# 13 month old not talking - need reassurance



## Shannie77 (Jan 16, 2007)

My DD is about to turn 13 months and does not use any words to communicate. She can babble, but doesn't do it very often - she never seemed that interested in it. She met all her physical milestones quite early - for example she is now trying to jump and has almost gotten air a couple times! She can do simple puzzles, and can almost put together a 3D cone intended for 2 year olds.

She mostly uses vowel sounds with intonation when "talking". She does use almost 20 ASL signs, and she seems to understand most of what I tell her. She has said words. For example she said "OK" the other day after I said it, "all done" once while signing, occasionally "mamamama" when looking at me although I can't tell if it is just a coincidence. When I try to get her to repeat the words she just smiles and doesn't try.

Do you think she has just figured out it is easier to use sign language at this point? Part of me is convinced things will suddenly click and she will start speaking quite well one day (her "OK" and "all done" were so clear), then another part remembers things I have read on the internet and I get nervous.

I would love some reassurance!


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## workjw (Apr 6, 2008)

My dd is 13 months and rarely says much at all, although she will babble sometimes. She still doesn't even say mama, even though I know she can. I would probably be more concerned, but my older ds was the same way. He was almost 2 before he began communicating.

We took him to lots of specialists, had his hearing checked numerous times, the whole nine yards. Turns out, he just didn't want to talk. When he did start talking, he had a huge vocabulary and spoke quite well. He basically went from nothing to full on conversations in a matter of weeks!

All that to say, I wouldn't be too concerned, especially if she is developing well, and using her signs to communicate.


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## hattifattener (Jan 10, 2008)

A 13 month old not talking? My goodness, I had a 23 month old who barely talked! Now she's three, and everything's "I beg to differ", and "Can we make a compromise?" and "I think mythology is how people tried to understand the world."









I did worry a little about delays, but she was totally _fine_.


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## sarahr (Mar 29, 2007)

My ped was not worried at all about my dd not talking until she was closer to 18 months. We toyed with the idea of therapy, but didn't find a therapist we liked. Now, at 20 months, she has about a dozen words -- still behind, but catching up.

At 13 months, I'd keep an eye on it but don't worry yet!


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## BethSLP (Mar 27, 2005)

As a speech pathologist, hearing your description, I feel perfectly NOT worried about your LO. Sounds like she's doing beautifully. ASL signs count as well as receptive language (i.e. "go get your shoes.")

There is a wide range of normal at this age, and speech development has a lot to do with a kiddo's personality. She has been focusing a lot on learning motor development, and also might just be "taking it all in." Some kids do a lot of verbal experimenting. Others just pop out with a good clear message suddenly.

In looking back at videos of DD, she was somewhat quiet as a LO. She said some words but they were almost whispered. In fact, watching the videos, I would recognize utterances with meaning that I hadn't realized at the time of filming. DH is a speech pathologist too, so our daughter is naturally a source of endless research. HAHA.

Now she is just over 2 years old, and speaks in 8-9 word utterances. She really "came out of her shell."

So, short story long, I would NOT be concerned if your DD is understanding what you say and using some ASL signs appropriately.

XOXO
B


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

Honestly, I think you're borrowing trouble where none exists! It sounds like your LO is doing not only fine, but very well. Really. Using signs, at 13 months? Understanding simple things you say to her? Taking an active interest in communicating with you, in whatever verbal or nonverbal way works for her? That's what you're looking for at that age!

My DD1 didn't say her first real recognizable words until past 18 months, and now she's an extremely verbal 3 1/2 year old. The range of normal for talking is so wide, and 13 months is really really young to be worrying at all. I think the usual recommendation is to look for help if a child hasn't said a word by 18 months.


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## dex_millie (Oct 19, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shannie77* 
My DD is about to turn 13 months and does not use any words to communicate. She can babble, but doesn't do it very often - she never seemed that interested in it. She met all her physical milestones quite early - for example she is now trying to jump and has almost gotten air a couple times! She can do simple puzzles, and can almost put together a 3D cone intended for 2 year olds.

She mostly uses vowel sounds with intonation when "talking". She does use almost 20 ASL signs, and she seems to understand most of what I tell her. She has said words. For example she said "OK" the other day after I said it, "all done" once while signing, occasionally "mamamama" when looking at me although I can't tell if it is just a coincidence. When I try to get her to repeat the words she just smiles and doesn't try.

Do you think she has just figured out it is easier to use sign language at this point? Part of me is convinced things will suddenly click and she will start speaking quite well one day (her "OK" and "all done" were so clear), then another part remembers things I have read on the internet and I get nervous.

I would love some reassurance!









Huh...did you really come here to brag







Because my 19mo old doesn't talk much, he doesn't call me mama(but he knows that I am, says dada but not calling him). He does understand when we talk and know who is who. He has a few words (dog, bird, cat, more, ect...) nothing much. Doing puzzles, yeah, I need to start DS on those.

Your 13mo sounds fine to me.


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## greenemami (Nov 1, 2007)

My 14mo only says a couple of words, "mama" "dada", and occasionally duck, hot, up...although I might be the only one who can understand those







She has lots of receptive language though, and makes herself understood in other ways. I'm not worried, and it sounds like you don't need to be either


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

Ummm, 13 months and not talking sounds, perfectly normal. My DD didn't really say much except mama, dada, dog, cat, mo( "more",which she also signed), milk, hi and baba. I don't think you need to be worried at all. Honestly before the age of 2 you can't really expect a child to talk much, also some kids are quiet, I haven't had much experience with that myself because my DD is a blabbermouth. But until recently she didn't say much except her core words and then all the sudden she hit 20 months and words have been pouring out of her mouth, and her comprehension is off the chart. Last night DH told her to get me a lemon and she quickly grabbed it and said, " Here you go." That small sentence has been being said a lot around the house lately. It sounds like your 13 month old is right on track, kids all do things differently and in their own time.


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## Shannie77 (Jan 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dex_millie* 
Huh...did you really come here to brag


















I just wanted to illustrate that she is doing well in other areas... probably more for myself then anything.







I belong to a due date club and some of the women have babies who have been saying 10+ words since before they were 1, and most people I know with babies are younger than mine, so it is hard to know what is or isn;t normal.


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## jenleephotography (Mar 30, 2008)

honestly i would not even begin to worry right now. you said yourself she has met all of her other milestones , and that she has repeated words you have said (like ok, etc.) plus she is signing! I think that things will click for her , just give it more time, she is only 13 months.

my own dd is 18 months and only says mama and dada (and not even accurately) and we just started to see a speech therapist because she has not met any of her other milestones either.

so i really think that your daughter is fine..


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## momlij (Nov 30, 2007)

everyone's right- no need to worry especially with all the other things she's doing!







my oldest started at 2 and my second started at 2 1/2! and that was ANY words! even mama and dada. oh they understood and followed directions- they just had no need to verbalize. anyhow- i just want to add one more thing to the pot------where either you or hubby "late" talkers? i've read it can be genetic and in our family it certainly has been. hubby didn't talk till 3 or 4 and his father didn't talk until around then too. my stepson was almost 2 and then i told you about my first two. my third is now almost 13 months old and says no real words. although she is much more verbal than either her brother or sister were! i mentioned the family history of talking at our 1 yr checkup and the doc had the expression of "ohhh.... ok" on her face and then wasn't worried about it at all.


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## GradysMom (Jan 7, 2007)

ds was the same at that age...

now at 21 mo he is still using signs, usually while talking out the words and he just moved on to two word phrases/semtences.

fine


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

She sounds fine to me! My 2 year old is barely talking but he's always understood everything I say and isn't delayed in any other areas. Some kids just take their time and at 13 months, you've got nothing to worry about.


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## stacyann21 (Oct 21, 2006)

My niece is 13 months old and also not using any words. She uses about 2 signs. Not sure if that makes you feel any better, LOL. You're definitely not alone. A lot of 13 month olds are not talking yet. My son is the opposite. He began talking at 10 months (and currently knows about 100 words) but he didn't sit until 8 months or walk until 15 months. I was freaking out too. I was sure there was something wrong with his legs, LOL. Dr. Mendelsohn (author of How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor-my fave parenting book ever!) said that development during the first 2 years of life varies so wildly that comparisons are nearly meaningless. So, just because other children are already talking, does not mean your dc won't catch up (and maybe even surpass them) soon. If it would ease your mind, you can try getting her into an EI program for speech but honestly, I doubt she'd qualify this young.


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## ShyDaisi (Jan 22, 2007)

My almost 14 month old only has a handful of sounds that sound like words, but I don't know how much meaning there is.....little to no signs (and I have been working with him on some for almost 8 months)....just started walking a couple of weeks ago (although other physical milestones were early)....and if I gave him a puzzle, he would probably eat it...

Either there is something wrong with my DS or your DD is just fine.


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## Shannie77 (Jan 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momlij* 
anyhow- i just want to add one more thing to the pot------where either you or hubby "late" talkers?

Actually yes! My mom says me and my three sisters were all late talkers... although in my baby book I did have 3 words at 12 months, but I don't think I progressed very quickly. I also went to speech therapy during school hours, although it was just for a slight problem with th, sh, ch type sounds. My sister also went for lisp.

Thank you so much for all your replies!!! DH was also starting to worry... which gets me going. So now I have lots of "proof" she is doing just fine.


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## Denali (Feb 25, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ShyDaisi* 
My almost 14 month old only has a handful of sounds that sound like words, but I don't know how much meaning there is.....little to no signs (and I have been working with him on some for almost 8 months)....just started walking a couple of weeks ago (although other physical milestones were early)....and if I gave him a puzzle, he would probably eat it...
Either there is something wrong with my DS or your DD is just fine.









Could have written that posting myself








I have a 13 month old, he's not quite walking yet but getting there, the only "words" I can kind of make out (and only because he looks at the people/objects in question at the time) are Daddy, airplane and kittykitty.....and he would also eat a puzzle instead of doing anything with it


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## ShyDaisi (Jan 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Denali* 
Could have written that posting myself








I have a 13 month old, he's not quite walking yet but getting there, the only "words" I can kind of make out (and only because he looks at the people/objects in question at the time) are Daddy, airplane and kittykitty.....and he would also eat a puzzle instead of doing anything with it









I am glad we aren't alone.


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## ann_of_loxley (Sep 21, 2007)

She will talk eventually I am sure. At 13 months I wasnt even thinking my son should be talking!...You should hear him now at 33 months...its mostly babble but he knows and can say a lot more words. Still 'behind' most other children his age, but I am not concerned as he is showing signs of progressing. I know he wont be speaking babytalk when hes 30! lol


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## tankgirl73 (Jun 10, 2007)

DD didn't even start signing until she was over 13mo, and only recently, around 17mo, did she get any recognizable words!

Of course, she does now have over 70 signs, and new words are coming every couple days. The point is just, to reinforce what everyone else has said...

NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL lol...

The range of 'normal' for starting to talk is probably like 12-24months, with a few babies being even earlier and a few being even later with no "problems".

My brother was one of those who waited until he almost 3. Then came to the kitchen one morning and said "Can I have a glass of water, please?" Talk about my parents having heart attacks lol...


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## mamayarn (Dec 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shannie77* 
I would love some reassurance!









My 13 month old (in 3 days, anyway) sounds like he's on the same level. He only says mama when he's mad, dada on occasion and he knows about 5 signs. It hadn't even occurred to me to be worried!


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## Amylcd (Jun 16, 2005)

My almost 14 month old doesn't talk either. She will occassionally say "no" "oh no" and "mama". She also says cat when she see's one. She understands a lot though. (simple instructions like "get the ball", or "bring the doll to mommy".)


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## geek_the_girl (Apr 12, 2006)

Imo at one they are still just babies. Heck mine didnt talk at all until she was three. We never put her therapy. She never stops talking now


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

I haven't read the responses. Here's a link to an ages and stages questionnaire. It's free and they email you the results. We used this form to discover our son had a speech delay at 8 months. We did therapy. He is 29 months and has great language.

http://asq.uoregon.edu/


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## eli janine (Jun 29, 2006)

My first son was saying over 150 words at age 18 months. My younger son is now 18 months old, and he says: "dis," "dat," "uh-oh," "mama" (rarely), "dada," "Elliot" (his brother), and "hi." My little sister didn't speak at all until she was three.

Oh, and my 18 month old would also eat a puzzle, so who knows? He can roar beautifully like a lion, though!









Your kiddo is fine!


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## Shannie77 (Jan 16, 2007)

Thanks for all the reassurance. The weirdest thing... a few hours after I made this post I was taking DD up the stairs and was saying "up up up" and she joined in. Since then she has said "up" every time we go up the stairs and will repeat it.  Her ears must of been burning when I typed the original post.


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## Harmony96 (Jun 3, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shannie77* 
I belong to a due date club and some of the women have babies who have been saying 10+ words since before they were 1,

Stuff like that, back when I was experiencing it, almost made me want to join up w/ a group whose babies were 3-4 months younger than DD. lol

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mybabysmama* 
I haven't read the responses. Here's a link to an ages and stages questionnaire. It's free and they email you the results. We used this form to discover our son had a speech delay at 8 months. We did therapy. He is 29 months and has great language.

http://asq.uoregon.edu/

That is a GREAT link! I used it when DD was 15 months, and found out she was probably delayed everywhere. I called ECI and she's now been in speech therapy for about 2 months and is doing great.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shannie77* 
Thanks for all the reassurance. The weirdest thing... a few hours after I made this post I was taking DD up the stairs and was saying "up up up" and she joined in. Since then she has said "up" every time we go up the stairs and will repeat it.  Her ears must of been burning when I typed the original post.









YAY!














Just wanted to say also that DD said her first word at 15 months, and now at 18 months has about 6 or so that she'll say independently, another 12 that she will imitate regularly, and will also try hard to imitate other stuff on request.


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## Debstmomy (Jun 1, 2004)

I agree with all the posters here...she is fine. My 13 month old only says mamamamamama, or bop bop bop..that is about it. Oh an occassional da da da da. We are learning ASL, but she doesn't really sign either. Only our sign for nurse. I am not worried.


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## Bug-a-Boo's Mama (Jan 15, 2008)

My DS babbled away at 13 months but said nothing understandable. He is now 30 months and within the last 2-ish months have become very verbal. All children talk at different points. Personally I would not, and wasn't, worry about a 13 month old not talking.








:


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## poppysmom (Apr 20, 2006)

Our daughter said almost nothing until she was 17m. At 17m she started talking using 2 & sometimes even 3 words together. She just wasn't ready earlier. She is 2.5 and you can't get her to stop talking.


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## cagirlintexas (Jun 5, 2007)

My son didn't say anything till right after he turned 15 months. I did talk to my friend who works for ECI and apparently at 15 months they should be saying between 3-5 words. This is normal. Apparently signs can count as words. So based on this your dauther is doing great! I know how hard it is to worry. I was worried to death at his 15 month appointment and then a few days later he said his first and second word. Now he has about 10 words at 16 months. He seems to be slowly getting. THe fact that she is using signs and communicate is awesome.


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## deuxceleste (Aug 19, 2006)

This is an old thread, but I just thought I'd pipe in that I've got a 15 monther who only babbles and says "MAMAMAMAMA" on occasion.

Maybe it's because we're so attentive to our babies that they don't feel the need to talk???


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## milehighmonkeys (Apr 13, 2006)

IIRC, "normal" 18 month olds are only expected to say 3 to 5 words. I wouldn't worry. Our DD wasn't saying too much at that point, but signed a lot. Now she talks more than we do at almost 4yo.


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## Jade2561 (Jun 12, 2005)

My oldest daughter had 4 words at 13 months and only 10 at 2 years old. Then one day when she was 2 and a half she started talking and when she did she could recite her abcs, count to 20 and was using very advanced vocabulary. Literally she was talking and in a week she could communicate like a normal child. It was weird but I was sure there was something wrong with her for a long time.


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## pigpokey (Feb 23, 2006)

Neither my mother, myself nor my children had any words at 13 months. Ii'm not sure we have records for the others in the family.

My kids used signs but that was not the style for the older generations. Our first words were all in the 14-15 month frame. I do not count my daughter saying "Uh-oh" starting at 11 months or so since she wasn't saying dadda, momma, or anything else beyond a dozen or fewer signs until 14 or 15 months.

We are all very smart and have nice vocabularies for our ages, and my children were advanced at 24 mos ... my son very significantly so, and I didn't do a profile on my daughter just because she was the first child, is more quiet and it didn't occur to me.

What did you read on the internet about a 13 month old and speaking? My impression is that people with strong potential math aptitude generally won't speak much or at all at that age.


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## Mama Poot (Jun 12, 2006)

Paddy didn't say much at 2 let alone anything at 13 months. Some kids talk late. He's catching up really fast now and I don't worry about it anymore. I know its really hard not to worry, especially once they get closer to 2 and people start asking why your kid doesn't talk.

ETA: of course every child is different. Henri has been talking prolifically since 1, and he'll be 2 on the 30th of this month and speaks in 3-5 word sentences. What gives? LOL


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## syn_ack89 (Oct 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *deuxceleste* 
This is an old thread, but I just thought I'd pipe in that I've got a 15 monther who only babbles and says "MAMAMAMAMA" on occasion.

Maybe it's because we're so attentive to our babies that they don't feel the need to talk???

My 16mo is very similar...and I hope your reasoning is correct - I sure like to think that is the reason.


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## Marsupialmom (Sep 28, 2003)

There is a wide range of norms. The thing I would do is have hear hearing tested. Go through a pediatric ENT's audiologist. You will get a better test. You want one in a booth not just a generic test at a regular ped's office.

My oldest dd is HOH. Many doctor's office test would have missed her type of hearing loss.

If her hearing test normals then I really would not worry.


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## nevaehsmommy (Aug 6, 2007)

I would not worry. Your baby is/was using her energies for other things.

My daughter only said a few words at 13 months. Mama, Papa, willie. That was it.

She is now almost 26 months and within the last few days she has really taken off with her words.

Dont rush your child, she will talk when she wants to.


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## Tiny_Dancer (May 18, 2007)

DD didn't talk much at 13 months either. She also had tons of signs and these worked well enough for her to communicate with us i guess. The talking will come-maybe all at once and in full sentences!!! Don't worry. sounds perfectly normal.


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