At what age are they able to answer questions or express preference??

[aliceinwonderland]

I really should get into a playgroup to avoid pestering people here with idiotic questions...But until then:

When was your kid able to answer a question?? Mine answers where his nose and eyes are, and also "what is this?" for items he knows in a book "WHat's this" "Ball!!", etc. But if I asked "What do you want to eat" he wouldn't know that, even if I gave two choices. In terms of food, he only point to the desired object.

If he wants something, he signs and says "more". Shakes head and makes face if no.
But, my SIL was asking her son stuff like "What's on your shirt" (kid automatically answered "ball" or something, so it's not like he really knew anyway...
i am just curious...Also, when do they know their colors? My kid does not make it evident in any way he knows his colors, but the other day I observed him gathering all the purple legos and hoarding them 9!!)

Thanks in advance,

ever clueless.

[jbowman]

Ellie has been expressing her preferences in a more articulate manner in the past couple of months or so. I'll say, "would you like a turkey hot dog or noodles (mac and cheese)?" and she'll respond. "Would you like to wear the pajamas with dinosaurs or cupcakes?" and she'll answer definitively.

She has been following directions/answering questions since she was about 16-17 months.

That said, she has only mastered her colors in the past few weeks (and she'll be two on Thursday). DH and I joked that she was color blind, but the truth is that she was working on other skills and only now is ready to identify colors. We've worked on it for a long time (I think, in part, spurred on my parents always telling me that my twin sister and I knew every color by 18 months...oh, you know the age I was when I started reading Dante ;)).

I think every child is on her/his timetable and will let you know when she/he is ready!

[kaylinsmommy2]

Well, Kaylin's younger then Erik, so I don't have an answer, but we're in the same situation.

She signs (and sometimes says, "more") and I have no idea what she's talking about!! So I go around the room (usually the kitchen) sayign, "this? or this? what do you want??" and when I finally pick up the right item, she'll say "this?".

But she does have an answer for one question "What do you want?" if I do it after dinner - she'll always sign cookie. <sigh> DH taught her that.
Caroline
Kaylin 6/5/04

http://b2.lilypie.com/9KMlm7/.png[/img][/url]

[mudder17]

Kaya's been able to answer simple questions, like identifying her eyes, belly button, elbow, finger, thumb, etc., for maybe 2-4 months, depending on what it is we're asking her. Only recently have I asked her banana or pasta, or beans or peas, and she's getting better at making a decision and answering. If I ask her if she's hungry or wants to eat something, she'll usually light up and then I need to give her a choice. If I don't give her a choice, she does ask for certain things like Bananas, Pasta, Eggs, Beans, Cereal, Peas, or Strawberries. So mainly her favorite foods.

With clothing, she definitely shows preference, particularly with dresses, but sometimes with shirts, and will refuse one dress and point to a different one.

I think different kids will progress in this skill (like all skills) at different paces, depending on their interest.

Oh, and if I say something like, "Where's dolly or where's lambie?" she'll start looking for it. But it has to be a very familiar, very beloved object. But if I say, can you get that paper/bag/book (or some other object) over there, it's sort of hit or miss whether she'll understand what I'm talking about.

As for colors, Kaya is started to learn red, blue, and yellow (better on red and blue). It sounds like Erik can at least sort colors, even if he doesn't name them! And it also sounds like he has a favorite color already. :)


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png
Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[Raidra]

I can't remember when Colwyn started being able to express his preferences, but he loves being given choices now. I try to let him choose between 2-3 things whenever possible, whether it's food, drinks, clothes, toys, etc.

I wanted to mention, though, that Colwyn still can't really answer "What do you want for dinner?" without being given choices. I know he has plenty of words for foods, but I think it's too overwhelming for him to have to think up possible foods on his own and then choose. Asking him an open ended question like that also leaves room for him to ask for candy for dinner. :)

[kath68]

My guess is that in the next couple of months you will be amazed by how far DS will come on these issues. My DS has really morphed into a kid with his own ideas between 18mos and 20 mos.

DS surprised me a month ago by demanding that he wear a particular sweater. He never showed any interest before. He has shown a preference for a particular doll and has sought out toys (sitting in the living room all of a sudden he'll say "Choo choo" and run to his bedroom where they are kept). He has done that for a couple of months. But since the sweater incident I have given him more opportunities to express his opinions.

Now he demands juice or pancakes or cheese or cheerios or mango or whatever, demands to watch Sesame Street, tells me he wants to brush his teeth, take a bath (WITH bubbles, please) chooses between options for which pjs he wants to wear, etc. He is also just starting to master colors and numbers -- it depends on the circumstances how well he does.

My advice is to keep looking for opportunities to give him choices so he can practice thinking that way. Once he gets the hang of it, he will blow you away. IMO this is the most amazing stage of development so far -- once they become a little verbal, you get a sense of how they are developing inside their heads. Incredible stuff.

[Dee150]

DS is 17 mos old. And he responds to some requests (like getting a certain toy/book or other item, putting a doll/stuffed animal to bed-pats it, ). He points to objects and pictures in books when asked and by himself.
But from about 14 mos or so, there were a few questions that I think he just rattled off an answer (like your SIL's DS)...like whose baby are you (that was my DH 'teaching' him), and what do you want to eat- the answer was always 'baby' for his yogurt (the "yobaby" brand). Now he aks for 'peach' which is one of the varieties- so its Always 'peach' when we ask him about food. These days-sometimes- he varies the response, and I know he understands what he says here. With the 'whose baby' bit, manytimes when I ask a question with a possesive in it, he responds with the same answer, so I know he doesn't really Get it.
Just in the last 4-6 weeks, its been hugely different in terms of both his understanding and verbalizing. He started to talk late (past 1 year for more than a very few words), and now its like he wont stop pointing and talking. Like the last poster said, its really amazing and has you wondering what's going on in their brains and the whole complexity of it all.

[amp]

Around age 2, give or take. Jacob has been answering some questions since before then, but he still doesn't always answer accurately, or always express a preference (perhaps he doesn't always have one), but I've found him to more reliably express preferences and answer questions around age 2 and up. But he can also speak in full sentences and not always answer my questions.

Jacob knew his colors before age 2, but I can't recall exactly when. 18 mths? Just a guess.

[trumansmom]

DD mainly expresses preference when it comes to clothing and diapers. There is on HA dress that she will NOT wear! It's adorable, but she apparently has some issue with it.

And when it comes to diapers for cd's, she likes wild, wild prints. For sposies, she has a strong preference for Elmo over Big Bird. I have no idea why, since I don't think she's ever seen Sesame Street.

She doesn't have a clue about colors, but will choose certain foods. I think DS has been an influence on her in that way, since she often chooses things he likes.


Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Independent Consultant, Do-Re-Me & You!

[o_mom]

Let's see - at 27 mos, I get an answer about 25% of the time. Usually what I get is the question repeated back to me. Even when presented with the actual objects to choose from he doesn't understand that he is supposed to choose.

For the colors, the only thing I know is from the therapist who was working with DS2 at 2 mos, so DS1 would have been 21 mos. She said in passing that the expectation at that age (21mos) is that they know the name of one color and they think that every color is called that. So, they may know the word blue, but if you ask them what color something is they will always answer blue, even if it is red.

At 27 mos, he can reliably name primary and secondary colors. Some odd ones throw him off, say fuchia or teal. He must have been around 18 mos when he would hoard all the orange balls at Toddler class, but couldn't name that color.

[KrisM]

DS does pretty well if I ask him to get something or find something. He will give a preference for food, but only if it's something he does or doesn't want. He wanted ice cream tonight and asked for it. He'll ask for a bath. But, he won't pick if I give 2 choices.

He doesn't know any colors, but does know their names. He repeats very well :).

[Zana]

DS (20mths) also he will answer most questions (especially if the answer is 'no') when asked for a preference. Hes best with food (asks for cheerios or pancakes etc) and recently has been pretty good about saying when he wants to go potty, but doesnt really care about clothes (except that putting shoes on means he's going out). He knows all the colors by name but identifies everything only as 'ellow'. He also calls most shapes (circle, triangle and square) circle.

Like the PP says he too repeats very well...yesterdays word of the day was 'stoooopid':)