# What is "normal" speech like for a 23 month old?



## dentente (Aug 14, 2002)

My mother is driving me bonkers. She insists my dd is "behind". She is 23 months on the 17th. She has about 50+ words she uses consistently but she only rarely makes sentences. They tend to be short. Examples:

"I outside, mama." (wants to go out)

"I hi daddy now." (I want to call dad on the phone)

"Kitty cat bad. Messy cat." (The cat has messed the carpet up).

"Mama, I eat-eat eggs please."

Etc. So no. She's not eloquent yet but she has a grasp of language. She still signs for things when desperate to communicate in a hurry or when she is very tired. My mother claims I was making short speeches and doing stand-up by the time I was this age. Earlier, in fact, if she is to be believed. She's making me feel really rotten about my poor dd who seems totally happy and normal to me but just not talkative.

*sigh*

Denny


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## StandswithStrength (Feb 24, 2003)

Your dd sounds perfectly normal to me,. I'm, the mother of a 2+ year old and she says less than that,. My first daughter was saying short sentences before age 2,. Every child is so different,. It sounds like you have nothing to worry about,. Also - I am a ped RN and we wouldn't be concerned about this in the office,. She's perfect!


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## dentente (Aug 14, 2002)

Phew! Now I can tell my mom to put a sock in it. She had me so worried! My dd is the youngest in her playgroup and all the 2 year olds and 2 and half year olds are speaking quite well. This contributed to my fears.

Thanks!

Denny


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## peggy (Nov 19, 2001)

Just chiming in to agree! My DD just turned two Sunday. For the longest time I thought she would never learn to talk. All of a sudden around her birthday, she just started repeating everything we say (which can be good and bad! :LOL)
Sounds like your DD is right where she should be!


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## candiland (Jan 27, 2002)

Wow, 50 + words??? My nephew turned two in January, and he can't really talk yet. He can say a few things, like "eyes" and "truck", but that's it. He can't even put two words together! I keep urging my sis to seek professional evaluation, but she denies there might be a problem...
what do you guys think?


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## englishmum (Jan 11, 2002)

Candiland, does your nephew seem to understand what is said to him and respond to it? My younger dd said very little before her second birthday but I knew she understood virtually everything said to her so I wasn't worried. Her speech "explosion" came a couple of months later and now at two and a half she speaks in full sentences, and gets complimented on how clear she sounds!!


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## stafl (Jul 1, 2002)

All children are different, and do things at their own pace.
Candiland, I'd bet your nephew is advanced in other developmental areas, isn't he? And, I keep reading that boys are a bit slower when it comes to language skills than girls, but that they learn other things sooner than girls the same age.
I have a nephew who at three can't put words together, and you can't understand his gibberish when he does try to talk. The experts have seen him and say nothing is wrong, he'll learn in his own time.


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## joesmom (Nov 19, 2001)

your dd seems perfectly on target to me. how many signs does she know? she is prob. advanced because she can sign, or talk, or do a combo of the two.

don't let anyone else worry you about the progress your child is making. she sounds great to me. and you're her mom; you'd sense if there was a problem.

candiland, my nephew will be 3 in oct. & it is only in the last month or so that he has "really" begun talking. he still doesn't use complete sentences but will put 2,3, or 4 words together correctly. he is VERY physically active, i think he just hasn't had time to learn how to talk yet!


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

My kids must have been a little behind because your dd seems way ahead of the game to me.


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## dentente (Aug 14, 2002)

I really do feel a load better. Thank you all.

My dd knows about 10 or 12 signs for all the usual things like "milk" and "more" and "eat". Stuff like that. We started signing with her at about 7 months and she signed back at 10 months ("milk/nurse"). Some folks have told me that she is going slower for talking because of the signing. I guess it might be true. I do think that it's useful and good that she has been able to communicate basic needs from early on. That has helped us as she is very spirited has almost no patience with either us or herself. She gets it from grandma









Denny


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## papachee (Feb 18, 2003)

there is no normal

dentente - dd sounds like she communicates very well.

candiland - boys are less vocal than girls in general, girls mature faster in those areas. 2 or 3 is not abnormal. Some kids don't say anything for a few years, but then they might start speaking with full sentences.


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## Megieblue (Jul 19, 2002)

My 23 month old didn't put any words together. He had words he used but not 50+! By 26 months he was putting 4-5 words together. They all move at their own pace. Funny thing is that now at 33 months, he never stops talking... endless sentances! LOL!


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## sozobe (Aug 5, 2002)

My dd was signing from about 4 months, (I'm deaf), and wasn't talking for a longish time -- I was getting a little concerned. Then, whammo!!!!!! She's now 27 months and a major league talker. (On feeling queasy on the plane: "I am having a hard time." On our recent trip: "I had an adventure in Minneapolis!" Etc.)

There have been studies that LANGUAGE ability is greatly increased with early signing, even if SPOKEN language may not come as quickly.

(Just another sock for ya..







)


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## sleepies (Nov 30, 2001)

at three years old they pretty much talk like an adult (as well as a kindergartner anyway) but at two and two and a half....it is MUCH less. seems a big jump from 2 and 1/2 to 3.

sounds great!


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## snailmama (Apr 13, 2002)

my ds is 21 months and barely says anything......
car, cat, go, cookie, daddy, mmmmmmmmm, good, water, ....
sounds like your child is doing great~


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## dentente (Aug 14, 2002)

My mom. I wish she could read this thread. I may print it out and mail it to her! She documented my progress as a baby and so I went looking through my old baby book today to try and poke holes in her assertions about my ability to speak like a 2 year old at 15 months.

It's in there. My word list at 15 months was similar to my dd's at 23 months. At 2 years I said things like "Give me the bottle." "Can we go to the park?" "Where is my daddy?" "I want a cookie." "Don't be nasty, mama." (that one cracks me up). She lists a vocabulary of about 100 different words including some spanish (Mom is Guatemalan). Well. She's either lying her you-know-what off in the baby book or I used to be a genius. (I think I killed off the extra brain cells in college).

For the record I think boys are generally not as fast as girls with speech at this age but all catch up radically by three. This was our experience with my stepson who spoke not a word until he was around 3. Some boys, like my husband for example, never really catch up









Denny


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## Nanner (Apr 12, 2002)

Your Mom is probably telling the truth- at 25 mths my we went to the fair with my dd and she was scared of a ride and she said "I'm kinda nervous about the dragon"- those were her common sentences at that age. My little cousin sang Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer on Christmas morning when she was 18 mths (a girl)!
But, I don't think that early language = genius! (sorry- not to mean you aren't!)
My other cousin barely talked until 2 or past (a boy, by the way).
Now, they are both very smart- and the boy is much older than the girl cousin, but FTR, the boy cousin tested at genius level and got almost perfect on SAT's. He's an engineer now, making good money, at age 26 (i think!)
So, just goes to show ya....
Sara


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## aimeemac (Apr 17, 2002)

my ds is 23 months and doesn't say a whole lot, although I know he understands everything I say......I am waiting for that explosion of words........we'll see.


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## 3 Little Monkeys (Mar 13, 2003)

My dd is 23 months today, and talks almost identically to your little one. She puts words together to make short to the point sentences. She gets her point across without extra words. People say she talks exceptionally well for her age, and the attribute it to having an 8 year old sister







She says things like "I help you momma" and "More cup (milk/juice) peeze" and my favorite "go way normy, down" Our dogs name is Stormy. I think your dd is just fine. Mother just wants to be "helpful" I know how frustrating that can be - only with me its the mil!


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