I have not had a chance to talk about Oliver’s 15-month
well-baby check-up last week. Our little man-child is 29 ½ pounds and 33 inches
long, putting him in the 95 percentile for boys his age. When the pediatrician asked the normal slew
of developmental questions FTD and I were proud to answer each question with
YES! Then, when Ollie’s doctor asked if we had any questions or concerns I told
him I had one, his vocabulary, or lack
thereof.
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| For example here at his doc appt. if Ollie could talk he would have told FTD to put him down so he could escape before the vaccination. Instead he wiggled and fussed. Same thing. |
Now that he is 15-months old I expected him to have a larger
vocabulary. At this point the only words
he says clearly are Momma, dada/daddy and doggie. I've read that other toddlers his age are saying up to
10-15 words. It’s not that I am really
worried about this, but it’s safe to say I am concerned and wanted to know what
I could be doing to help Ollie expand his vocabulary.
Our doctor asked us what he did say. I told him that Ollie babble talks all
day, points and yells all
kinds of noises like we understand, but the only words he says clearly and
regularly are, again, dad, daddy, momma and doggie. I also mentioned that Ollie definitely understands what we are saying. We can ask him to do something and he will do it, if he can be bothered of course. Things like 'NO!" are hit or miss, but take that to mommy, or where is? will get him to do the action. So he gets the words, he just won't say them!
The pediatrician assured me that he was doing just fine and
not to worry at this point. He also said that to help expand his vocabulary we needed to take the time to point everything out and say what it is twice. For example, when we hand him a book, we need to say BOOK and then as he tries to take
it away hold tight and say BOOK one more time before letting go of the book.
He said we should not add any extra words or baby talk. Just say what it is twice and move on. And of course reading is a huge help too!
Since that appointment I have been diligent about telling
Ollie the word for everything… Cat. Couch. Light. On. Off. Door. Diaper.
So far so good. I have also been
diligent about listening to his babble to see if I could maybe understand more
of what he is saying. So far I have
picked up a few regular noises he
uses to express his feelings… or at least that’s what I have decided he is
doing. So I thought I would share Ollie’s’
words and my interpretations!
Ollie’s first words and sounds from FTM:
- Tit-tessor- "Professor" our cat
- DAD!- Ollie yells this every morning from his crib. I’m sure he means DAD come get me, because Mommy deserves to sleep-in! ***NAH...It's 'cause I'm AWESOME!***
- CCCCUUUUUUCCCC-This is when he sees an airplane. FTD makes that noise when he flies one of his stupid Star Wars planes around the house with Ollie.
- Dush- he makes that noise and points when he wants to go outside- I think that means move your ass.
- DAAA AAAH YAAA ACK! He yells-- and I mean with force and anger-- this at me after a diaper change all while trying to jump up and down on his change table. I’m not sure but I think it means, “Mom I am sick of this diaper shit!"
- WHAAAAA! That pretty much applies to anything that pisses him off. I get this a lot!
- MuMMaamAAA - Can I get me some titty milk please?
- TaaaTTessa - Professor (the cat) - I'm gonna rip your tail off!
- PssSSSsssS - I gotta take a wee-wee (but NOT in the potty) Take my nappy off NOW!
- AhhhHHHHAA - **Singing** Wiggles version of "you make me feel like dancing"
- RAaRRaaRRA - Bloody Hell! I'm bored shitless.
- DaaaDaaa - Where you at Awesomest bald-headed dude?
- OOHOHHOOH -Vegemite on toast for breakfast
- GARDEN - ???
- OOwWAYYY - Gimmie that filtered water from the fridge please!
- UHHhh Ho - I purposely dropped some stuff so I can watch you pick it up again.
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19 comments:
Interesting you mention this. My almost 18 month old daughter doesn't say much either. She babbles all day long, but not much is intelligible. We do picture books ALL. FREAKIN. NIGHT. because she simply loves them, but nothing seems to stick. We do regular tangible items all the time too because her favorite word is " 'zat? " (what's that) as she points at whatever item she wants identified. About the only other thing she says on a regular basis is "mom-mom", oh and "yeah" (yes).
She definitely comprehends what we say because if we tell her to get a diaper, she does. Tell her to put her toys away, she does. Ask her if she wants to go outside, she says "yeah" and walks to the door. If I tell her it's time to go to daycare she starts to look for & put on her coat. So I don't really understand why she doesn't have a better vocabulary by now.
I'd be interested to read other comments on this.
Right in the same boat with you April! James just had his 15 month check-up this week and we are experiencing low vocabulary with him too.. I get jealous when I hear my best friend's little girl (who is 2 months younger) say "Cracker" or "Mama"... James doesn't even TRY to say mama... His words are... owl, meow, and teeeteee (kitty). But one thing he is doing which cracks me up... he's imitating!! The other day I was putting lotion on my hands... James watched me and started to rub his hands together like he saw me doing. I know he knows things... if I ask him "where is daddy?" he will point or run over to him... he just won't say the word. Sigh... all in good time right?
Haha... love trying to spell out the sounds they make. Often so clear to us as parents, but to try to explain to others? :) 16 months in and still no "Mom, mama, mommy, etc." stubborn ass kid!
Don't worry, my son didn't really talk he knew what you were saying when you talked to him he just rather do it than say it, now he's 4 years old and you can't get him to stop talking lol.
Same thing here! Will can say Daddy, Grampa, bath, and dog (but not clearly. We know what he is saying though).He has said mama, but only a few times. :(
Will also totally understands everything we say, just wont say any thing himself!
My nephew didn't talk at all for a really long time. Even when he was about 2 he would only talk a little bit...Now he's almost 3(like next week) and he talks all the time...SO FREAKIN' CUTE.
Oooh ZAT? I will have to listen for that? I just don't hear anything other than the few words. I hear it happens over night...
It's the girls! Mrs. Loquacious wrote a post like two months ago listing something like 10 words her daughter says! Oh I was SO jealous!!
Yes, I suppose in good time... BooHoo
Ollie doesn't say momma nearly as much as dada. Or really ever! he favors using a D sound before everything.
Thank you Amanda. That's what I need to be reminded of. Just like walking and crawling, I couldn't wait for those milestones, and now I just wish he would sit still! Soon he will be running away and telling me all about it, I suppose I can wait for that. ; )
I do find solace in Oliver knowing what we are saying. He understands the words, so hopefully soon enough he will say them... Of course not all of them... ; )
It is so freking cute hearing their little voices talk. It melts my heart!
Aww...thanks for the shout-out in the comments! :) <3
And yes, I think it's a girl thing. Don't compare, because when the kids are 5 it's not like it is going to make a difference when they started yapping; nobody will be able to tell when Little L started talking, vs. when Ollie did. Just keep reading reading reading to the boy, and talking up a storm in adult language around him. One day, he's gonna wake up and just start putting it all together! That's what happened with my nephew, around age 2. Now he is a great little talker at 2.5, despite starting later than some of the girls his age.
And yeah, Little L doesn't stop talking. She barks orders like a little dictator and expects us to comply immediately. When we don't, or if there is a delay, the hollering commences. "Read! Read! Book! Book! Out! Down! Off!" I miss the silence ;)
No worries! Some times they start slow but once they start to talk they take off. My LO is now 2 and her vocab amazes us. One thing we did with her from the time she was born was to talk to her constantly. I would describe what I was doing or what she was looking at. Now, at 2 years old, she loves to sing the ABCs, Row Row, and comes out with words I didn't know she knew (like delicious). So, glad I stumbled on your blog via Hump Day.
The first one always takes longer. I was worried too but by 2 my little guy WOULD. NOT. SHUT. UP. Just talk to hom all the time ans as the pediatrician said no baby talk
I love looking back on the lists I made of my kids' vocabularies at certain points. I remember being concerned, but looking at it now, they are all fine. Of course, you know your kiddos best!
Right around 18 months my son starting talking up a storm ... hasn't stopped since!
Your concern is such a common one among parents. I am on baby #2 and am still concerned about milestones like this, even though baby #1 is healthy and VERY on track. I also brought up the speech issue with my pediatrician last week. My son just turned 1 at the beginning of June and has basically no vocabulary. At this age, his sister (now 3 yrs) was talking, walking, running, coloring, etc. This little boy shows no signs of being interested in anything except throwing a ball and pushing a wagon. My pediatrician assures me that it's partly because he's a boy, and partly because I know he's my last child so I'm probably not pushing him like I pushed my first child because I want him to remain a baby as long as possible. This is an interesting observation, and one that I'm not completely refuting. It is kind of sad to see my youngest grow up. But with that said, I still am worried about milestones just like you! Good luck with Ollie! I'm sure he's just fine and will surprise you with a whole sentence in the near future :) -www.RocksNoSaltMommy.com
Big A did not speak properly until he was 2; now he just makes up new words to confuse all of us!! So, there is that!
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