16 month old is not talking yet?

Question

My son is 16months old and is not talking yet he once said mama and once said dada but thats it he does not babble or make any attemp to talk is this normal or is something wrong?

(He was born premature and stayed in the hospital for 1 1/2 months with lung and weight problems but is pretty healthy now and at a healthy weight)

Just for the record "mr. I dont know" you try holding a toddler and typing at the same time. I have a college degree and my husband is a teacher.

Answer 1

Don't feel bad at all. When I was 4 months pregnant, I was told by doctors that my baby would be retarded. They said she'd have a rare chromosome disorder due to part of one of her chromosomes missing. I heard nothing positive at all. I was stressed out! After I had her, I was still stressing, thinking of all the negative things that I had been told. Whenever she didn't do something that according to doctors and books "babies her age should be doing"...I got worried. She didn't talk, scoot, crawl, pick up objects or anything else that "babies should have been doing at her age". I didn't go out with her my other friends who have babies her age, because I they were crawling, talking, dancing and doing everything else I THOUGHT she should be doing too. It made me sad, and I was kinda jealous, and always thinking...Why isn't MY child doing that?? I finally got a doctor who told me that NOT ALL BABIES DO THE SAME THING AT A CERTAIN AGE. They do things when THEY get ready. Once I understood that and stopped worrying about every little thing that she wasn't doing according to "what's normal for most babies", I was okay! My baby is healthy and almost 2 years old now! She does a whole lot, and I can't even keep up with her! She has her own personality, and does things when SHE wants! NOT when everybody else wants her too. Your baby will be just fine. So stop worrying, and enjoy your baby actually being a baby! He will grow up before you know it, and you'll wonder what happened to the time! Enjoy the quiet time now! You'll probably be saying BE QUIET!! when he starts talking too much, and going on and on and on!!!! haha!!! =)

Answer 2

I also had a premature child...he is 5 now and completely normal...but I had challenges with him at first. I talked to the doctor because I was concerned something else was wrong with him. I was reassured that premature children sometimes develop more slowly but it does not mean that there is anything wrong. To be on the safe side I would take him to his pediatrician and tell them what is going on so the doctor can rule out any abnormalities. Keep faith...he will develop in his own time, every child is different!

Answer 3

My son is now 2, but he didn't start talking until he was 19 months. He said about 6 words at that point. But way before then, we knew that he understood everything that we were saying. We got him a "word book" where it just had pictures of everyday items, foods, animals, etc. We'd ask him "Where's the lion?" And he would point to it. It was also a good way for him to learn new words for when he did start talking.

I would wait a couple months before you start to worry, of course this is me looking at it from hindsight. See if he'll make any animal noises. That's always fun, and it will encourage him to be more vocal.

His pediatrician will address these concerns at his 18 month checkup and imms. He may order a hearing test to rule out any aural problems. If the doc feels he's not understanding enough, he may put in a referral to a speech therapist. Sometimes the speech-pathologist may teach you ways to work with him so you don't have to bring him in every week- only for check-ups.

But, all in all, I wouldn't worry. 16 months is quite early to expect him to be talking. Like I said, my son wouldn't utter even one word until he was 19 months old, and now at 29 months, well...... he won't shut up. Enjoy the quiet that is now...... before all the "Momma momma momma momma........"

Answer 4

My nephew has speach problems due to seizures. He can hear just fine but is not able to make normal sounds.

I'm not saying your baby will have this issue but I know once they started a few things he started to try to talk and make sounds.

Try signing to him that involve physical movement, even if you make it up as you go.

Read to him every chance you get. Also talk to him talk about everything you are doing or see. If your driving point things out like " There is a big red truck" ect.

I wish you the best of luck! I'm sure your little guy will be talking up a storm very soon =)

Also I was a delayed talker, I had an older sister and she spoke for me. Once she went to school I started talking like I'd done it for years =)

Answer 5

It is very important to talk to your baby. This is how the child learns to talk by mimicking others. Speak to your doctor about this. The child might need tubes in his ears if he has allergies fluid can get in the canals of the ears and make it harder to hear. I would say that is is stranger that the child is at least not babbling various sounds. Does the child react ot a loud noise, for example put hands up to the ears? The earlier the better to start working with a child with hearing problems. Don't delay in setting up testing with an ear, nose and throat doctor. the sooner the better!

Answer 6

Boys are usually a bit behind girls. Example, my daughter has a cousin(a boy) 2 days older than her, they are both 2 and my daughter can speak in full sentences and he still babbles and grunts.
Also since your son was premature, he is probably at the age level he should technichly be at if he was born closer to his due date.
He'll catch up! Just read him stories, talk to him like he's an adult. People used to think i was wierd for talking to my daughter when she was a baby, but now i can't get her to be quite! lol and soon you won't be able to get your son to stop talking!
I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 7

My daughter is 20 months old and she says maybe 5 words. But she doesn't like to talk. I took her to the doctor and he said as long as she understands everything we say it's ok. I've done a lot of research on late talking, and what I found is that you should expect your child to make at least some attempt to talk. For example, when she points to something, I pretend like I don't know what it is. Then she'll at least say something, even a few sounds, and I'll say "Oh, you want the BALL?" Sometimes she'll say the word, sometimes she won't. But don't give up, because if you make it too easy, there's no need to talk and it will take even longer. The way I look at it, the sooner I can get my child to talk, the less frustrated she'll be, because she'll be able to tell me what her needs are.

Answer 8

Your child is fine. Don't worry what other comments people say. He is only 16 months old. When he is 2 and doesnt start talking more I would definetely get some advise from the doctor and get him to a speech specialist. Every child grows at a different rate.

Answer 9

All children reach their milestones at different ages. What's "normal" for one child, may be completly different for another child of the same age. Also try to remember that a premature child has different requirements for milestones than a "normal" 16 month old because he is technically younger than the full term 16 month old. Any concerns you may have about his abilities and milestones should be brought to the attention of your Pediatritian at your next visit.

Answer 10

Usually drs don't worry until 24 mo but if he was premie you should get his hearing checked. My twins were premies and I had to get a test at 12 mo, 18 mo., and 24 mo. just to be sure, If he was born before 32 wks gestation there is a possibility that there was a minor hemorrhage that could cause hearing loss. They do sometimes go undetected even in NICU.