Ah yes. My DS also had mama and dada by the time he was 8 months but I never expected him to be an "early talker" as such because he was never a very vocal baby. But that's just his personality...a still water than runs deep, if you will.

My MCHN was all bent out of shape at DS' 18 month check because he didn't have the minimum 5 words they're supposed to have. She wanted me to take him for a hearing test. I told her that he was fine, he could hear me and what's more he could understand what I said, he just wasn't talking. But I took him anyway - he passed with flying colours.

But I was pregnant and emotional and now paranoid so I took him to a private speech pathologist for an assessment.

The speechie told me that DS' understanding, listening and attention was exactly where it should be but for whatever reason he wasn't making the effort to communicate. She said that speech therapy was warranted but I could try some exercises at home first for a month - which I opted for. This basically involved making sure I spent some time (like half an hour, more if I could stand it) each day dialling back the way I spoke to him to one and two word sentences - she said that although he could understand what I was saying, he didn't have a hope of being able to copy. I should also try to play copying games with him which would help him understand communication.

Well...this did not go down AT ALL well. DS seemed to figure out what I wanted him to do and would either get annoyed or embarrassed - he didn't want to perform. At the same time I had all these people telling me about kids they knew who didn't talk for ages and then suddenly burst out with whole sentences or whatever. So I really wondered if I was worrying over nothing or not. We were moving house too so it all kind of fell by the wayside.

My mum in particular was very disparaging of the whole speech therapy thing and told me that I didn't talk till well over 2 and neither did my brother and sister. It was the first I'd heard of this and I was very interested to hear this...I had been asked by the speechie if there was any family history of "late talking" and I'd said no. So here's the thing...there may be a genetic factor involved. And I was very good academically at school and always top of the class in spelling, reading etc...so that gave me some comfort that DS was not "slow" as such.

So I decided to try not to worry about it until after he was 2. Apparently a child is not labelled a "late talker" until they are 2 or older.

DS is now 22 months and it is quite literally in the last 3 weeks that he has suddenly come out with new words. We are praising him to the skies at the moment to encourage it - he is now well past the 18 month minimum requirement. I have been trying to speak more simply to him but I haven't been making a huge effort...I do really think it is just "his time". If he can manage some two syllable words and/or perhaps link 2 words together by the time his 2 year check rolls around I don't think we will cause the MCHN any further concern!

However...another little girl in my mother's group had her first words okay and then suddenly regressed...went for a hearing test and it turned out she had a bad ear infection and in the end needed grommets.

I would say that your MCHN will be concerned and want your DS to have a hearing test and then go for an assessment with a speech pathologist. (I went private, it cost me about $200 for the assessment but for me that was worth it for the peace of mind). Waiting lists can be quite long for public speechies so be prepared for this. However, it's worth asking your parents or your DH's parents what their kids were like with talking...if they were late or not, as I have been told more than once that this can be a factor. Also...I believe there is more cause for concern if the child doesn't seem to understand what is being said or cannot follow instructions.

I know how hard it is, there is a little boy in my mother's group who is 2 weeks younger than DS and talking rings around him.