16 month son...... A few concerns

[Dawnlouise30]

Hi.

Bit of background

So Elijah is 17 months on the 13th August. He is a second child and his older brother is 4 years 10 months . I stay home with the boys, we don't get to toddler groups that frequently as my older son is a bit boisterous. Elijah does tumble tots each week and a toddler group every other week (2 hours). We look after my nephew who is 13 days younger than Elijah, we have him two days a week.

Elijah is not walking yet, but won't be long. He walks holding hands. I think it's just confidence. He doesn't build towers but can stack his stacking cups one inside the other correctly.
He doesn't know any body parts and looks vague at me when I show him.

Elijah is very quiet. He says mama, dada, hi, bubbles that's it and all used very infrequently. He does have a dummy but I do limited use to bedtime or bring upset.
I think he can hear OK as he responds to his name or a sudden sound, however he does have very waxy ears and bat's at his ears but normally when tired. He doesn't seem in pain with them..
If you ask him to do something ie pass me your shoe or drink he doesn't.......im not sure if he doesn't understand the request or just doesn't want to do what's asked if him.
He plays quietly when on his own, but laughs along with his brother and cousin and uses squealing / laughter to communicate with them..

With his cousin he is aware of him, follows him around but obviously not playing with him (though I know this comes later).
His cousin has lots of words / knows animal sounds. Has been waking ages. Understands requests. Just seems more switched on (for want of a better word).
I know I probably compare them and shouldn't but I am worried about Elijah being so quiet and his apparant lack of understanding.
My son was a total chatterbox at this age (and still never shuts up 😂 lol).

So what are your 16 month old doing? Should I be worried?

 

[6lilpigs]

Is your nephew a first child?

 

[MindUtopia]

I don't think this sounds too unusual. Mine took her first steps at 15 months but wasn't walking comfortably until 16 months. She did have some words then, mostly animals and hi, bye, mama, dada, etc. She definitely didn't know body parts. She would respond to some questions or commands but I think that's down to temperament more than verbal skills. It sounds like he's interacting well with others. I think all sounds fine. Kids just develop at different speeds. Mine has a friend a few weeks younger who was walking at 10/11 months and singing songs by a year! At 4 years, she's no more developmentally advanced than my daughter and actually I'd say a bit behind in terms of social and personal skills. My husband was the other extreme, he didn't talk or walk until about 2.5. He does have mild dyslexia, but nothing that bothers him too much now. He's an entrepreneur and runs a successful business and he can write and speak as well as anyone. Sometimes they just need a few extra months. But I wouldn't say any of that sounds unusual at 17 months. Mine went from a few words around that age to speaking in full sentences by 22 months.

 

[cutestuff]

I could have written this post. Kind of. Dd walked from 10 months and is now 20 months. Her language is hit and miss and she just said her first phrase. She is the first and we are anti social. That said a friends baby is 17 months and just started walking this last month but his words are a lot more clear and he also has more words but he is more social. He picked up a lot more. I did read sometimes younger siblings don't talk as soon cause the older one talks for them or they have found other ways to communicate. I was told by a pediatrician not to worry about language til 2. And at that point it should be at least 50 words and some sentences. Dd is at 35 inconsistent words and one consistent phrase

 

[Dawnlouise30]

Is your nephew a first child?

Yes he is. I guess this could be why he seems more advanced.

 

[lau86]

All sounds normal to me! My first son was a very late talker, he was two and non verbal. He is 6 in September and totally 'normal', in fact he is clever. My other two talked very early! Having three I am so aware of how they all develop differently!

 

[whatwillbex]

It could be because your older boy sounds like a busy boy and with your first you tend to do a lot more as they have that one to one attention all the time. So the oldest would pick things up quicker and talk etc earlier maybe?
Or it could be that this is just his nature and naturally more quiet than your oldest.
I know I've mentioned before about my dd being a lot like your DS. I'm due my second soon and wondering if the next will be quieter / calmer lol
Don't worry about it sounds like you are all doing great x

 

[6lilpigs]

Is your nephew a first child?

Yes he is. I guess this could be why he seems more advanced.

As PP said also, sometimes with our first children we get to spend so much more time encouraging all their developments without the needs of other children taking them little extra 10 minutes away from them Your LO sounds pretty similar to mine, my LO was a Feb baby, he is just starting to throw the odd word out there, just the on a day lol, yesterday we had 'Dip' had a biscuit and was heading for my tea and a few days before that a clear as day 'yes!

 

[lau86]

To be honest I don't think it's anything to do with how much time is spent encouraging (or whatever word you want to use). I read and played with ds1 much more than my others, he was my only one then so I had the time. He was definitely not as quick developing in terms of talking as ds2 and dd, though he did walk earlier than them. Obviously that's just our situation and obviously anecdotal rather than evidence.

 

[Dawnlouise30]

Thank you. Just today he said goal (was copying me and his brother saying it) he also said yeah yesterday.
I think he is just a bit quieter than his brother.

 

[dani_tinks]

My DD is almost 16 months and doesn't say anything yet. She does respond to commands very well though. So has good understanding. I've been told not to worry just yet so trying not to but it is hard. My son (now 7) was very early to talk so it's hard not to compare!

 

[minties]

My kids have all been SO DIFFERENT! I have treated them all as much the same as I possibly can.

Thomas was always on the go as a baby. He rolled the earliest (12 weeks), crawled the earliest (end of 5 months), pulled to stand the earliest etc etc. However he didn't say a word, just babbled, until he was 22/23 months old. His biggest motivation to talk was when Sophie was born, so he could say "shutup baby"! He never waved goodbye or anything, he just pointed at stuff. He's always had massive tantrums and still does! The only body part I could get him to learn was nose. He's always been super smart, and a daredevil. He was the toddler who would drag chairs up to things to climb on or over them. He figured out how to open baby gates when he was very young. He's mechanically minded.

Then I had Sophie. She didn't really do anything physical at all until 8 months old. No rolling or anything. She did all that stuff in a small frame of time and was off walking at 11 months (same as my son). She said her first word at 16 months, and quickly got better and better and we could converse in simple terms by the time she was 20 months old. She has also ALWAYS been very chubby, and physically a lot different to Thomas. Her personality compared to his is like day and night too - she's gentle, sweet, loving, helpful and never had terrible twos etc. But she has no mind for how things work! Struggles with doors, flushing toilets, and even climbing on jungle gyms. Is nervous of falling, or getting hurt on almost everything.

Our third is only 12 months, but again has already been very different. She already has a few words (meow, bye bye, daddy), she was the slowest to get walking (first steps taken at 11 months, she's 12.5 months now and only just walking 10+ steps). Her language comprehension is way ahead of the other kids at this age, she follows instructions very well, she communicates with her own sort of sign language (she has been doing this squeezey hand motion for give me/I want more since 6 months), she yells at people and tells them off, she's way more aggressive (bites, chases people), she hates being kissed or giving kisses etc etc. Lots of different stuff. She waved and gave high-fives way younger than Thomas and Sophie. She can point out eyes, nose, mouth, ears, feet etc and has done so for ages. She is the skinniest baby I have had, and the most keen on breastfeeding, she won't take a cup. At all. She is really good at getting people to laugh and squeezes out a fart on purpose then cracks up.

Anyway, this has been such a ramble. I just find all kids to be so wildly unique, and can have the same environment and parenting style applied to them and still turn out totally different.