A little concerned (first time parent) (milk, infants, weight, toddler)

[veuvegirl]

Talk to the peditrician and see what advice is offered. My son still has speech issues, but working with a therapist has been wonderful for him. One thing that helped us was the use of sign language. Children can pick that up easier than words and it will assist tremendously with development.

[max's mama]

Okay, I'm not an expert but all this sounds completely normal. My son also started walking at 15months old and he is now the fastest kid. At 15 months, I remember, normal amount of words are 3 to 5 words vocabulary for boys.

Please try not to worry or compare your baby to others. Your baby is unique and he will start talking when he is ready. I think that it's worth contacting speech therapist ONLY when he at least 2 1/2 and you can see some relay delays. And even then, it's no reason for alarm.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by L.K.

I think worrying is so normal,especially with your first child.My first son had only a short list of words at 18 months.By 20 months he was talking completely.My second son did not talk until he was 3 years old!!! No kidding,never more than 2 words,nothing would get him to talk! We knew he could hear,he knew what we were talking about,he pointed and interacted,and somehow I just knew he was fine.Sure enough,he began talking at 3 when he started preschool.He is now a very smart 9 year old who just has alot going on in his head.[you can almost see the wheels turning!]My daughter began talking at 12 months.She had a huge vocabulary very young.I guess it's a girl thing.
Anyway,follow your instincts.He sounds normal to me.If you know he hears you and understands, and is saying some words,I would predict he will continue to progress.

My son was similar in that he didn't say much at all even at 18 months. He didn't walk until 15 months. I remember worrying about it quite a bit (he was my firstborn)... but by 22 months or so he was talking a blue streak. He is now 16, and I know it's a cliche, but I cannot get the boy to shut up EVER! I am thankful my teen son still wants to converse with his mama all the time, of course..

My other son walked at around 8 or 9 months, talked by 12 months, just did everything early (except potty train!)... every child is different.

[sbd78]

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Kids all move at their own pace. My son started walking at 12 months. (He is now 26 months, and runs and climbs everywhere.) I babysit a little girl full time and she just now started walking at 16 months. Niether my son or the little girl I babysit talked much at 15 months. (The little girl only says a few single words.) My son is just now, at 26 months, to the point where you can have little conversations with him. (And he still has a long way to go with his talking!)

[*Danielle*]

My kids had a "vocabulary explosion" around 18 months...They went from saying just a few words to full out talking. It took them about two weeks. I personally would not be concerned just yet...

[mkearns]

Thanks for all the comforting words! I really appreciate it! I get so scared sometimes because I have no clue what im doing half the time. Im sure you all are right. I also think he needs to interact with kids more. My mom has been watching him since he was 6 weeks old we just put him into daycare last month and he went from being really wobbly with walking when he first started to now almost running. I think he learned it from other kids. I just get so worked up and nervous and start to question my parenting skills. Anyway Thanks!!

[quelinda]

Personally I dont think you have cause for concern. First off, boys are well known to speak later than girls. My nephew really didn't start speaking so well until he was around 3.

My baby often called us daddymama. We were both called that and we found it cute. We realized later she meant daddy and mama. While she was doing this, she already at around 13 months knew all the alphabet letters.

My baby girl crawled late and starting walking around 16 months too. Now at 25 months she runs fast and is very dexterious.

Babies progress very rapidly at your son's current age, so see what happens. He will probably really bloom over the next 6 months.

[jbianca]

you definitely don't have anything to worry about! all the walking and crawling sounds normal. my daughter is 22 months and she hit her milestones early, along with talking..she was saying doggie, up, dada, and mama before her first birthday. around 15 months she could say over 40 words which was really crazy (that's an awful lot) and i agree with other comments people posted.. a word explosion happens around 18 or 19 months. now she's talking in short sentences...but like i said i know it was early for her and maybe a girl thing. she does have a playmate though that is a little girl, a week older than her that doesn't say much at all. i feel bad b/c my friend is always saying "why doesn't ava talk like sienna" but all kids are different. i think her little girl is very smart in the fact that she's a critical thinking..she already knows how to unlock the front door, open the garage door, and move chairs over to various tables to reach the toys/things she wants! her daughter is also already sleeping in a toddler bed and understands the fact that she needs to stay in her bed at night.. my daughter is not even close to that point!

[jbianca]

one more thing i've noticed about maybe introducing words.. i know there is a big controversy over the amount of television kids watch but i do have to say that i keep educational or learning type cartoons on for a couple hours each day while she plays and i have seen that my daughter picks up a TON of words from that..

[maestramommy]

I would say your son is pretty much on target. My first daughter was diagnosed with speech delay (only) at 18 months. She was saying no words at all. My younger daughter is almost 14 months and still doesn't have any words, so we are keeping an eye on that. She is very social and communicative otherwise, uses a bit of sign language.