22months and still no words?

My 2nd daughter is coming up to 22 months and has only just started saying more words. Before this she said hardly anything but she has a 4 year old sister who doesn't shut up so she doesn't have a chance!! Boys tend to be slower than girls plus you might find he's taking it all in and all the words will come at once. Just keep talking to him, saying what objects are as you pass them to him even in the supermarket say what you're putting in the trolley or point things out to him when you're out walking. I'm sure it will all come to him in time. If you're really concerned talk to your HV. Hope this helps.

My best friends son started nursery at 3 with only a handful of words and the leader there said that if he wasn't talking more by the end of the first term they would want to have him assessed. At the end of the first term my friend went in to see the leader and she said 'oh yes well no need to worry now, we can't shut him up!' Seems like he was just taking everything in all that time. I've spent the day with them today and it's true, he never stops talking. I also think that he's very bright (I'm a primary school teacher, which may not say much but I think a child who tries to work out the mechanism of a car door handle at 4 years old is bright)! His first word was 'floppy disk' (his dad's in IT) and his second Dumbledor (which I can't spell). Don't worry about your son he'll probably turn out to be a genius!

oops. sorry bout spelling. oh bugging me while trying to type lol x

hi. my sons 25 months old and dosen`t really say much. but he understands everything you tell him don`t think theres anything wrong with his hearing althgh he did have a bad infection i both ears i may. he starts nursey in a couple of weeks so hopefully ing around other children his age will encourage him more. xxx

yup my son is the same! hes 2 in oct n doesnt really say alot! he will do wen hes gud n ready! i always point at stuff n say wot it is, n wen im doin things like washing up i say 2 him mummy is goin 2 do the washing up, or mummy is putting the plates away or mummy is goin 2 do the hoovering etc ( me finks mummy wld like a nanny lol!!) he will say the odd word ere n there! but nothing consistant! u watch wen they start talkin we'll b tellin them 2 shut up! haha! my healthvisitor did say boys r slower than girls! dont think that changes wen they reach adulthood either hahaha xxx

I wouldnt worry hun im no expert myself but my brother when he was born which is year back now couldnt speak until he was 3 and the doctors said each child develops at there own rate and that it would come eventually so my family kept just talking away to him and one day he spoke which was an amazment to all of us. So dont worry over it im sure it will happen soon just keep in mind every child differnt and at different development stages. Rebeccaa2009

thanks for all replying was bit concerned but as eased abit now thanks, mayb when he back at his playgroups will pick up some more words has dont have many friends with kids so he hears mostly adults all the time bless him, anyway thanks 4 replying :)

It is always worth getting a child’s hearing checked if they are a little behind with their speech. There could be a very simple explanation for the slight delay here and it would also explain why he doesn’t seem that interested in listening to a story - but at 22 months we couldn’t expect him to sit for long, so don’t expect too much of him! He may have a slight hearing loss such as Glue Ear which is very easily rectified and incredibly common among children of your son’s age so just have a quick check up with your doctor first. Meanwhile keep talking to him but make sure your speech is very clear and although I would never recommend “baby talk” it is important that you use simple words and try to keep to the same phrases until he is picking words up and using more of them himself – for example – if you ask him if he would like a drink then say “would you like a drink?” each time – don’t vary it with “fancy a drink?” or “are you thirsty?” I know this probably seems obvious but English is a rich and varied language and we have so many words and phrases at our disposal that we sometimes forget how many ways we can (and do) say the same thing! Keep looking at books with him and if he just likes the pictures then just look at picture books – don’t bother with a story as such. If you can find picture books with photos in even better and then you can go picture spotting – there are some lovely books of cars, lorries, farm animals (great if you live in the country!) and you can take them with you when you go out for a walk – a bit like “I Spy”! If you are looking at animals always make the noises as well as saying the word – some children find it much easier to say “Baaa” rather than “Sheep”! Your son will be fine, he does have two words which is a good start but do get his hearing checked and keep on talking to him!