How can I get my 16 month old to talk & say more than a couple words??

Question

he will say a word once & then never say them again!? his 2 favorite words are MAMA & BALL!! I try everything to get him to say different words & keep saying them but it's like he can't remember the words or something! can that be it? what can i do? he imitates any actions but not words!??? I'm worried b/c he has been ahead in development in all other areas. he got his first 2 teeth when he was 4 months old, crawled at 5 months stood up at 6 months & so on.

Answer 1

It sounds like you are a new mom and simply worried your child's speech not developing fast enough. Let me ask you this - fast enough by who's standards, yours or outside influence. I have two sons and the one thing I have learned is they both do things in their own time. Each individual baby progresses at their own pace.



Babies have so much to learn early on in life and sometimes we as parents rush them to learn at 'our' pace or the pace we are comfortable with. It could be that your child is more conconcerned with learning some other skill like holding a spoon or trying to put on a shoe.



Just keep talking to your little one and before you know it you will be asking for five minutes of quiet time. My youngest son is 20 months old and I hold conversations with my him. Sometimes he talks back and sometimes he doesn't, but at some point he ALWAYS repeats at least one word I said duirng our many conversations.

Answer 2

It's pretty normal. Kids will parrot once or twice and you think they have it, and then you will never hear it again. (well, not for a while at least.) There isn't much to worry about at this point. My daughter is doing the same type thing and I asked her ped., who says everything is just fine.

One suggestion though is make sure to read aloud. It lets kids hear more words so that when they do start talking they already have some vocab built up. There are words in books that your child probably won't hear on a regular basis otherwise (like scamper and violin). It takes advantage of the fact that the kids brain is a total sponge right now.

Also, offer praise when the child does speak. A "Yea! yes, that's the PHONE" while clapping your hands will work wonders.

Good luck.

Answer 3

You can only repeat the words over and over to him and talk as much as possible to him. He will speak when he is ready. Maybe he knows that you want him to say stuff and he seems to be pretty smart, so maybe he is just giving you the run around. My son is about the same age, his favorite word is also ball. He calls everyone and everything mama. I think that it is expecting too much out of a kid of that age to just start talking and saying different words all the time. I know kids (who are are now adults) that did not talk until they were 3 or 5 years old and they are just fine, intellegent, go to school, are good looking, athletic, and have everything else in life that is normal and good. Just be glad that he is saying anything at all. Love your child for who he is, all that he can do, and nothing more.

Answer 4

My son is 2.5 and he has just started talking and not very well at that. Its still only a few words and very babyish. Im not the least bit worried. I think you are just having the natural mommy fears. I also babysit other kids and they barely talk at almost 3.



If he gets toi be 3+ and still only says 2 words then you might start looking into it. Generally boys dont talk half as fast as girls. Ive also noticed if they walk early they talk late and vice versa. If they talk early they walk late. Im sure thats not a rule but just something I have noticed.





READ TO HIM. that seems to be the quickest way they pick up langueage skills. Its essential.

Im sure he's fine, don't worry.

Answer 5

I don't know exactly how to help him say more word but I can tell you this, it's not that he can't remember the word he just learned the day before, he's "mastered" it and ready to move on to new words so maybe (and this is just a thought) do a word of the day like seasame street does their numbers and letters of the day and everytime he uses that word on that day give him a treat and then add a word the next day and give him a treat for both word and do that 'til the end of the week and start over. I just thought of this so if you try it e-mail me to let me know if it works. [e-mail]

Answer 6

Don't worry. I'm sure your child is fine. He sounds like a smart kid. My 30 month old din't talk much at that age either. But around the age of 2 she had a vocal explosion. It was like she learned and said a new word everyday. Now she has a extensive vocabulary.

Answer 7

talk to him all the time even if he cant understand the topic just talk to him every chance you get and every once and a while ask him if he can say a word you say even if he doesen't go on and keep talking don't spend to much time on any one word move on he will catch on also play music as often as you can good luck have fun

Answer 8

i am not a mom, but i do work with children through babysitting and stuff like that so i have interactions with moms. i would say that you just need to talk to him. he will learn in time but if you talk to him, and i don't mean baby talk like awwww whos a cutie and stuff like that, i mean real talk, then he will learn in time. be patient. do not be comparing your child with studies by doctors that say that your child should be this far developed by a certain age because each baby is different. just because they don't meet some of the "deadlines" doesnt mean they will never learn or they are stupid. most importantly...BE PATIENT!!!

Answer 9

The answers above are all valid, however hearing is an important part of learning to speak. I do suggest discussing with your doctor to see if he recommends a hearing test . (Especially if your child has had quite a few ear infections.)

Answer 10

my son is also 16 month old &he too also donot speak more than 1 or2 words but he understands every things what we talk.do every action what we ask him.keep patience everything has a time ,every kid learn with their own pace.

Answer 11

I guess training him everyday by saying essential words to him would help

Answer 12

i always tell my child the names of everything or tell him what i am doing. my son is 18 months and says about 10 words

oh man, what, daddy, grand pa, grand ma, momma, his brother's names, again , done, uh-oh