How many words at 18 months?

[nitaghei]

Hi all!

Thought I head over here, since I don't venture into the Baby Lounge any more.

What it is "average" (yes, I know all the caveats) number of words a 18 month old should have? I thought DS was doing pretty well - he has maybe 50 words that are clear enough to be understood, and he's speaking in 2 word sentences. But we were at the ENT yesterday, who asked if he had 100 words as yet. That sort of sounds on the high side to me. From what I remember, I thought the average was more like 10 or 20 words at 18 months. Is the average really 100 words? These are words that DS can actually say, not just understand.

The ENT didn't say that DS was lagging in verbal development. It's just the question about 100 words that's freaked me out.

TIA

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[egoldber]

100 words may indeed be the average, but 10 words (or protowords) is the milestone used to assess language delay. If he has 50+ words, I would NOT worry.

A normal 18 month old, may have NO words or may have a huge vocabulary and be speaking in multi-word sentences. The range at that age is really tremendous.

HTH,

[kristine_elen]

I have never met an 18-month-old who had close to 100 words. Fifty seems incredibly high. Many kids don't speak at all until they're three -- and then they do full sentences.

[nitaghei]

Okay - that's what I thought too.

Neel has far more words than any of the kids in his room at daycare - and one of them is almost 2, and all but 2 are older than him. He's the only one doing 2 word sentences. He really does say stuff like "go outside," and "all done." What's really pitiful is when I have to leave - even if it's to go the next room, and he says "don't go." Of course some of the words he knows are sort of pointless - like "toucan." He can do all kinds of animal noises, too.

I googled a bit, and got a few hits that suggest that 50 to 250 words at age TWO is the average range. Which is pretty wide, in and of itself. So maybe I'll confine myself to worrying about stuff I need to worry about!

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[Marisa6826]

Sophie's got about 20-25 words, which I think is pretty good since she's primarily with me all day long (no other kids).

That's not to say that she USES all 25 words on a regular basis. Sophie also understands substantially more than that - probably upward of 40-50 words.

We were part of a language study at NYU's infant/toddler development program and they wanted to know if she had her own versions of words, not necessarily the real word. Like using "meow" for cat or "pet nice" for gentle. Maybe that's what the ENT was inferring?

I'd be a little freaked by a 18m old that had 100 words. Can you say Doogie Howser?? ;)

-m

[Sarah1]

At Audrey's 18 month checkup, the ped said a kid this age should have 15-30 words. She said 2-word phrases should start coming around the age of 2.

Audrey probably says about 40-50 words, plus a lot of jibber-jabber.

Edited to add--Neel sounds like he's definitely above average here! You have NOTHING to worry about! :)

[egoldber]

"Can you say Doogie Howser?? "

LOL! There was a mom in my playgroup whose THIRTEEN month old, was literally talking in complere sentences and using words like "metronome" (learned from watching Baby Mozart!). And no, the mom wasn't coaching her or anything, her little girl just developed language really early.

We were all simply astounded at the time. But at almost three, all the kids in my playgroup are now very even in terms of language, even my little late bloomer. :)

[nitaghei]

We still haven't had the 18 month check up as yet. Looking for a new ped. GRRRR.

When I say 50 words, I'm including protowords, but not jabbering/ words I don't understand. And like Marissa says about Sophie, he doesn't necessarily use the words all the time. The current favorites are : book, cracker, dog, and NO. :)

For a while I was watching, because I thought he wasn't using "S" sounds. But he does say "yes" and "outside" quite clearly now. I'm just paranoid about missing something that may be a problem simply because I'm not with him so much of the time.

Slightly off topic - but I did notice that he can identify all dogs as "dogs" - even widely different breeds. He seems to know that Great Danes and Yorkies and everything in-between are dogs. Maybe all kids figure this out quickly. It struck me as something cool; but maybe it's just because I'm a dog nut! :)

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[hjdong]

Just so you know, at my 2 year check up, the ped. asked if his language development was o.k. I said, "I thinkso, how would I know if there was a problem?" She asked if he knew at least TEN words. And that's at two. I think there's just such a huge range that until they're older, they don't worry too much (certainly not as much as we do). Jamie probably uses about 50 words but for a long time, all animals were dogs (maybe because they're the only animal he's seen IRL). Then, there were only doggies and giraffes (a cow definitively being a giraffe). But, he's since branched out.

Also sort of off topic, as he gets into a word, I try to take him somewhere to reinforce it. For giraffe (why did he pick up griaffe?) we went to the zoo. So, fish has been the word of late, so yesterday I took him 1 1/2 hrs. to the aquarium, he pointed to the bottom of the first tank, and said, "Dirt!"

Finally, sound-wise, a friend whose a speech patholoigist said it takes kids a long time to develop some sounds and sound combinations. He said a lot of parents ask for testing concerned that their child has trouble with "r" - which isn't really a problem so to speak until almost 7.

HTH

[Marisa6826]

Giraffes! That is way too funny. Sophie has a stuffed giraffe that she picked out, of all places, in the pet store. Hey, if it's safe enough for a chewing puppy, then it's got to be safe enough for a toddler :P.

For a while every animal was a "doggie" here. We now have added "kitty", "pig", "moo" (cow), and "shish!" (fish). She can also say "clam" and "crab" courtesy of her FP crib aquarium and Baby Neptune ;).

But, again, if I tell her to go get a pony, or bunny, ask her to point to a turtle, she can. Sophie can also, for some strange reason, pick out lady bugs! Her big girl room has a rug with ladybugs in it and if you say, "Sophie, show me a lady bug", she will run around and point all of them out for you.

-m

[christic]

If I'm remembering right Alice only had a dozen or 2 dozen words at 18mos and I think the ped was only looking for 6-10. My memory's a little hazy though. I definitely know that she wasn't putting together 2 word sentences until right before 2 and that at her 2yr appointment the ped didn't care how many words she had and was only interested in the sentences milestone. So I think you guys are well ahead of the game.

I love watching language develop! Alice knows lots of different animals but ALL birds are "duck" for some reason. She also likes to practice different sounds, especially "K", so she drinks milKKKKK and lets us know if she sees a trucKKKKK on the street or a ducKKKKKK in our yard.

[tippy]

Ok, let's see, Dada, mama, nana, bandit (kind of) who is one of our cats and dat (that). That's about it. I asked the Dr this week at his 18 mo check up and he said not to worry to much. He asked if DS understood what I said and followed instruction and he does. He said this is very important and some kids don't speak at all until two yrs old. Said we could re-evaluate at his 2 yr check up but that I shouldn't worry. Not so sure about this but ds has been slow to do just about everything (just started taking his first steps without holding on at end of June when he was 17 1/2 mo old).

[raynjen]

I was always fascinated by this too. It amazed me that DD knew that a sticker, a coloring book, the moving object on TV, the photograph on the fridge, the stuffed animals, AND the neighbor's pets were all dogs. They sure are smart little bunnies!

Jen in Okinawa
Mom to Noelle (2 2/3)
Architect in a previous life!