https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:57:21 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-652641 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:49:58 +0000 banana 652641@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Monkula: I'm a worrier too so I think I'm just naturally going to worry if anything doesn't go "by the book". I'm constantly talking and singing songs all day long. It's so exhausting. I hope for the both of us that our LOs start chatting up a storm soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-652625 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:39:29 +0000 Mrs. Twine 652625@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana: It is nice to find someone who understands. I've been worried about Lowly a little, because I'm just a worrier and she wasn't really a babbler either. The worst with her is she is very busy/anti-book, so I don't feel like she hears enough language. I'm probably overthinking, but it just feels that way. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-652506 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:46:15 +0000 banana 652506@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Monkula: I'm in shock that I found another mama that feels the exact same way as I do! Language development has caused me so much anxiety and sleepless nights. I was hoping and praying that my 2nd wouldn't have any language delays. But she's 8 months old and still not babbling. She makes tons of noises but not babbling (mamama or bababa). It seriously worries me to death! Everyone tells me "She's only 8 months old! Don't worry!". But they haven't been through the whole speech delay thing with their kids so they don't always understand. If only she would start babbling and stop making her mama worry to death! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-652439 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:19:29 +0000 winniebee 652439@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agree that it seems like 12 months is placing an awful lot of pressure on you and your family!</p> <p>My son is 10 months and I doubt he will be even be at that level at 12 months. Currently he says mamamamam and dadadad but I don't think he knows what they mean. And he says "da" when he sees his doggy stuffed animal. That's it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-652421 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:10:41 +0000 Mrs. Twine 652421@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Want me to be brutally honest? Stress about language development is probably the #1 reason I'm done at two kids. It stresses me the heck out. I always worry that I'm not reading enough, or talking enough, or doing it the right way. Which is probably ridiculous, but still. Until she is talking about as well as big sister I will likely continue to be a flaming anxiety ball. But the kind words and encouragement have really helped. I do think she's on track, doctor aside. @Banana; You sound like me! I think having a late talker first can burn you and set you up for some serious anxiety. Why does language have to be so worrisome? @Mrs. Pen; "uh uh" is so cute! Lowly doesn't do that yet, but E. used to say "uh oh" in the cutest voice around 18 mos. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-652402 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:03:06 +0000 Mrs. Pen 652402@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Monkula: btw just saw your response to banana and have to say, no discredit to your pedi, but I think the majority of babies aren't saying words by 12 months!! My 18 mos old nephew babbles constantly but doesn't say actual words yet and there is no cause for concern. My 13 mos old days mama and dadda but not intentionally. His only intentional word is uh uh for uh oh and our pedi was not concerned at all. He is a taller, just babbles and squeals and that's the important thing. He also understand a lot of what we say. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-652395 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:00:44 +0000 Mrs. Pen 652395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes! Those are all words she says in reference to specific things, they are words and you know what they mean :) </p> <p>If we defined kids saying words as exactly how we say them then many children wouldn't be saying very basic words until they're ten haha! My little brother couldn't pronounce l's or tr sounds until he was much older. But he was obvious saying words even though he pronounced them a little differently. I guess that's the best way I can think to describe it..</p> <p>My baby is nearly 13 months and he says "uh uh" for uh oh allllll the time. He doesn't say it like us lol but he knows what he means when he says it :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-652380 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:57:25 +0000 banana 652380@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Monkula: I have a late talker too and the speech milestone worries me constantly. I'm constantly worrying about my DD's speech development and she's only 8 months old! Sounds like your DD's speech is developing fine. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-645765 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:35:00 +0000 Mrs. Twine 645765@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you so much! I had a late talker with my first and doctor and I were both worried, but a doctor I saw with Lowly (not her regular pediatrician) said she didn't have as many words as she wanted to see at 12 months. She was only counting mama/dada as those are the only super-clear ones, and that just didn't seem right to me. Unfortunately all the milestone charts I could find just said how many words and not how clear they needed to be. Darn that doctor for getting me all worried! I thought she was pretty normal, especially after having a genuinely late talker (who turned out just fine) but she seemed pretty concerned... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-645738 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:14:27 +0000 sarac 645738@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Absolutely. If you can understand it and it is repeated, then it's a word. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-645701 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:40:17 +0000 banana 645701@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son gets speech therapy and we were told to count all of those as words and animal sounds counted too ( up until a certain age). All of those sounds are a normal part Of speech development. My son did the same thing (same sounds for different words) but 6 mths later than average. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-645666 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:13:03 +0000 Cole 645666@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In the beginning the main expectation is that the primary caregivers understand the "words", I can't find a good resource right now but some of the milestone charts will specifically say something to the effect of "by X months 50% of words should be intelligible by strangers", which I take to mean the other 50% sound like gibberish or at least another language to strangers. </p> <p>I have worked with a lot of toddlers over the years and not one of them starts speaking with perfect clarity :) Even at 3 you will still be looking for clarification sometimes. One thing I am not sure about is if animal "sounds" count as words, but this really only matters if you get to the point of needing to work with a speech therapist and they would be able to answer that for you. I hope that helps! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-645478 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:09:37 +0000 Mrs. Twine 645478@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just wondering if anyone has feedback... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-count#post-644647 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:56:29 +0000 Mrs. Twine 644647@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When do you count words as being words? If you count them whenever the same noise is made consistently for the same thing and sounds vaguely similar, then she has lots of words, otherwise she maybe has two? She says mama/dada really clearly, but then "sue" for shoe, "ha" with a fanning motion for hot, "ha" for hat, "guh" for dog, "ki-ki" for kitty (which does sound remarkably like "kitty-kitty"), she says cup, 'poon for spoon, etc. So do I count all these because they are consistent and she only uses them for the right object or not? What about when she calls ducks "quack-quack" and monkeys "aa-aa?" </p>