[Chelziee]

Hi Ladies! (and Gregg) lol
My son will turn two in late August. He is my oldest so he's pretty much the test run. Today my mother called and told me she wanted to put him in day care, I said, I would love to put him in daycare, he has no interaction with other children except me and his sister. She starts telling me I cant spend enough time between the two kids, the dog, the house, the hubby, the blog, and have my son develop the way he should. I started to think about it, I knew she was talking about my son and his talking. I have asked the doctor about it, and every time I ask he just keeps saying, lets give it a few more months. Each month he makes more progress, but its not as much as other children. I know as a mother I should no compare children, but he is almost two. He is polite. If he wants milk, he brings the sip cup, if he wants to watch TV, he brings the remote, if he wants milk and I say no, he open the fridge and gets the milk out, places his cup beside him and wines, with a few "Mama, Ma ma ma ma ma ma MA MA's" in there. He calls for the dog, but it comes out as DAzzzeee (Daisy) and he can say Da da, but thats pretty much the extent of it. Should I be concerned? Should I find a Speech Pathologist? Does he just need a good in home day care to help him learn. Is it just one of the things your children dont want to do for mom, but will do for others?
-Please help.
--Chelsey

[WombToBloom]

Hi there! I think a speech pathologist would be unnecessary at this point. If he hasn't progressed by the time he asks for a driver's license THEN perhaps you can worry.

"Dwive dwive. voom voom."

Seriously though...in my opinion, children don't have to be around other children to pick up the gift of gab. None of our children hit the day care circuit, nor did we really have playmates for them. What we did, to fill in whatever conversational gaps they were facing, is commentate on almost everything we did.

"Ok, let's clean the dishes now. Here we go...ooo...we just washed a plate! Now let's pick up these shoes."

You get the idea. Surely not professional advice as we're just two parents meandering our way through this thing called parenthood, but the things we do seem to work. So, for what it's worth, I'm sharing.

We found that with Michael, things just clicked. One day he's mumbling orders and the next day he's starting to form broken sentences. Just keep the verbal interaction going. And if you're worried about child interaction, there have got to be playdate activities in your area.

As for your mother's opinion...if YOU feel you can handle it, then don't give it another thought. Sending your child to daycare to "develop the way he should" seems more like guilt-inducement than factual advice. Just one guy's opinion!

[IN BLOOM]

I would not be too worried yet either. What I would do with my children is pick something up and ask them what it was. I would act like I couldn't remember what the name of it was. It can be fun. You can even ask if it is something totally different than what it is. Sometimes that will make them say the word you are looking for.

[ClarissaNassar]

Ditto what Greg says--my son is 3 and still doesn't talk as clearly as my daughter did when she was his age--and the Dr. says it's "ok" he isn't potty trained either! I feel like the worst mom ever BUT--to NOT be concerned would be far worse

For me, my son seems to respond better when I get him around other kids...I am going to try part time daycare for him since he will be in pre-k next year anyway...might as well get him used to the fact that Mama ain't always gonna be right next to him

[MrsAshley]

I wouldn't be too concerned with it just yet. If he's still falling behind in a year or so it wouldn't hurt to have him spend part of his week with a nanny who can spend one on one time with him. I recommend this instead of a day care because your child's nanny can work specifically in the areas that he is struggling and they will enjoy watching him progress. Unlike a day care where many workers share a large group of kids, not to mention the high turn over rate. So, work with him at home now and don't worry about it for at least a year. Kids develop at all different rates.

[AllanandMelissa]

I have two boys. My 5 year old did not talk until he was 2 and my 23 month old only says 4 or 5 words tops. I am not to worried as of yet and my 5 year old now has the vocabulary of a 20 year old!!! I think as the kids see more kids there age, at play dates and community centres they learn alot faster. Good luck but I think you will be fine.

[BabyMoon]

I am certainly no expert, but I would push your doctor for a referral to have your son evaluated. He's probably fine, but it can't hurt to have him checked out. And, if there is a problem, the sooner you intervene, the better.

As for day care, I don't see how that would help him. He needs lots of verbal interaction with adults (the kind he is more likely to get at home) not with other toddlers who probably don't speak much better than he does. Also, a day care provider's time is split between more children than yours likely is. Label, and talk about everything you do. And read, read, read to him.

Good luck,

Alina Hensel
Postpartum Doula
Home

[Rosa]

Don't push yourself too hard. Just talk to your little one about anything and get him used to speech. As for interacting with other kids, don't worry about it. As long as he's getting playtime with you then he'll be fine.

[Johnclave111]

My baby is four months old. She loves life and coos with delight when she is happy or sees something she wants. I know it will be a while before she says her first word, but are there ways I can encourage her verbal communication skills while playing with her?

[Johnclave111]

Your Baby will start talk with in 1 year......
Because baby will start slowly with mother name...
And
If You want more information Click on this link