canceled it. One thing they seemed pretty clear on is that if kids understand well (strong receptive language) but aren't talking much, that's pretty low risk -- most of those kids catch up on their own without any problem. They're much more concerned about kids whose receptive language is delayed, than ones with expressive language (talking) delays.

One of the things I came across in all my reading was a growing body of research on Omega-3s (especially fish oil) in speech development. If you google apraxia and fish oil, you'll find lots of stuff (I found this site helpful: http://www.zimmerscope.com/apraxia.html) and the book The Late Talker (which pushes speech therapy pretty hard) also has a lot of good information about it.

I've been vegetarian since childhood (so as a fetus and nursling she wasn't getting fish through me), and now our whole household is vegetarian. So it made a lot of sense to me that if DD had any nutritional deficiency, it could easily be something that's most easily absorbed from fish. We started giving her fish oil when she was 24 months old, gradually increasing the dose. And we saw her speech take off right away. It could be correlation rather than causation -- lots of kids start to talk around age 2. Or it could be that the fish oil made a difference. I'm convinced that a few times when we "fell off the wagon" and forgot to give her the fish oil, her language progress completely stalled until we started up again.

So, that could be one other option to consider experimenting with.

[LROM]

Originally Posted by rightkindofme

I actually think that trying to find things for him to play with is not a great plan. It sets up a cycle where you are entertaining him and he needs to learn how to do it. I uhhh kind of ignore my daughter for most of the day. (That sounds so awful!) Let me rephrase so I sound less negligent.. She has lots of free play! Yeah! That's it. The best thing I have found for refreshing her interest in stuff is to clean up her mess. This sounds so minor but I've been very lazy since having a toddler and I only do a pickup once a day. :P The next day we just start all over again and she 'rediscovers' all her stuff again. I've been really consistent about saying, "I have work to do so it is time for you to entertain yourself" since she was tiny and now she's almost two and she can entertain herself for hours with only minor check ins during the day. It has *so* paid off. And I feel like it has helped her talking because she is incredibly imaginative. She makes up (sometimes odd) stories about what the cups are doing and she she likes to ask the stuffed animals what they did today and they rattle of a strange list of things.

Mostly though, on the talking bit--don't stress. Some of the latest talkers are the brightest kids. Early talking seems to only have a minor correlation with later success.

If OP hadn't moved 4 times in the last year and just had a new baby, I'd say your approach might be a good one. But in OPs situation, it sounds like the opposite is called for - MORE time focused on her son.

I agree with you that it's not so much about buying more toys or things, but I disagree that kinda leaving him on his own is the answer when it actually sounds like he needs MORE engagement. More time with Mommy and/or Daddy, outside, doing things (not inside playing by himself - sounds like he's got a lot of that time already).

OPs moving and new baby mean that there is a LOT going on around her ds that isn't actually about him. He's probably spending plenty of time on his own, and probably needs more one-on-one attention from his parents, to the degree they're able to provide it.

And OP, if you find you can spend more time but maybe think he should have even more time doing things and going places, do you have any family or friends who can take him out for walks/playground/other activities while you take care of new baby?

[GardenStream]

I think my second son is pretty slow. He said his first word at 20 months and has only gained a few words since then. He is 25 months old now and has maybe 8 words. He follows directions and responds to questions so I'm not really concerned. I'm a little frustrated, but not concerned. He is just developing slower than his brother did. Even as I write this, he is giving me a loud and dramatic "speach" full of gestures and pointing, but it doesn't resemble anything in the English language.

[healthy momma]

It was helpful to read this thread. My DS will be 2 at the end of this month and has been slower than other children we associate with to develop his verbal language skills. I am not a worrier and know that each person develops at their own pace. That said, it is still nice to hear about other children who weren't talking earlier and are doing just fine. We moved a month and a half ago and his speech has actually taken off (for him...) in that time. He went from saying Da(d) and wow to mimicking many words that are said or read to him. It definitely is only as the mood strikes him though. He doesn't like to be quizzed or pushed (who would!?) but when he feels like it he is starting to experiment more. He usually can only say the first or last syllable and just sticks to one word at a time. He babbles in full sentences that aren't English and I listen attentively. He communicates his major needs with sign language and I respond. He doesn't seem to get frustrated so I think we're on track. :-)

[lexmas]

DS was over 2 years 9 months when he started speaking in sentences... And even then, just because I encouraged him to do so, he would have been even older. He communicated just fine before he was speaking in sentences, so he had no real motivation. He's 3.5 now and he spends all day long narrating pretend play to himself. Honestly, he never stops talking, or singing, in paragraphs! FWIW, your son sounds just like mine was. He had a very stressful year as well, grandfather dying, new baby, a move. He just needed time, and he developed fine on his own.

[Romana]

I'm glad to have found this thread. My son is 26 months and has a few words he uses, but not a lot, and no sentences yet. He also has good receptive language. I go back and forth between worrying and not worrying. He is such a happy little boy. And his older sister totally translates for him. She's two years older and "gets" all his little cues, so she's constantly saying "Baby _____ wants _______" or "Baby _______ is thirsty" or whatever. They play well together, have fun all day long, and she intuitively knows what he wants more quickly than either my husband or I do usually.

I think between how naturally easygoing he is, and how helpful his sister is, he just hasn't had much reason to develop a lot of speech. He clearly knows words, and occasionally uses them, but mostly doesn't bother. He said a word I hadn't heard before - "ball" - just a few days ago, so he is adding words. He just doesn't seem very motivated to speak.

We're getting his ears checked again in June just to be sure, but my instinct is that everything is ok. This thread has been helpful, to see other little ones who developed language at a different pace.