How much does your 12 month old speak?

DD only says Mum Mum, Dada, Mya (our dog lol).. and thats it...
makes noises like - lion and dog says...."grrr and woof'

Should she be using more words at this age?

I think she sounds ok? In a book I have about toddlers (what to expect from your toddler) it says at DS's age (18 months) that he SHOULD be able to say 3 words.... and may be able to speak up to 50 (which is the number he is closer too).

So I wouldn't worry!!!

my DD is 18months and he speaks 5 clear words which is normal

thanks girls.
She has been saying them for months and no new ones...
I think she trys to yell 'down' at the dogs when they jump otherwise all sounds to indicate things... ie hungry etc...

I try to say words for all the objects we see during the day etc but i dont want to push it you know?

No i feel rotten all my 15mnth old can say is uhuhuhuh!!!

He just doesn't want to do alot of things!

I wouldn't think there is anything to worry about mellie - like my previous post says - as long as they can say 3 words by the time they are 18 months, they are on track ... :D

Mine is just a good talker because he is surrounded by talkers.. seriously.. my mum, DH's mum - just do NOT SHUT UP.. they crap on about everything and anything... (so does DH for that matter!!)

So its no wonder my child can talk heaps - sometimes he won't shut up either!!!!

(ahhh... one day I'll have my peace and quiet... )

My CHN said at 12 months as long as the can say 3 clear words they are fine but by 18 months they should have at least 50 words.

Chelsea doesnt shut up if you get her going!

Speaking is so individual - DS has about 20 words, which he is currently neglecting for climbing - but his 22m old friend still doesn't say anything, aside from "aaaaaaaa" when he's having fun. At 12m DS had about 12 words, he likes to play with sounds more (like his mummy) so words come slowly, and he'll quite often use a word correctly, but then never use it again, so that doesn't go on his word count. If you listen hard you he can say about 3-4 words in a "sentence", but I'm not going to let him have that until it's very clear and obvious, although we can have a great conversation these days with him holding up his end really well.

Just keep talking, that's not being pushy, that's actually helping your child to speak. Quite often they don't know the words and that hampers them a lot.

We chat all day - she makes noises and sounds and chats to us and to herself but barely says anything clear other than, dada, mama and baba...even then it's kinda touch and go!!! She makes dog noises and kissing sounds but that's about it. She didn't really start babbling until late - 9 mthsish, but walked at 10 1/2 mths so I think maybe she has been more active than chatty! Don't stress too much - they all develop at their own pace!!

Yep, I agree that talking is really individual. Some kids talk alot from a young age and some take things in but don't talk til later. My DD says lots of things at 14mths- mummy, daddy, bubba, no, yes, this, thanks, fish, bath....., but my friends little one says basic words muma, dada, baba at 16mths. I think 18mths is a good age to use as a point of reference. If you DD isn't vocalising by then, then I would talk to your gp. But even making noises is a way for babies to talk.

I would say my DS was saying pretty much the same as your DD at 12 months of age. It's just now in the last few weeks (just turned 17 months) that he is starting to say a few more words and/or attempting the sounds of words he hears me say. It all happen really quickly from my experience.

personally i think it depends on their personality (as well as the environment they grow up in)...

dd is 15 months and can probably say about 100 words, has been talking ALOT since about 13 months... but from the age of about 6 months we taught her all the objects in the room (of course she couldn't say them, but from 7 months could point them out), and this gradually became broader and broader, to her being able to point out just about any object she had ever seen once or twice before.... she has been pretty 'thirsty' for knowledge from the time we started teaching her the name of objects... on the other hand, she is not a very 'brave' girl, as in she is quite tame and timid when it comes to riding on her little car, and riding on see saws etc at playgroup like the other kids do.... she loves being outside, but probably her favorite thing is reading a book, where she points at each picture in the book and says what it is.

maybe your little one will be more advanced in other areas, they all have their little quirks, i wouldn't worry

even though you have a dirl andi have a boy i think kids live life at their own pace ... nix can only say about 7 words at 20 months ...
but docs say hes fine , so i would nt worry .. he can say these words :

mummy
daddy
car
door
eat
bin
no

DS is almost 12mths and can say mumma, dad-dad, nan-nan, uh-oh, mm-mmm, and makes noises that are his version of a cat and dog. There's a dog down the road that just does not stop barking, so he hears that and makes a woof noise. We have 2 cats and when he sees them or when he wants to get their attention he makes a meow noise. Cute too, coz it almost sounds like that! I know what he's trying to say when he says it. Just today he must have seen a cat somewhere when we were out and he made the noise. Both dh and I have heard him repeat the word "ten", and once he made a "word" that sounded like the f-word...

He says a lot of his own nonsense words. He says them individually or in a magical made up sentence. Must copy me coz I noticed one of his "sentences" ended with a laugh... uh-oh!

OMG some of these littlies really have lots of words! Oskar is 16 months and nowhere near that many! He says cow, mum, dad, go car, ta (used very sparingly..lol)... that's all that comes straight to mind. He KNOWS what things are if you ask him to find pictures in books and he says quite a few animal sounds, but wow @ some of these bubs. If he SHOULD be saying around 50 words by the time he's 18 months, I seriously don't see that happening. He's a great uh uh and pointer to objects...but hmmm.

From a mum who had a slow to start talker who is now in speech therapy, please don't keep waiting if you think there is a problem with speech. Talk to your child all the time - read books, hold conversations with them, ask them questions about things - anything that will make them talk back to you. Dont use their baby talk words if they cannot say what something is - use the proper name for it so they learn how to say it themselves. Public waiting lists are long and if you do think that there are issues (any of you) then get a referral and have them assessed and get their name on the waiting list.

For what it's worth, I think that she isn't going too bad, but like with anything there will be those that have more and those that have less words, so you can't really compare children. All you can do it talk talk talk with her and encourage her to talk too - practice animal sounds and names etc, shapes or colours. Anything that will engage her.

my dd started talking around 13-14 months and now says over a hundred words... from around 10 months she could easily understand what we were saying, and from around 14 months we had to spell words that we didnt want her to hear, she understood EVERYTHING...

i think give it a couple more months, but talk to her all the time and teach her the name of objects, anything and everything, clock, fridge, tap, dishwasher etc... then ask her where things are and she will point or look in the right direction, this is all part of building their language and vocab.

to be honest i know its individual, but with all the talking and teaching ive done with my dd i would be alarmed if she wasn't saying much by now at 16 months. i am baffled by the older kids from playgroup not talking yet - but i guess it depends on the individual and how much they have been talked to etc...

personally i think alot of people leave teaching language etc too late, or don't teach it at all... we started at around 7 months or so and it has made life so much easier with her now being able to communicate.

and SING SING SING!!!!
dd sings the last word to the lines of a heap of nursery rhymes if i sing along with her... she also knows the start of the alphabet (A, B, C) and 1, 2, 3.... and can point out and say her colours - BASICALLY TEACH THEM EVERYTHING!!! they are like sponges ready to soak things up, gotta make the most of it.

DD is 18 months now and I would say that she is in the 35'ish words catagory (although not really clear spoken, kwim) and about 15 sound assosiations. But what amazes me more is her grasp of words that she can not yet speak. Example. I ask her to pick up the paper and throw it in the bin, she does that without looking glazy-eyed .. and she can't say paper or bin yet AND I don't have to point it out for her. Now THAT is gets me everytime. This little person is just an amazing discovery!!

Currently she is trying to repeat EVERYTHING you say. I can't wait for her to have a "Mommy what is this, mommy why is that, mommy how come this" conversations with her!! I LOVE kids minds!!

Aurelia has been saying "mama" and "dada" (though "dada" isnt around anymore, she still says it sometimes) for a while now. Apart from that, she can say "hello" but doesn't do it very often. She understands more words than she can speak, she definately understands "no" (lol!) and whenever I say, "Aurelia, look!" she turns around immediately. So that's 3 words that she knows, and to be honest i think mama/dada is often just her playing with sounds!

my 19 month old can maybe say 15 words, and generally i have to prompt him.
he still has his own little language for things, the tirck i found is not to talk for them. Keep prompting them to tell you what they want, what things are etc. Its amazing to see exactly how much we talk FOR our kids.

I wouldnt worry, i used to worry about his development but i realised its my expectations i am placing on him - and sometimes that is a really bad thing.

DD is almost 1 and can say mama, dad, baba, baby (sounds soooo cute), no (not my fave word!), papa (which means eat) and tries to say her name. She imitates animal sounds, and tries to say daisy but she misses the s. Im thinking thats ok for her age and reading these posts, it really is varied between each bub. She too understands "dont touch' and tries to say it but sounds it out rather than saying the words. I cant even imagine how it will be when she starts saying 20 words! Cant wait though!

Well now I am a little worried, hmmm. Charlie is 16months & doesn't even say Mum or Dad...not clearly - it's just mummmmummmummm when he's upset. Though he does say "tickle, tickle" & "ta" & "puppy"that's it. He points at everything & can take my hand & lead me to what he wants, usually a biscuit LOL but I wonder if he should say more. He's had a series of bad ear infections & i'm told that can delay their speach...is this true?

DS has just turned 1. He calls us mum and dad and says bub when looking at photos of babies. If I ask him 'what noise does the sheep/horse make?' he can answer correctly with Baa or Neigh. He also says duck when he sees one and can almost say teeth but it comes out as tee ss.

He knows a lot more than he can say though - he can follow some simple instructions like sit down, get your jacket, show dad and quite a few others. He knows at least a dozen toys by name so if I say 'get the ....' he will go and find it.

Over here we've got "UP!" accompanied by arms up in the air and an expectant look.

No "mummy" or "dadda/daddy" but there is the usual mumumum, dadada, tata (with bye bye wave) and plain old ta to indicate she wants something she's pointing at. She does a very cute mmmmm! when food comes out. Also tries to say pet names. Puh-puh for our cat Asper and apparently she's said SIL's dog's name, Axle, but this has never been repeated.

I too cannot wait for those toddler convos!

The minimums according to my "blue book" are 5 words at 18 months and at least 20 words but usually 50+ by the age of 2, with some two-word utterances.

DS didn't have 5 words at 18 months but he has 50 words now, just before his 2 year old check (much to my relief, the MCHN got a bit bent out of shape at the 18 month check). This is below average, but still within the expected bracket.

At 22 months, in the space of 3 weeks, he suddenly started coming out with words (the so-called "word spurt" many kids have before they turn 2). And interestingly enough it wasn't every day words like cup, milk etc...quite funny! We get a new word every couple of days now. It just happened overnight.

Just keep doing what you are doing. Emphasise key words, this helps them learn.

Also, they understand WAY more than they can say. If you thought that your child couldn't understand you, then you would have cause to worry. By emphasising key words, it encourages them to repeat. Even though they can understand what you say, they haven't got the ability to repeat it back to you yet, so if you can sometimes break instructions/directions down to one or two words, this will also help.