When to be worried about not putting 2 words together?

[susannah14]

I'm not worried JUST yet, but I keep thinking it will come and it hasn't yet. My son is 25 months and says a ton of single words (started single words at 18 months) but rarely ever two words together (and certainly not sentences!) However he's incredibly bright. He can count to 13, does 12 piece jigsaws by himself, knows the whole alphabet and can spell his name. But he would never say something as simple as "tummy hurt". He would point to his tummy and say "hurt".

He says things like "Kiss it" and "bye daddy" but those are phrases he's learned, not words he's putting together on his own. I know kids vary so much in speech at this age, so I'm not worried atm, but when would it be late? 2.5 years? 3 years?

His pronounciation isn't that great either. He says some words spot on, but "peanut butter", "cupholder" and something else I can't remember are all pronounced "bababa". "Diaper" is "baba". I can get him to say "DIE" and "PER" but when I tell him to say diaper he says "baba". lol.

Anyone else had experience with this? Thanks in advance.

 

[liz1985]

When ds had his 2 year check they wanted to know he could put two words together, but it had to be something that linked 2 thought processes, e.g. daddy work or blue car. Bye bye or all gone for example didn't count. Maybe you could ask your doctor or HV for advice, if only to put your mind at rest. I work in a nursery and unless a child literally says nothing or has little understanding, we dont refer for speech till around 2.5 years.

 

[seoj]

I knew my LO was a bit behind by 2yrs... but figured she'd get there when she was ready. And trust me, they do! She wasn't saying much by 2yrs- several words, but no phrases either... but a few months after she turned 2yrs it just kicked in... and now, just after 3yrs, she talks SO much... makes up phrases and sentences and often I think "where did she learn that?!". It' so amazing how it just clicks.... the last 9mos her language has exploded!

You know your LO best, of course, but I have friends who's LO's were talking much till closer to 3yrs. Although, reassurance is good- trust your own gut. I was told (when LO was 18mos) to "keep an eye on it" by another doc that filled in when my LO went for a checkup (even given pamphlets and told to call the specialist and talk to them in case)-- and I think it was premture for sure! So I decided to wait and see... and her regular doc never had any concerns.

 

[minties]

Counting to 13 sounds like he's putting 13 words together to me?

At both of my children's 2 year check ups (sons was at 25 months and daughters at 23) I was asked if they were putting 2 words together.

My son had only just started talking so he wasn't. Sophie can do 7 word sentences but normally 2-4 words.

The nurse doing the check wasn't at all worried. It is more than just talking, it's understanding and communication as a whole.

 

[Vickie]

Sounds pretty normal to me. Hannah didn't really start stringing words together until 2.5 years. Rhys talked a lot earlier but I think a lot of that is Hannah's influence

 

[SarahBear]

They really do vary widely. It sounds like he's developing some good language skills and is communicating which is important. I don't know the answer to your question but wanted to say that I agree that you shouldn't be worried right now.

 

[katestar53]

My little man only says a handful of single words let alone putting words together. I'm not worried as many of his friends are the same x

 

[sequeena]

It varies wildly no matter what health professionals say and expect from our children. If it's not happening by 3 I would probably look into it.

 

[susannah14]

Thank you so much ladies. I won't worry for awhile then

 

[bananaz]

Not combining two separate words together to create new meaning is considered a "red flag" at 24 months, so given your son's age it might be worth checking in with his pediatrician. The chances are good that he'll catch up soon enough but there's no harm in having some professional input to see if he might benefit from additional support.

 

[EllieBean]

Hi!

DD's only 18 months, so I'm not really talking from personal experience here, but when DD and I were at her last check-up her doctor and I talked some about upcoming development and the like. He said that speak development can differ a lot from child to child, so it's possible for one and a half-year-olds to start talking in 2-word-sentences, but it also might not happen for another year or so.
He called these late-talkers "gatherers", saying these kids gather all the words they hear without speaking and then, one day, their speaking abilities will "explode" and they'll start talking extremely well extremely sudden.

So I wouldn't worry too much about it yet.
I didn't ask him when exactly it should be checked, but I guess when the kid's third birthday approaches and they still don't link two words, I'd consult the doctor.
At barely 2? No.

 

[Wilsey]

^^ I think my uncle was a gatherer. My dad said his brother didn't really talk much until 3 and then all of a sudden started talking in full long sentences.

 

[SarahBear]

Hi!

DD's only 18 months, so I'm not really talking from personal experience here, but when DD and I were at her last check-up her doctor and I talked some about upcoming development and the like. He said that speak development can differ a lot from child to child, so it's possible for one and a half-year-olds to start talking in 2-word-sentences, but it also might not happen for another year or so.
He called these late-talkers "gatherers", saying these kids gather all the words they hear without speaking and then, one day, their speaking abilities will "explode" and they'll start talking extremely well extremely sudden.

So I wouldn't worry too much about it yet.
I didn't ask him when exactly it should be checked, but I guess when the kid's third birthday approaches and they still don't link two words, I'd consult the doctor.
At barely 2? No.

It is important to take into consideration different developmental patterns. I guess you could say they reflect your child's current "learning style." This is why it's so important to also look at overall communication skills and other aspects of communication beyond words and sentences.

 

[susannah14]

Thank you, these recent posts have been very insightful. I do think my son might be a "gatherer". He seems to be very introspective, soaks in his surroundings without actively participating, absorbs himself in activities such as puzzles and books for long periods of time (30-60 minutes).

The other day he said "Move, cat!" to one of our cats. I think he's slowly getting there. He also called my purse "Mommy's bag". I'm just going to assume that he's on his way. Thanks again everyone!

 

[sequeena]

Thank you, these recent posts have been very insightful. I do think my son might be a "gatherer". He seems to be very introspective, soaks in his surroundings without actively participating, absorbs himself in activities such as puzzles and books for long periods of time (30-60 minutes).

The other day he said "Move, cat!" to one of our cats. I think he's slowly getting there. He also called my purse "Mommy's bag". I'm just going to assume that he's on his way. Thanks again everyone!

That's really good, sounds to me like he's going to be talking eloquently very soon!

 

[Wilsey]

^^ agree, he'll probably skip the garbled talking (where some of their words are in the wrong order) for short eloquent sentences.

 

[susannah14]

Hey everyone, just thought I'd give a quick update to this. My son is now 2 years and 5 months and started truly putting two words together probably a few weeks after my original post. He's now putting 3 words together, not sentences yet, but I'm sooo proud of him! His pronunciation is slowly getting better.

He knows all the uppercase and lowercase letters and is even recognizing words and is learning how to spell. I can say "How do you spell big?" and he'll say "Big. B. I. G. Big." like he's in a spelling bee lol! He can do this with probably 3-4 words plus his name. Not sure how typical that is for his age, but I don't really care, I'm proud of him. Most of his little friends are talking in sentences but NONE of them can do what he can with counting, puzzles, letters and words.

So, in short, I'm not worried at all anymore Thanks for all your advice!

 

[veganmama]

my LO started putting 2 words together shortly after 2.5 yrs, but his first word was at 2.5 years. at almost 3 hes making 2-5 word sentences, so you never know your LO might catch on fast once hes starts making 2 word sentences

i read that a child needs to have AT LEAST 30 single words that he uses on a daily basis (not just knows how to say but doesnt say it day to day) before they can start putting 2 words together.

 

[MrsCrad]

This has been nice to follow as my son is now 25months and says only a few words. He understands everything you say to him but he just doesn't speak. We have started to get worried but I'm going to leave it a while until I say anything to the HV

 

[minties]

That is fantastic! He sounds very bright to me, my kids can't spell words .