First words at three months? - Page 2

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by MaryCeleste

Before my first child was born, I read a book (self-published, hard to find; I can't for the life of me remember the title ) by a man who believed that all babies imitate adult speech, starting very soon after birth -- certainly by 8 weeks or so. We just don't usually hear it, because they're only physically capable of vocalizing certain sounds (h-, n-, g-, -ng, etc.). And, of course, we aren't listening for it.

I've often wondered if it didn't have more to do with the fact that I was paying attention than anything else. I can remember sitting at a LLL meeting and hearing an 8 month old ask, repeatedly, for a ball and his mother just sat there, marvelling at how my (then about 14 month old) BeanBean could talk. I was thinking, "It can't be that strange, your son is asking for that ball as clear as day," but then I realized that she wasn't understanding him. It was very clear to me that "bah, bah!" along with frantic waving toward the toys was asking for a ball, but apparently it wasn't clear to his mother. I just gave him the ball and felt bad. :

[mama_tigress]

Hey, cool thread! My DS, who will be 12 weeks old tomorrow, definitely says "HI!" to us, as a greeting. DH noticed it a few weeks ago, not sure how many. And then I was thinking about it, and remembering how every time he woke up to eat when he was just born I would say, "Hi!" to him. DH even commented on it at the time, that it was so sweet to hear me greet him happily all the time. So that's what he picked up on, and he uses it regularly. There are other little sounds that he uses as words, too. He definitely isn't physically capable of making an "mm" sound yet, though--sometimes he'll imitate back "ah-ah" when I say mama, and he can do a gutteral g with lots of vowals.

loraxc, how old was your DD when she started signing? I know that DS recognizes the milk sign, because when he sees it he looks expectant and sometimes even grins, and just waits for me to bring out the boob

I'm not ready to say that my 12-week-old son is gifted, or form any expectations of him at this point. (Well, I know he has a sweet soul; he was practically born smiling. And DH and I are both intelligent people, so chances are DS is too.) Perhaps most babies do this, and their mothers simply don't recognize it? Or perhaps it's quite typical of intelligent babies, and again, parents don't generally notice.

[~member~]

I totally believe it! I am still kind of shocked that I held a conversation with a 6 month old baby I had met....this was years ago....She talked and I talked, and I just thought she was a very tiny girl....I was blown away when her father said she was only 6 months old!!!!! We had an entire conversation about the park and how much she liked the swings! Like you would have with a small child, kwim?
I have to be honest, it did creep me out a bit.
And, yes, I did end up introducing myself to the mother....I thought the dad had lied....but nope, she really was only 6 months old.

[Roar]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

"It can't be that strange, your son is asking for that ball as clear as day," but then I realized that she wasn't understanding him. It was very clear to me that "bah, bah!" along with frantic waving toward the toys was asking for a ball, but apparently it wasn't clear to his mother. I just gave him the ball and felt bad. :

Hey that might have been me at that LLL meeting! Looking back at video tapes from the first year we see talking much clearer than we ever noticed it at the time. He was so colicky we were totally brain dead for at least a year. Oh well, it doesn't seem to have caused any trouble.

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by Roar

Hey that might have been me at that LLL meeting! Looking back at video tapes from the first year we see talking much clearer than we ever noticed it at the time. He was so colicky we were totally brain dead for at least a year. Oh well, it doesn't seem to have caused any trouble.

I think that part of it is paying attention, but part of it has to do with my son's personality. He *needs* people around him, he's very extroverted and likes to be bouncing off of people, so it was very important for him to communicate as early as possible and if people didn't understand him, he wasn't communicating effectively. I can remember him staring at people, focusing, seemingly *willing* them to understand him as a teensy weensy person.

[teachma]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

I've often wondered if it didn't have more to do with the fact that I was paying attention than anything else. I can remember sitting at a LLL meeting and hearing an 8 month old ask, repeatedly, for a ball and his mother just sat there, marvelling at how my (then about 14 month old) BeanBean could talk. I was thinking, "It can't be that strange, your son is asking for that ball as clear as day," but then I realized that she wasn't understanding him. It was very clear to me that "bah, bah!" along with frantic waving toward the toys was asking for a ball, but apparently it wasn't clear to his mother. I just gave him the ball and felt bad. :

Totally! I have had many experiences like these!! I have been the first to point out to several friends that their babies were, in fact, talking. If we notice sooner that our children speak, we respond to them accordingly, and rather shortly, we're conversing. This doesn't happen so quickly for those children whose parents don't expect real language development until they're 18 months old.

[heartmama]

Ds said "mama" at 3 and a half months~clear as a bell. I almost fell off the computer chair. I had put him in a bouncy seat a few feet away, which I almost never did, because he hated being put down for any reason. Sure enough he started scowling and kicking his feet and mumbling. I was engrossed in sending an email and was about to scoop him up when he said "Mama!!" with this totally intense, scowl little face, staring right at me!!

[mommytolittlelilly]

L said 'good,' 'girl,' and 'mama' before she was 2 months old. With the exception of 'mama,' I think she was imitating words.

[bandgeek]

Originally Posted by teachma

Totally! I have had many experiences like these!! I have been the first to point out to several friends that their babies were, in fact, talking. If we notice sooner that our children speak, we respond to them accordingly, and rather shortly, we're conversing. This doesn't happen so quickly for those children whose parents don't expect real language development until they're 18 months old.

Some words DS said for a really long time and I never knew what he was saying until someone pointed it out to me. Like, he was saying "ees" for a long time. I thought he was saying "this". My sister, after hearing him say it ONE TIME, knew he was saying keys. I felt horrible. I try to pay better attention now.

OP, my DS repeated quite a few things early on, but he wasn't using them with meaning. He said "daddy" at 3 months. A variation of his nickname (bugaboo) repeatedly at about 5 months, and something else I can't remember. But then he didn't say anything with meaning until after a year I think. DS is advanced. I don't know about gifted. If he is, vocabulary is definitely not one of his gifted traits. And because of this, and how he did repeat stuff very early, I don't doubt that babies who are gifted with speech could talk at 3 months. Enjoy your little talker.

[urchin_grey]

He never cried, and instead would let out one loud "WANH!!" to get my attention; so I started mimicking him back but I'd end in a "mama" (like, wanhmama!) and then I'd pick him up. I guess he caught onto it very quickly.

My DS did that too! I almost forgot about that! He's speech delayed and doesn't say much of anything at 17m (signs a lot of words though, thankfully) and certainly didn't speak at 3m but the first few months he wouldn't cry he would just let out one punctuation "WAH". It was so hilarious because it sounded SO fake.

[kids are grown now]

hi, that would kind of freak you out, but what a wonderful word for your child's first word. That is just darling.

This is a very interesting thread..reading it reminded me of something about my own son when he was little (he's grown now).

My son who has an extremely high IQ of 167 told me several times that he remembers being in utero. Is this possible? He does remember breastfeeding but this is not unusual as I nursed him extendedly.

He also had extremely high ESP levels; this used to freak me out..he could read my mind. Often he would say exactly what I was thinking. This happened all the time (and it always freaked me out)...when I had him do tests with it, he was often (but not always right). It more came when we were just hanging out or talking or something. He would tell me what I was thinking.

I had a cousin who could do this some..we would finish each others thoughts (we were both gifted), but nothing like my son would do. I have read one of the many components and associated traits common to gifted kids is having high levels of intuitiveness and ESP, has anyone else had this with their gifted kids.

I do not think it is unusual at all for your child to be talking so early as it is highly likely she is gifted since both her parents are. When I was taking an art for teachers class, my teacher had us often bring in artwork of children.

He would then guess the age of the child from the way the child did things. For example, at a certain age, they often put the sky at the top of the drawing and the green grass at the bottom; it is some time until they have them meet in the horizon...or they draw arms coming from the head rather than the body.

This teacher would consistently guess my child's age when he drew the picture at anywhere from 3 to 6 years older than he actually was..in fact, he had a really hard time believing that I wasn't lying when I stated the age he was. My son went on to become an artist actually and I had plenty of drawings from various ages around as I had went back to school at a late age.

I also noticed when studying child psychologist Piaget that children weren't supposed to think abstractly until age 11, but that my son was demonstrating abstract thought at about age five which they told me was impossible. He also understoond conservation concepts Piaget spoke of well before the normal age of development. Since I have first hand experience of gifted kids doing things well before they were supposed to, I certainly believe your child did speak.

I would be really appreciative if someone would tell me what they think of my son's assertion he remembers being in the uterus and him reading my mind like that..

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by kids are grown now

I also noticed when studying child psychologist Piaget that children weren't supposed to think abstractly until age 11, but that my son was demonstrating abstract thought at about age five which they told me was impossible. He also understoond conservation concepts Piaget spoke of well befor the normal age of development. Since I have first hand experience of gifted kids doing things well before they were supposed to, I certainly believe your child did speak.

Ah, Piaget, bane of gifted children everywhere. For much of my life, when I would relate anecdotes about my childhood, people would point to Piaget as evidence that what I was saying was "impossible." If I had a nickel for every time I'd heard that, I'd have a lot fewer problems today...

My mom's IQ is right around your son's, and she doesn't remember being in utero but she does remember inviting her aunt to her first birthday party on the telephone. She's sure about the age, because she remembers pacing as she talked and walking right under the dining room table. She also remembers the party, the dress she wore, the whole nine yards. It's pretty interesting, especially because these days she can barely remember her childrens' birthdays.

[cmom80]

Thanks for your responses, guys! I think I'm not crazy after all, since she's 'said' it a couple of times since I posted. Only in the middle of the night, though. Maybe she's less distracted in the dark? It is creepy in a way (like a cat talking!) but it's really neat to think that her little mind is absorbing so much. I doubt that she understands what it means though.

Originally Posted by kids are grown now

My son who has an extremely high IQ of 167 told me several times that he remembers being in utero. Is this possible? He does remember breastfeeding but this is not unusual as I nurse him extendedly.

Strange that you bring this up. My husband and I recently ran into a woman at the mall who runs an antiques store. She told us about her daughter (now grown) who had a similar story.

When this daughter was 4 years old, a relative in their family was about to have a baby. The 4-year-old said, "I feel sorry for that baby." "Why?" the mother asked. The girl replied, "I remember being born. It hurt my head." And she went on the describe the burning sensation in her lungs, the rough feeling of the towels cleaning her and being handled, the chill of the room, the lights hurting her eyes.

The woman said she asked her daughter's pediatrician about it, wondering if the kid was OK. The doctor said that everyone remembers their birth experience to some point, but it's rare for them to recall it long enough to be able to recount the details.

This may sound far-out to some, but I personally believe it!

He also had extremely high ESP levels; this used to freak me out..he could read my mind. Often he would say exactly what I was thinking. this happened all the time (and it always freaked me out)...when I had him do tests with it, he was often (but not always right). It more came when we were just hanging out or talking or something. He would tell me what I was thinking.

I had a cousin who could do this some..we would finish each others thoughts (we were both gifted), but nothing like my son would do. I have read one of the many components and associated traits common to gifted kids is having high levels of intuitiveness and esp, has anyone else had this with their gifted kids..

My IQ is not nearly as high as your son's, but I remember playing ESP games with my sister after the lights were turned off at night. We'd try to guess what color or word the other was thinking. We stopped playing the game when she got creeped out-- she accurately guessed the middle name of the boy I had a crush on ("Clark") on the first try.

I have more stories but that would probably be best saved for another thread.... I'm a newbie here and I don't want anyone filing me as a nut just yet.

Point being, I totally believe in ESP and I think gifted children are able to harness that phenomenon at times.

PS. Kudos to you for the extended nursing!

[EyesOfTheWorld]

I think it can totally happen, and good for you to recognize it!!! My DD2 starting saying "mama" and "nigh-nigh" (night night) very clearly and deliberately around 3 months. At first I shrugged it off, thinking there was no way, but then she would look directly in my eyes and say lovingly "mama!", and only say "nigh nigh" when she was rubbing her eyes and it was bedtime. Then at 3.5 months we were visiting my in-laws, my FIL was playing peekaboo with her, and after he did it twice, the third time she beat him to it with "pee-boo!" and giggles. Now at barely 7 months she probably has a rotation of 10 words I know, and lots of things that I think may be words, but her articulation isn't perfect and I have hearing loss.

Like a previous poster mentioned, I do think our children are a bit early, but I also think that sometimes babies say things and grown-ups are too quick to dismiss them as babble. I hear babies talking sometimes and the adults around say "Listen to him babble! Doesn't it almost sound like he said "____"? It's frustrating because maybe he really is trying to communicate and us pesky adults are letting thier assumptions get in the way!

[kids are grown now]

eilonwy,
You are funny..less problems huh...wow, a lot of people quoting piaget to you..must bring back the old memories.

Well, I'm not sure if my son still remember the in utero thing, I haven't brought it up in years, when he would tell me this it was in the years before 6 so he was closer to the time..I can picture your mom under the table..that is incredible. Personally, I have a terrible memory and first memory I was much older than most say they were..and now it is even worse.

I'd take ginkgo but I keep forgetting to.

[kids are grown now]

Quote: "Thanks for your responses, guys! I think I'm not crazy after all, since she's 'said' it a couple of times since I posted. Only in the middle of the night, though. Maybe she's less distracted in the dark? It is creepy in a way (like a cat talking!) but it's really neat to think that her little mind is absorbing so much. I doubt that she understands what it means though."

Your description of her talking being like a cat talking made me laugh out loud.

[kids are grown now]

That was a very interesting story you relayed about the 4 year old relaying her birth experiences. Well, it sure sticks in most mom's minds and I imagine it was memorable to the baby as it was a big change from months of serenely floating with some kicking , then bam--everything starts changing.

That is amazing..

[kids are grown now]

Lapoema, I like your stories, they are very interesting..

well, my IQ isn't as high as my son's either, but I do remember playing ESP cards with cards with my cousin and we were very good at guessing the suits and numbers..higher than average. Clark would be a very hard name to guess, so I would assume there is some ESP connection. I also think it relates to the closeness of the relationship. My son mostly just was able to do this with me...maybe some physic link.

Well, I bottlefed my first son (they were hardly any books then and I never knew anyone who nursed, etc--deeply regret it now), but anyway, since he was my first, I gave him a very stimulating environment.

With my 2nd, I was much more relaxed and highly nurturing and I didn't really do much of that intellectual stuff with him. Still, his IQ is about 10-15 points higher than my oldest son (and both are higher than me). I was more into nutrition at the time of my 2nd son's formative years, but I attribute it pretty much solely to breastfeeding on demand (and he nursed a lot) and my beliefs in child led weaning. He weaned at age 4 and when he fell from a tree branch at age five and I saw his bone was sticking out his elbow and he was screaming and asked to nurse, of course, I let him, and he immediately calmed down incredibly and was quiet and nursing all the way to the hospital..nursing is an incredible soother (nursers and doctors were always saying they wished all the kids nursed when I nursed him during shots and things and he never cried). Breast milk is said to raise one's IQ about 10-15 points over normal especially extended, on demand, breastfeeding.

Also, I must point out, obesity runs in the family. My now grown bottlefed son is 6'3", 350 lbs or so, while my breastfed son is normal weight. So what they say about breastfeeding causing less fat cells and different performance of those fat cells proved true in my kids. Also my mom only nursed one of her 6 kids and that one is thin with no weight problem..the rest have varying degree of struggles with weight. The next best one with little weight struggle even though middle aged, I recently found out that my mom did nurse him a little while..so I think that is quite interesting.

[kids are grown now]

I really wish they had done the sign language thing when my kids were little..what a great idea..it would have been interesting to try to communicate with a child so small.

Plus if I would have had the net, I would never have bottlefed my oldest..
as so much information compared to nearly no written information about the superiority of breastfeeding.

[majormajor]

i can believe it too. my daughter was saying "hi!" (complete with the exclamation point :-) at 3 weeks old. i thought i was nuts, but my dad and husband heard it too. by six weeks she was saying "hello." she said that until about 3.5 months, and then added very few words until 7 months. she's now 15 months old and has a good 100 words in 2 languages (i speak english to her, and my husband german).

it's strange to hear, isn't it?