My son, who just turned 2 in November, is not verbally spoken. He only says dada, go, no, in, and eat. Everyone is telling me that he will talk when he’s ready or that I should have brought him to early steps to get him speech therapy. I just don’t know what to do. I’m a first-time mom, and I feel like I’m failing him. He has a doctor’s appointment in the morning, so I will speak to the doctor about it. But have any of y’all dealt with this, And what should I do? I let him watch the shows that teach him, and I try to work with him as well, but all he does is laugh and play.
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My son is 3 and just now starting to pick up more words
My daughter took off speaking when we started speech therapy a year ago. Now she talks nonstop.
That’s what two year olds do! Ask the doc.
Reading to him and talking is very important. It’s good to let his doctor know your concerns. My daughter got speech therapy at 2 years old. She is 8 years old and she talks a lot except she still gets speech therapy because she has trouble with the “r” sound.
They talk when they’re ready. You can’t really do much to help that young. Just keep teaching him new words so he will know them when he starts talking. Speech isn’t really helpful until they are 3/4 yrs old. I had one talk at a year and one that was hard to understand until she was three. Don’t compare to other kids each child runs on there own timeline.
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My daughter is 2.5 and started talking like 2 mo ago and even then she doesn’t say a lot of things in the right context
Speech therapy helped a lot though
I went through the same thing . Give him
Time !!! More stimulating as well on words , alphabet, numbers etc .
A lot of kids don’t really start using their words until after 2. Boys are slower to talk. I wouldn’t panic, he sounds like a happy kid. Just encourage his vocalizations. When he points for something, say what it is and see if he will repeat, if he can’t, ask him if the item is what he wants… encourage yes and no. He will talk when he’s ready. If he had no words or seemed to be struggling with his happiness bc of it, then you could worry. But it sounds like he’s happy and he really will talk when he finds the needs to do it
My oldest barely spoke until she was 3+. Then I couldn’t get her to shut up for about 10 years. Now as a teenager we’ve reverted to not speaking other than to have a tantrum. 
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My almost 2 year old wasn’t talking much either but he’s getting better since I let him watch more tv.
Just talk about everything to him…what you see when your driving in the car…be very descriptive. Sing abc songs or other kid songs , describe everything you see to him when shopping…I’ve done this with all my kiddos and feel it’s helped.
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Be patient and remember this moment 
Just speak to him often and read to him nightly. You got this mama.
Definitely ask your doctor, it could just be every child’s different but it could be something else, and the doctor can refer you to a specialist, I was worried about my 2 year old also, but she was 18 months at the time, and only said maybe three word, small one sylabal words, I ended up learning and teaching her sign language, and her speech as improved so much! You can literally just pull a video from YouTube and sit down and do it with him!
My son was like this I did sign language with him. He learned to talk and lost the signs look up on YouTube… you could at 3 have him tested at your local preschool… district for speech. My son loved to sign
All kids are different, they will be talk when they want to… 90% of the time they know alot of words! They just won’t say them till their ready. My daughter just turned 2 and doesn’t shut up she has talked sentences since about 1.5 but a friend of mine has a 3 year old who barely speaks at all… Unless he wants to. 
There’s no “time frame”
I would talk to a doctor my nephew had a problem and needed tubes put in his ears.
I was having the same issue… My son started gabbing out of nowhere. Blippi helps
My daughter said maybe 20 words before she was 2 1/2. My MIL was a basket case over it. My pediatrician wasn’t concerned. I wasn’t concerned. I ended up getting a therapist to come in and work with her. The therapist kept pushing for sign language even thought my daughter is not deaf so after the 2nd or 3rd session I told her not to come back. What incentive is there to talk when you can sign? Shortly after I fired the therapist was when she started talking full sentences. My daughter is an only and I did everything for her. I didn’t even know she was capable of holding a bottle at age 1. I always did it for her. I didn’t let her try much because I always anticipated everything she needed. I knew every signal of hers. We’re still like that 15 years later. Don’t compare your baby to other babies. They all reach their own milestones in their own time. The only thing I wish I did different was to place her in a jolly jumper or whatever they’re called now. Growing up, every baby I knew was in one and was walking at a young age. My daughter didn’t walk until 15 months, again only because I carried her everywhere. Your baby will be ok. I know you’re concerned and you’re addressing those concerns. You are not failing him. <3 <3 <3
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Mine is 18 months and just started getting interested in saying words. I think every kid just does it on their own time. She was not interested in saying much before but now she wants to say anything and everything! He will get to that point soon. Maybe point to things as you walk through a store and start listing what each thing is? My daughter likes to point to random stuff and we say what it is and she repeats it like a million times lol
That’s normal and he might have his own language at the moment that you’re not picking up on. My almost two year old says a lot but not much of what he says are clear english words. In example “peash or peaze” are please, “mo” is more, “lav ew” is i love you, “ammish” is sandwich, “moak” is milk. He says mommy, sissy, marvel (our dogs name), daddy, night night, and other words clear as day though. Those not quite words still count, though, as it means he’s communicating and he’s associating those sounds with those objects consistently. We just continue the conversation as if he said it perfectly. “Mommy, moak peash.” “You want some milk? Thank you for saying please. I’ll get you some.” “Tanks chu.” “Oh, good thank you. Very polite.” So long as you repeat the words often, they’ll pick up on the correct pronunciations.
I didn’t pick up on it with my first born as much, but this time around its a lot easier to spot.
My oldest son is almost 9 and he would speak several word sentences(sorta) at 1.5 like happy birthday so and so… Or want cookie please stiff like that. However my youngest son who will be 4 this month started really talking at about 3 and you couldnt understand nost of what he said he still has work to do but has improved lots. All kiddos are different i wouldnt worry
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Same here call early steps and get him evaluated. Their programs stop at 3 and waiting list for speech have a year long wait where I’m from
You are not failing him, your doing great. It’s best if you ask your pediatrician to refer you to a speech evaluation I have 2 sets of twins first set they didn’t have as many words till after they turned 2 pediatrician didn’t recommend speech therapy so didn’t have it. Second set they are about to turn 2 on the 30th and they both were referred to speech therapy even thoe the girl says many words (its boy and girl twins) but she will need it for less time than he will. Every child is different so just ask the pediatrician that’s who will give you the best advice and if you just want to try the speech therapy go for it. There’s nothing wrong with that. Oh and it was the same pediatrician for both set of twins.
I would just monitor and maybe ask him to ask for you for things every once and awhile, especially if it’s for high reward items like candy and such. Also, explain everything in detail to him, like what color is that tractor? What does the tractor do? Just keep doing these tiny things and eventually they will catch up.
When my older brother was 4, he very rarely be spoke. Our Aunt just knew there was something wrong with him and insisted our Mother have him “checked out”.
She took him to our pediatrician, and explained the concern expressed by our Aunt and asked him if thought he should be taken to a speech therapist.
After a beat, he started asking my brother questions. Each question was answered in a crystal clear voice.
The diagnosis? He just didn’t have anything to say.
In other words, give him some time and he’ll speak when he has something to say.
My son was like this… he is now 4 years old and in school… he still struggles with speech and pronouncing words correctly, he can’t say certain letters when put together. It turned out it was to do with his hearing 
lots of hearing tests… and we are still waiting for some sort of answer to be honest. Although over the last couple of years with a lot of help from childminder & school he is getting there. I know people say boys can sometimes be lazy with speech but this isn’t always the case. You are doing the right thing getting it checked, he is still young but worth checking! 
My daughter was placed in early intervention prior to her turning two. Unfortunately it didn’t last long because we moved to a different state and my daughter doesn’t qualify here. However, early intervention really helped me learn what I needed to do for my daughter. Such as little games and a technique called floor time play. My daughter is now two and she’s sprouting like crazy. I just want to say there’s no harm in looking into speech therapy. I felt the same way with my daughter because she was behind. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough or working with her enough. It just takes time!
My baby has been in EI (early intervention) for over a year to deal with this exact issue…get him evaluated by early start or whatever your program is called…it’s reduced priced or free and is done in your home…at least it is here…better to be safe than sorry…
My toddler is almost 3 and only has 5-6 words and 3-4 signs, he’s transitioning to EI prek in the spring
I did! My son was 2 1/2 when I brought him to speech therapy. Some people were angry because they said he’d talk in his own time. But I’m glad I did because 6 months later he started speaking regularly
My son only started talking after he turned 3. The pre-school was concerned, but the Dr said if by 4 he still not talking, then we will be concerned.
Reading to my kiddos daily helped with their talking. Sometimes they just need extra time to do things as well.
Why is everyone in such a hurry for them to grow up,enjoy them now as they are.try to rush or stress them and you could cause them serious health issues down the line.just slow down and enjoy being a first time mom,it goes quick enough on its own
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My son turns 3 in march and hasnt said but maybe 10 words and his doctor referred him to speech therapy back in may and were still on the waiting list and just this week he started saying more words out of no where we can tell him " say apple or say sissy" and he will look at us and say no and shake his head no he knows how to say more words but he doesnt want to and now hes started to say more out of no where just give it time
I have the same issue with my 2yr old boy, he is very vocal but doesn’t say any words! Might sound silly but have you checked your little ones ears? My little boys are blocked with lots of earwax i took him to the doctors and they said he might of lost 15% of his hearing becuase of this and that might be the reason he isn’t talking, im now been referred to the hospital so they can unblock his ears, my health visitor said she wasn’t concerned at the moment with him not talking, but if he still isn’t speaking by 3 then she would refer him to speak therapy, hope this helps x
I have three boys and they were all late talkers. I would say like 3 before they really talked clearly. My daughter, on the other hand, talked very quickly and often. I think she was like one. I think its a boy and girl thing. Girls tend to be big communicators and boys not so much. This is my personal experience.
To compare children isnt fair to them or yourself. Each child has their own story and path. Dont be so hard on yourself!!
My daughter was talking in complete sentences when she was 14/15 months and hasnt “shut up” since. She is 7 now and would read you dictionary if it meant she could talk. 
My son was essentially mute until he was 2. We would get a mom or dada here and there but that was it. Health wise, he had a lot of ear infections. Once we took him in for ear tubes WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! His vocabulary exceeded anything we could of imagined. We felt like we let him down on his learning because poor kid just couldnt hear. He is now four and his speech is completely typical of a child that age.
Best of luck!!
Girl let that baby develop at his own pace.
You are his biggest advocate! Taking him to the doctor is one thing but their opinion isn’t the only one that counts. If you think something is up and he isn’t progressing then ask for a referral to a speech language pathologist and have him evaluated. My daughter was speaking in full clear sentences at 2ish. My son was not. We had him evaluated by an SLP and his does have a speech disorder that requires speech therapy. Early intervention with communication is key. There’s nothing wrong with getting help for your kid. In fact, there’s everything right about it.
My son was a “ late “ talker. If he is saying a few words in my opinion just be a little patient. Read to him lots ( if he sits still long enough lol ) and just talk to him a lot using your normal voice. Every child does develop skills in their own time sometimes. If taking him in for an assessment helps you with your peace of mind then go ahead & have it done.
My son is delayed in speech too (he was a prem, so that might have something to do with it).
He’s now nearly 3.5 and his vocab is all caught up! We’re just working on pronunciation & sentence structure.
We did get him into speech therapy when he was 2. However, where I live, the system is over loaded so we could only get appointments about 1x every 3 months unless I could afford to pay privately. So I’m not sure how much it actually helped 
Don’t fret too much. But I would try to get into speech if you can! I figured it could help, and if he didn’t end up needing it… it didn’t harm either.
My youngest will be 2 on Saturday, I brought it to my drs attention a couple months ago at one of my check ups and she sent us for a referral, he’s now been in speech for about 5-6 weeks and he absolutely loves it and I can see so much of a difference in him just in a short time! My little guy would always grunt or roar… and would say about 10 words, he now knows a lot of animal sounds, they’re teaching him how to use sign language, overall he has grown so much in such a short time! I couldn’t be more proud that I decided to follow thru with going instead of listening to everyone saying oh he’s still young blah blah blah! Do what you think is right for your little one.
My daughter wasn’t talking much at that age either, so I reached out to our school district and got her involved in the early on program and since she started that, I can’t get her to stop talking. She’s come so far, don’t let people tell you he’s too young for intervention. I do think eventually he’d probably be fine, but if there’s programs out there to help your child, why wouldn’t you utilize those resources?
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Ears. Perhaps its hearing the words. My daughter was like that until dic saw ear tube problem
Have pediatrician refer for early intervention services. If she starts talking and there are no further concerns you can discharge. But it’s best to get started early.
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All kids are different, my son can only say a few words. Everything else is just rambling, he’ll get there. But definitely do speech therapy.
The pediatrician should’ve been giving you milestones and letting you know if steps needed to be taking for him not meeting them. More often than not, it’s a hearing issue. If he can’t hear words said clearly, he won’t learn to say them. But if not, I agree with several other moms that they do all learn at their own pace. I have 4 kids and all 4 of them are perfectly healthy and very smart and they varied greatly in the ages they learned things and met milestones.
At 2 and a half my son just started speaking full sentences before that it was baby gibberish hes will be 3 next month If hes excited it sound like gibberish. Our pediatrician said by 12 months they should be saying some words and by 3 sentences
My kid didn’t talk until he was three and every time I brought it up to the doctor he told me a joke. And finally about the sixth time I brought it up he finally laid it out for me. I anticipated my child’s needs so much that my child didn’t need to talk, he signed but he didn’t need to be verbal. now the kid has a vocabulary that has his kindergarten teacher scratching her head
My SS was like that, but he had recurring ear infections, and needed up having tubes put in and adenoids and tonsils removed. Then spent about a year in speech therapy.
Talk to your son like he’s a regular person, explain what you are doing, ie; laundry, feeding the dog, etc.
and read read read to him.
But definitely start with the doctor. If doctor says everything is fine, but you still feel differently, then look for resources to help.
Early intervention for speech is what we were told at 2 by the peds. All it is is an extra push for the kids who are late talkers. It was the best decision that we could have possibly made. All kids maybbe different but it doesnt hurt the child to give them extra help.
He will talk when he’s ready. Every child learns at a different pace.
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I was so nervous when my son wasn’t speaking a lot, once I put him in daycare he heard other kids talking and started to try and talk more. He still sees a speech therapist from school to help him out. But ever since he started talking he doesn’t ever stop now lol. It will come just be consistent with him and keep trying.
All children develop at different rate but discuss it with your Dr. There will a time when your going to wish they would stop talking
Definitely talk to your doctor about it. Have him be evaluated for speech. My daughter is 16 months and I’m already getting started on it because her doctor and I both agreed that she needs it. She only says two words. My older two were just the same so that’s why I knew I didn’t want to wait until she was 2.
My baby neice was just like that except she probably didn’t even say that many words she literally just pointed and would grunt. She’s almost 6 now and doesn’t stop talking lol every baby is different though so definitely talk to his Dr just to be sure there aren’t underlying conditions. Everything will work out mama
My youngest has been in speech since 12 months because he didn’t even baby babble. Now he is 20 months and can say mum and go. He had to have ear tubes placed at 11 months and is still not making the progress they would like for him to make. Some kids are late talkers some just refuse to talk at all. Every child is different but if you are concerned definitely bring it to their doctor. You are doing the best job you can 
We do speech therapy because mine is the same. He had ear infections and got tubes to relieve to fluid and he started talking after cuz he could hear us.
I have had two kids who were delayed in speech.
Whether your child is just a “late bloomer” for speech or not cannot be seen this early on. Yes, there truly are cases where the child just isnt ready. Then they start talking and don’t stop.
But by the same turn there are 5-6 year olds who cant speak properly because their parents refused speech therapy during younger ages under the belief “they’re just late talkers”.
By 2y your child “should” have 50 words and be using short phrases.
By 3y your child “should” have 200 words and be using sentences.
By 4y 1500-1600 words.
By 5y 2200-2500 words.
Refusing speech therapy at 2 can put them seriously behind thier peers. It makes it harder for them to communicate effectively. It makes any school work harder. It can also end up being the root cause to behavior issues.
What happens is the doctor refers your child to speech therapy. The speech therapist will do an evaluation.
If the evaluation reflects that your child doesnt need speech (which is a possibility) then they wont get it.
If it does reflect that your child would benefit from speech…then they’ll set it up either once a week or twice a week.
Speech therapy is largely play based. While your child may get frustrated at having to do certain activities rather than just completely free play it doesn’t hurt them at all.
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My son is 4, when he was 2 he just wouldn’t talk much. He had 4 older siblings who would talk for him, or at least try to, once I got them to stop being his mouth piece he started talking more. Now there are days we can’t get him to stop
My son was the same way and he started speech around that age and it has been so helpful. My son also has sensory issues and anxiety and adhd(I’m 99% sure bc I do just waiting for him to start school to get tested) and is in occupational therapy and he is 5 now
My sister wasn’t talking until she turned 3. Everyone learns at their own pace
my first son didnt start really talking until he was 2 1/2 or 3 and now I cant get him to stop. My second son is now 14 months old and doesnt say much yet. They go at their own pace, just keep teaching him, he will get there!
It’s not about “developing at his own pace.” If you feel as if something is off, trust your gut. My son didn’t talk at all by 2, and I had that gut feeling something was off… We just got the diagnosis that he’s autistic. He’s almost 3 and still can’t speak more than 20 words. Definitely talk to the doctor.
I went through the same thing with my son. We were sent to a speech therapist. They said that he was fine. He was able to get what he wanted without having to talk, can we say spoil. Now he is 4 and won’t stop talking.
Mine did not speak at all at 2. Call the school district in your area and they have a free program (in United States) for toddler and infants that will evaluate him and provide speech therapy. My son is now 11 and in the gifted program without any speech issues. Speech problems can be easily addressed at the toddler stage but if left untreated will become a life long issue.
Your baby will talk when he’s ready. If the pediatrician thinks something is wrong, they will refer you to speech therapy. In the mean time, enjoy it. Every mother wants her child to walk and talk… until they do. Then you’ll pray that they sit down and be quiet.
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My brother and i have a 17 year age difference he didnt talk sentences until he was 3 almost 4. My friends son didnt talk at all he started preschool at 4 the second day he just came out of school talking like hed been fine all.along. Every kid is different if your afraid talk to the dr.
My son also turned 2 in November and doesn’t talk much. He does try to copy a lot though! Words he does say include mama, daddy, go, no, tickle, kitty, papa, etc. I try to ask him to say new words every day and we read a few books per day.
My son barely said anything when he turned 2. A month after his birthday he started day care and he came home one day talking nonstop- hasn’t stopped since. He didn’t talk before that because he didn’t have to - we knew what he wanted so talking wasn’t important to him
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I had the exact same experience with my son. As a toddler, he never made “baby noises” like the other kids, the goo goo gaa gaa or what have you.
I believe he was about 1.5 when we started teaching him sign language; which drastically lowered his constant frustration.
Somewhere between 2 & 2.5, & still only saying mama & no, his doctor started speech therapy.
The came to our home twice a week until he was 3, but by the end, she was only coming because she loved playing with him.
He learned to speak very quickly. By the end of his speech therapy, he had, & still at 7 has, a larger vocabulary then other children his age.
The best advice I can give you is start learning to sign. I never realized that babies can learn to sign at like 8 months old. It’s like a magical key that shuts off the screaming. You don’t have to spend 45 minutes trying to sooth your screaming baby, before you figure out they just want there favorite blanket, they can just tell you from the start. I wish I would have know with all my kids.
Everything will be okay. <3
My youngest turned 2 in November as well and he only says a few words. Mostly mom lol Try working with him. We got flash cards and when he points for things I try to get him to say it instead of just pointing and yelling lol I wouldn’t be to concerned mama every kid is different. Although my son doesn’t say alot he does understands what I’m saying to him or asking him to do. Since you have an appointment id talk to your ped about it but try not to stress!
Contact birth to 3 in your area. They were great with my son he didnt speak. He didnt have a hearing problem he just didnt want to talk. Him and his sister who is 7 years older than him had their own language. They had us work with him that when he wanted something we repeated what it was and had him work on saying it. They also brought activities and worked with him.
My now 8 yr old was same way didn’t really start talking till 2 half 3 .and when started preschool .but before that I tried getting talk instead of pointing at things like if red said say red box of cereal if what wanted.
My daughter was the same at that age She would point to stuff but I put her in speech therapy with the regional center until she aged out at 3
The year of speech therapy helped a great deal
They evaluated her and told me she no longer needed it just needed to be in a group setting to grow
Never be afraid as long as you work with your toddler the rest will fall into place
Now she’s 4 and talks nonstop
He will qualify for speech therapy. My son is 20 months and says about as much as yours does and he qualified.
I did deal with this . Non Verbal communication. Message me privately if you would like .
It’s ok momma he’ll talk when he’s ready my daughter only said momma dadda no and boo at that age she started speech therapy at 1 years old and she’s still in it and she’s 2 and a half right now and she’s supposed to be putting 3 words together and she’s not and since her therapy she’s only picked up a few more words like bye Let’s go or daddy is gone and she says hi daddy when he gets home but they don’t stay steady and frequent I was worried myself and felt like a failure but I’ve learned I’m not and she will pick up fully talking when she is ready and wants to so your not a failure momma just read books to him a lot and repeat certain words to him often and if he’s in pointing stage like my daughter is and we give her something we tell her what it is but definitely talk to doc to and make sure he can hear to cause often kids who can’t hear when you say stuff to them does he respond to his name and look at you when you call him all those certain things because hearing can be a issue with some kids to my daughter had a tongue tie and lip tie
My son didn’t start until 2 1/2 we tried everything flash cards, games, we talked to him constantly. Until we came upon Blippi videos I swear by them they helped a lot after Blippi he got into dinosaurs and watched T-Rex Ranch now he’s constantly talking and he’s 3 now
My youngest just turned two in November also, and he just started saying actual words in the last couple weeks!
A lot of boys speak later… My nephew was almost 3. We recently got one of the LEAP FROG interactive books (100 Words) which lets my son touch an object and hear the word and the sound it makes. It got him saying duck, ball, milk, blue, red… in less than a week! He’s 18M and didn’t say a thing until we got it! It’s so cute because he sees those objects on TV now and blurts them out! I highly recommend that toy!!!
My son did the same thing. I him to the doc and was referred to an ENT to make sure he was fully developed. The ENT said that he had autism which made me cry… just Bc I wanted to do what was best for him. I then took him to a behavioral doctor and she said that he was just stubborn but we also did speech therapy . He wouldn’t talk to her either. Then one day he looked at me and said I love you mom and I died!!! Tried to get him to do it again and he would just smile. Now I can’t shut him up lol
Get rid of your phone .
Why don’t u get an early intervention speech evaluation. They r free.
My son is turning three in a couple months and has just started talking. He knows words and can speak full sentences… when he wants to. Thats the key words lol. He only says things when he wants to. He can say them very clearly and is well spoken. We are noticing as time goes by that he is speaking more and more. Some kids just take a little more time to get comfortable using their words.