First Words
It's fun when your baby says her first words, especially when that word is “dada.” By about thirteen months, most toddlers are able to say dada and mama specifically to ask for or talk to their father and mother. The next word soon follows in the next few months.
Your baby's first word is often “dada” rather than “mama,” just because it is easier to say. It is okay to feel special that her first word is “dada,” but because she isn't using it as a label for either you or her mother at first anyway, you probably shouldn't attach too much significance to these first words.
What will your baby's second word be? It could be “cat” or “dog,” if you have either as a pet. Or maybe a sibling's name or a favorite toy, like “ball.” Hopefully it isn't “no.”
Toddler Language Milestones
The rest of your toddler's second year should lead to an explosion in her speech. By the end of the second year, many toddlers know more than fifty words and have started to talk in two-word sentences. You can also expect that she will be able to tell you a few of the things that she wants at this time. For example, she might say “milk” or “juice” when she is thirsty, or “cookie” when she wants a snack.
Even before all of this talking, your child likely will understand things very well. During her second year, she will learn to point to her body parts, like her eyes or mouth. She will also begin to follow some two-step commands, such as “pick up the shoes, then bring them to daddy.” At the end of the second year, you can also expect her to begin pointing to things that you name, such as a toy or a cup.
Speech Delays
If your child is a little late in picking up language milestones, it becomes somewhat easier to spot during the second year. It is harder to know if a younger infant isn't on track, because the differences between the different babbling milestones aren't always easily understood. Once children start to really talk, though, with real words, it is easy to know when they are behind other children of the same age.
It is important to remember that just because your child isn't talking as much as other kids of the same age, it doesn't mean that she is really developmentally delayed. The range of what is considered normal is very broad. For example, one commonly used tool called the Early Language Milestone Scale-2 (ELM Scale-2) indicates that 25 to 90 percent of children can say four to six words between about eleven and twenty-three months. That can mean more than a full year's difference between the ages when two normal children pick up this milestone.
Not all speech delays are normal, and you shouldn't always take a “wait and see” approach when your child isn't meeting her milestones. A toddler whose speech is delayed may have a hearing loss or other medical problem. If it also seems that your child does not understand or communicate well, she may have a more serious developmental problem that should be evaluated.
Toddlers can say fifty or more single words in an age range nearly as broad, with most kids meeting this milestone between about eighteen and twenty-six months. If you think that your child's speech or language is delayed, you should discuss it with your pediatrician. Getting your child's hearing tested by an audiologist and seeing a speech therapist also can be helpful to evaluate late talkers.
