How much should they understand at 14 months?

[AlwaysPraying]

My 14 month old says, "more please" and babbles a ton, says every vowel and consonant there is, but doesn't say any other words. He is saying mom and dad, and maybe in context, but I'm not sure. Oh, and he says, "fan" maybe, lol, clearly he's not a linguist quite yet.

I always hear people say, "as long as they understand you, that's what's important". I'm just not sure how much he understands. He has perfect hearing, so that's not an issue. He does look at us, you can tell he thinks about what we are saying, but doesn't do much in response. He will go get his elmo, but that's about it. In the bath he knows to pass me his toys before he gets out, but I think that's because of habit and repetition.

Anyways, just wondering if this sounds normal or not? Also, he never seems to understand "no", or he's very against paying attention to it. He's got this thing with the dog dish, he puts his fingers in it if it's on the ground. I've said no, yelled no, moved him, distracted him, swatted his hand, swatted his bum, nothing helps. I couldn't believe even swatting didn't phase him. He wasn't bothered by it at all. Mabye because i was doing it in a wimpy way, I don't' know.

I just wanted to check in and see how he fairs as far as you guys think?

 

[PepsiChic]

Dont take this the wrong way...but i think you worry too much!

I always see you posting on here worrying about what hes NOT doing instead of just being happy with what he has accomplished....hes ONLY 14 months old! Hes not going to be saying a whole lot of anything, infact hes saying more then most 14 months I know not to mention if hes saying "more please" hes stringing words together and thats a HUGE thing!

I dont agree iwith hitting/swatting, at this age No is just a sound its not a word and it certainly doesnt mean anything, just move him away and distract, yes it may take moving him away 100 times but he'll get the idea eventually.

Dont expect so much from a 14 month old, honestly the things you ask about wont be things he'll be doing untill closer to 2 years old!

Just so you can compare - Barry says ga, fa, la, ma, num, na, do, da, dum, goo, and iin the last todays im super excited because he can also now say oh and ooo.

he understand "go get your ball" and will bring it to me, he also understands what "tickle monster" means (daddys coming to tickle him)

he shakes his head when we say "no no no no" but doesnt actually understand the word, he just likes to shake his head, and has kind of figured out how to dip a spoon in a bowl but has by no means mastered this yet.

so all in all my conclusion hunny is that your just expecting way too much from your little boy. ENJOY him as a young baby because it doesnt last long. the small things he does are amazing, the bigger things will come when hes older.

 

[AlwaysPraying]

Ive got to laugh because your right. I do always worry! Thanks for the kick in the pants I think I needed that. I'm not worried about this rather wondering how he fairs in comparison. People are always bragging about their kids and it's hard to tell what's really goin on and what's a little exaggeration!

 

[OmarsMum]

They are different. You cant compare. Omar is 20 days older than my cousin. You will be amazed when you see the two kids together, they're totally different.

Anyway, back to your question. Omar used to say around 40 words at 14 months, & he used to count to 3. He is an early talker. But he didn't really understand the word no. We dont use the word no. At that age it was distraction & explaining to him by using words like hot, not for baby, dangerous while moving him away. I wouldn't expect a curious 14 months old to stop doing something because you're shouting or saying no nonstop. He doesn't even understand why he's smacked.

 

[QTPie]

He sounds just fine!

My LO "understood" no from about 8/9 months. Of course he rarely obeys it! I think that once they get an obsession (like the dog bowl), it is hard to get them out of it. Be firm and consistent and one day he will eventually surprise you!

My DS still says relatively little clearly, at all! But he understands most of what we say. Just keep talking

 

[Peardrop]

I think they are all so different and have something where they are ahead of others. Some walk early, some talk early and these are easy things to quantify. Others less so. Ollie can unscrew tops, he's not bad at any shape sorters and jigsaws. He still only says Daddy, occasionally Mummy and sometimes Bye bye. I wish he'd be better but it will come. At the moment teeth and becoming a better sleeper is happening so I think words will be a little while yet.

 

[Ice Cold Cube]

Alex is 14 months, understands a great deal, but babbles more than 'talks' to us! We don't use the word 'no' much, only really if he's heading towards somrthing dangerous like a hot radiator in someone else's house that's not been baby proofed, as I don't want the word to be used too much and then become meaningless. In that kind of example we would also pick him up and direct him to something else. We use that kind of distraction technique a lot! For other non dangerous things we say 'Not for Alex' in a stern tone and he gets that now - for example if he happens across someone's mobile or camera he will pick it up cautiously and look at us because he knows it's not for him - he's usually all pleased with himself that's he's gotton hold of something he's not usually allowed but we have been praising him loads when he hands things back so he's quite happy to give anything back to us if we ask with a smile and then give him a clap afterwards lol!

Alex can say 'daddy', 'mumma', 'hiya', 'hiya daddy', 'shoes', 'shell' (we can thank Waybulo's yogo for that one), 'car', 'ball' and 'chair'. He tries to say other words too but they don't really make sense at the moment. He babbles loads. I know he understands most things because I have always talked to him constantly. Now when he wakes in the morning I say 'let's open the window' and he'll look to the window. Then I'll say 'let's pick out some clothes' and he'll go to the wardrobe. He understands simple 'commands' for want of a better word, like 'go and find your ball' and 'pass the ball to mummy', BUT often he will choose to ignore me if it's something he just doesn't want to do!

You have nothing to worry about, honestly!

Laura x

 

[aliss]

They understand no (at a basic level). They just don't care. They have the attention span of a flea - they are too curious and the curiosity will always outweigh the rational side (which is practically non-existent).

Mine does that with the bowl too - at this age, putting the bowl away is the only real solution if you don't want him to get into it. They need to touch/feel/explore in order to learn their environment. Remember, why can't he have the bowl if the dog can? At his age, this doesn't make sense. Just bring it down to his level and enjoy all the amazing things he does.

Comparatively, my boy is linguistically and physically a bit behind yours at 17 months (as he always been), and he always improves week by week. Do not listen/care about others unless a medical professional starts to show serious concerns. No two babies are alike and you'd be surprised at how some excel in some ways that others don't.

 

[Lara310809]

At 14 months my LO was only saying "dada"... I don't remember her saying anything more at that age, but I found it came soon after. Now at 18 months she's saying over 60 words, and can get her point across fairly well, even with limited vocabulary.

I would say your LO is right on track; it will come soon enough

 

[aliss]

and at 14 months my son said nothing. Right now he knows Mama, Simba (our dog's name), and car

 

[Lara310809]

They are different. You cant compare. Omar is 20 days older than my cousin. You will be amazed when you see the two kids together, they're totally different

I totally agree. I have a friend with a little boy who is 3 weeks younger than my daughter, and he seems so advanced compared to her. I think she crawled before he did, and walked slightly before, but other than that he's teethed, sat unaided, spoken etc all way before her. You can't compare your child with your friends' kids at all, because they do things at different stages, when it's important to them.

 

[AlwaysPraying]

It's funny because my son is always just pretty average. I know most kids do some things faster or better than others. But mine is just pretty good at everything. He doesn't have a problem area either. He seems to have a few lapses in all areas. It seems most kids will walk early or have problems with eating. I've always found my son to be a fair sleeper a fair eater and a fair developer. I guess I can't ask for more than that!! That beig said he has his share of problem areas but they are a little of everything at the same time.

 

[MrsVenn]

Molly's 16 months this week and she can only say Dada, Doodles (which she uses for dog), Muma, bubble, baba (baby), no and ta and that's it. She's always babbling, never shuts up to be honest haha but she's never been ahead in anything other than teething. My view is, I'm yet to meet a 4 year old who can't talk, walk, etc. so I know she'll get there. With Molly as well, we never have any build up, she usually just does it. It was literally one day should couldn't crawl, the next morning she could..no trying in between..I expect talking will be the same. Yours sounds spot on!

 

[AlwaysPraying]

Yeah, my guy does the same thing. He didn't try to crawl or try to walk, he just picked up one day and did it. Not early or late, just at an average time really. I was quite frustrated at the dog bowl thing. It's like he had his sensors on and nothing was going to deter him from his goal. He does understand "no" partly I think. He does that same devilish grin when he's grabbing the remote, or going to a forbidden part of the house. He watches me watching him. It's almost like he's telling me, "Oh, I'm not supposed to be doing this, but I'm going anyways!!!".

 

[ilovebabybean]

Dont worry your baba is fine...My 14 month old says nothing!!! He just makes random babbling noises. He does understand no...and he is quite good when you tell him and knows and remembers unless he is feeling cheeky then he will do you a big cheesy grin instead and go ahead and do what ever it is he shouldnt lol! In fact sometimes i catch him staring at me with a massive grin waiting for me to see him before he heads off for what he shouldnt...cheeky monkey!!! He is really weeny though, still in his 9-12 month babygrows so i think he will do it in his own time, have wondered if i should be concerned but not going to fret about it he is a clever and funny boy n he is only dinky!! Cant wait for him to start talking, think i will actually do cart wheels!! Exciting stuff!! xxx

 

[beatnick]

zakk says "uh oh" and "dada" (thats me too!) and is trying to say other stuff... shoe for one. seems to be more like "shat" though... haha and "uck" for duck. he has definatly been developing these skills very suddenly in the last week.

he does understand more than i often realise. we do tests sometimes (fun of course!!) like "where are your shoes?" and "can you get me a nappy?" and he often really suprises me.

he too knows "no" and even seems to know what he isnt allowed to touch. as in he turns to smile at us before doing it!

the babble is amazing though... its starting to really change now and he uses much more inclination. plus we are starting to get a head shake when he doesnt want something and beginnings of "no".

your lo sounds just normal to me. from what i can tell they suddenly start and it snowballs from there.

dont worry about posting on here with your worries. if people didnt post on here with (probably in hindsight) were molehills and not mountains the forum would be pretty quiet.

 

[AlwaysPraying]

Thanks everyone! Funny enough just today when my boy was eating in his high chair he looked at me, gave me one of those grins, and shook his head "no" just before throwing his dinner off the table!! Clearly he understands what it takes to drive me crazy! lol

 

[xprincessx]

Callum doesn't say anything. I ask him a question or I say something like "that's pretty colours isn't it" - related to fireworks and all he does is grunt at me.

He used to say Mum, daddy, doggy, sky and woof but hasn't done since his 1st birthday.

He literally just says "uhh" to everything.

Very tedious but cute.

Sounds like your LO is doing brilliantly though and saying "please" at 14 months? Wow. that is something to be proud of hun

 

[Noirin]

well my son is 15 months old, he isnt talking, he can say mama dada, ball and bum bum (wen needs his nappy changed) he understands no, tata and down (as in get down from the sofa/tv (we brat) lol but he'll only listen if i say it, if my husband tells him no or down he completly ignores him lol my zaks not walking either and im not worried at all, hes a happy active baby and unless theres something screamin things arent right here id stop worryin and just let ur LO develop at there own pace xx