using the same word for everything...

MrsHughesNC

Holly's first word was "Dada." It very clearly meant "Daddy"--she'd point at him and say "Dada!" very proudly. :-) Now it seems, she calls everything Dada. Anything she's clearly trying to identify, anyway. She'll see me, and shout Dada. She'll see a picture of DH and say Dada. She'll see a picture of a dog or cat or a baby ( all of which she's obsessed with right now), and say Dada..

DH feels less special now that she calls everything Dada. hehe.. She used to also say Baba (bye-bye), and wave. But doesn't really do that anymore. Is that normal to say words, then stop, and to use one word for just about everything? She babbles all kinds of other sounds (including mama...but refuses to call ME mama!)

ECUGirl2004

I think when it comes to speech, just about every variation is in the range of normal.  DS didn't call things all the same name, but he will pick up a word and say it a few times, and then not use it again for weeks or months.  For example, a LONG time ago, he would say shoes, tree, and cheese.  I haven't heard him say any of those words in months.  I prompt him, but he just won't do it.  I know he knows what those things are and he apparently has known the words for them, but he doesn't say them right now for whatever reason.

So, based on my experience, I say that Holly is normal.  I think kids just get on kicks where they like certain sounds.  Also, I think some kids refuse to say certain words until they are confident that they can say them correctly.  I think Nate's that way, at least.

MereD19

When Savannah learns a new word, or babble, she'll say it a LOT. She just learned to say "Uh-oh" (although it sounds like, "Uh-oooh" - so cute!) but it's at the most inappropriate times. HAHA.

She'll also say "bop" a lot. And her first word was daddy - to where I know that she knows who daddy is .... but sometimes she'll call me daddy, too. I think it's just them getting used to saying things and putting two and two together. 

crescentmoon99

Liam does this.  He'll learn a new word and then just use it on everything while he's getting used to it.  Right now it's "bow" - I thought he was saying ball, but now he just points to everything and says "bow".  I have no clue LOL.  He definitely went through a phase where everything was Dada too.  I think "d" is one of the easier sounds for them to make, because he still defaults to it a lot when he thinks he's saying something else - bye bye or knock knock - sometimes still come out as Dada.

withoutshoes

DS has 3 words he puts into rotation.  He clearly says "mama" at night when he is in his crib and crying!  He knows it is me that will come and rescue him.  However, this is the only time he will say "mama" (the stinker!)

Mostly everything else is "dada".  He doesn't point to things and say dada, he just says it several times in a row.

Then, his favorite word is "Bwoo".  Our dog's name is Blue.  Obviously we say it a lot, b/c DS is constantly saying Bwoo.  He calls all animals, whether it's a statue or a picture in a book, "Bwoo".  It is hilarious! 

I have no idea what is "normal" but that is what our DS is doing at the moment. 

akspriss

Jack first learned the sound mama and always made that sound when upset but it wasn't till a lil later that he clearly called me mama. Now he uses it to call for me but still uses it when he is upset and can't tell me whats wrong. He says dada to DH but he also uses that sound to try and sing the Elmo's world song (like sings Dada to the tune of elmo's world). He says Sean (his brother) and after that sorta tweaked it says side for outside...so they 2 words are similar in sound. So i think holly is totally normal for that. she knows she can say that word and is proud and is just gonna say that till she learns a new one that she realizes means something.

QCBride06

Funny, we were actually talking about this at dinner tonight..... Will says Da-da now and he clearly means DH.  However, he'll look at me now and go "Da-da"!  As for mama he was saying it for a while but have not heard him say it in forever.....

His first word was "dog".  But now he calls all animals dogs...... We have goldfish and I'll say, "fish, Will, look at the fish".  He looks at them and says, "dog"