Does your toddler speak in sentences?

orchid8301

My son is around 18 months old. I think he has great communication. He knows several words and even a few signs. My mother thinks he is delayed in his speech because he is not using sentences. I really have nothing to compare him to. I plan on asking the women at daycare, but wanted to hear from some moms. We go for his 18 month old appt. next week, so I will also ask the doctor. My son was born about a month early, and I have always thought he was around a month behind. But I am not sure that he will be speaking in full sentences by next month either. 

PetuniaFeatherbottom

Your son sounds totally normal in language for his age. My daughter didn't start using coherent sentences until about 18-19 months, and even then they were short statements, like, "Bye bye, dada." That sort of thing. She is 21 months now and saying more, like, "Head hurt" and "I got cookie." Words come really fast, so make sure you talk to him a lot so he hears how sentences work, and when he uses words, reinforce them by repeating them. All babies learn at their own pace, but your son sounds like he's on track to me.

Leap08

I think the general expectation for 18 months is about a dozen words and a few two word phrases. For example, at 18 months my daughter could say phrases like "That one" "More please" "Hi Daddy." I think some toddlers don't even start using 2 word phrases until closer to 2 years. I don't think they really expect toddlers to have complete sentences until about 2.5 years.

bullybutt

My SO's nephew is almost two years old and can only say simple words. He doesn't speak multiple words at all.  Sounds like your kid is more advanced than he is.

ljanette85

Sounds normal to me! The most mine says is "what's that" "dog" and "kitty cat" Talk to the pedi if you are concerned. My friends kid didn't talk at all until two and he is a chatterbox now!

oliversmommy32912

Gosh I hope that's normal! DS is almost 17 months and says 20 to 25 words and I thought that was pretty good for his age. The only "sentence" he says is "I hungry" and that's only because he hears my niece say it all the time. He just started saying it this week.

orchid8301

Thanks everyone. My mother does not have any medical or other training, but like I said I dont really have anyone to compare him to. You have all made me feel better.  

StacyJYay

The use of novel two-word "sentences" (such as "Hi, Mommy" or "More milk") is a 2-year milestone.  (Two-word expressions, such as "All done," don't technically count.) 

At 18-months, sentences aren't expected at all!  It sounds like your LO is doing great. 

preggersin2011

Until around 18 months, LO couldn't put two consecutive words together. If she was saying goodbye to someone there would be a long pause between words. Now I get things like "go kitty, go!!" or "mama sit, sit mama"

Mustardseed2007

My DH is 20 1/2 months and is just now saying "Thank you" and "let's go". Those are his only 2 word sentences.

tonychelle

I think they asked at our 18 month well visit if she said like 6 words, so I wouldn't worry at all! She said more words than that at 18 mos and a few two-word phrases but a month or so after that, it really picked up, so I wouldn't be surprised if he started talking a lot more pretty soon!

BiscuitEater21

My son is 16 months old and he knows a few words, I'm trying to teach him to sign a little too, but he doesn't have that down at all. He just knows words like, baba for bottle, it gets more understandable and sounds more like bottle all the time. 

As for sentences? None expect hi, or bye mom and dad. A 2-word sentence that melts my heart, and I think he's doing just great for his age. I'm sure there is nothing wrong with your LO either  

The only thing I've really heard about speech that interests me has to do with siblings, like children with older siblings might talk later on than only children because their sibling might not take away from their attention or try to speak for them. But I just find that interesting, still not a big deal. Every child learns at their own pace!

capulet

My kids had very few words at that age, let alone sentences.  They both had vocabulary explosions around 20 months, and at 21 months, DS is just beginning to use Mommy/Daddy in two-word phrases, like "Bye, Daddy" and "Mommy, read!"

Haley.Beth

At 19 months dd is using some sentences. "Where is it?" "I want down" and "See the baby?" being the most common, but her pedi was very surprised to hear that, she said she didn't expect those until 2 years. My nephew that is a month younger is about where your son is and he's a smart cookie! Your LO sounds like he's doing great :-)

Irishsapphire

My son was more 2 1/2 years old when he started speaking in sentences, and he had a word explosion.  He is a preemie, and he was born at 31 weeks.  I think each child develops at their own pace.  It is something that you can ask your pediatrician.  

And my kid talks a lot now.  I really think this kid is going to be a lawyer or a chef. 

blu-eyedwife

We didn't start getting "sentences" until 21 months.  And even then it was "Daddy are you?" (Daddy where are you?) or "Stop Mama" so nothing terribly complicated or grammatically correct.  At 18 months, he wasn't even stringing two words together.

dragon_chica

Normal.  DS is starting to say more 2-word sentences.  DD didn't really say a whole lot until after she turned 2 and now she won't stop talking. 

bridein08

Sounds normal! My LO was saying tons of words by then, but not sentences. He now at 20 months says short phrases (Mommy, peepee! Or hey watch this!).

shannm

Your mom doesn't know what she is talking about and your pedi will confirm this.

sunnyday016

My DD was beginning to string together a few words at 18m and was speaking in sentences at 2y, but she was definitely ahead of the curve language-wise.

DS is just now starting to pick up more words. He has maybe 10-15 words and will sometimes say "Hi Daddy". That's his only "sentence". Sounds like your LO is right on track!

PsyDr04

DS is 20 months old tomorrow. Has a ton of words, but no sentences yet.

LeofgythsMama

DD is 21 months and says quite a few sentences.  She says things like "Mommy, I watch Thomas," "I want cheese stick," "What's that," "I know,"  "Sit down mommy" and others.

amarie923

Thanks for asking about this.  My daughter is 17.5 months and I'm always wondering where she should be word-wise.  She babbles all day in her own language but doesn't have many words - she'll say mama, dada, papa ball, dog and do a few signs (more, please, cat, dog) if you ask her to, but doesn't really just say/do them on her own (except for the "more".  lol. she'll do that to everything she likes..wondering if it was good to teach her! lol).  she follows directions and will point to things/bring us over to something she wants so I know she understands what we say..I see kids her age at a play gym we go to and they seem to be saying a lot more...

Seldaar

Leap08 said:

I think the general expectation for 18 months is about a dozen words and a few two word phrases. For example, at 18 months my daughter could say phrases like "That one" "More please" "Hi Daddy." I think some toddlers don't even start using 2 word phrases until closer to 2 years. I don't think they really expect toddlers to have complete sentences until about 2.5 years.

Yeah, this is what I remember from DS's 18mo pedi appointment.The Dr. wanted him to have something 8-15 words or some range to that effect.

DS will be 21mo next week and sometimes says things that are complete sentences, but are mostly repeating what we say. Like he said "bye bye nice lady" to a waitress once after I said "say bye bye to the nice lady".

DS had the "minimum" number of words at 18mo. Since then he's had an explosion of vocabulary. He's basically a mimic now. Anything we say, he'll eventually say back. So we've reached the point where we need to be careful what we say .

ho11yday

At our 18 month appointment, the ped asked if DS was using 10 words; he said by the 24 month appointment, he should be using about 40 words.

DS has been saying "I love you" for a while, but I think to him it is all one word, not three separate words.

kmm2150

My parents are both speech pathologists and have said the number of words used goes with their age- at one, you want one word (mama, ball, etc), at two you want two words (hi daddy, my ball, etc), three words by three and so on. You LO sounds right on track. DD is almost 20 months and just last week started saying hi daddy, bye mama, etc but that's about it for "sentences."