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Child is 2 years old and doesn't talk

14 replies

AnonymousGuest ·
Hi everyone,

Does anyone have experience with a 2-year-old who isn't talking? My daughter is now 2 years and 1 month old and only says papa, mama, yes, and no. She understands almost everything I say or point to, or when I ask her to show me where the dog is, but nothing else. Sometimes it seems like she's trying to say half-words, but that's about it. Should I be patient or seek help?

Replies

  1. Elvira #2

    My daughter was 2 years and 11 months old, but she understood everything. She’s now 5 years and 2 months old and can’t keep her mouth shut for a second. As long as your little girl does understand everything, I wouldn’t worry about it right now

  2. Anonymous Guest #3

    Thanks for your reply, Elvira!
    It’s sometimes pretty tough because she sometimes says things in her own little language, and then we don’t get what she means, which always leaves her really frustrated. But it’s nice to hear that your daughter was just talking normally and there was nothing wrong.
    But then everyone asks, “Why isn’t she talking yet?” and that’s not so nice, because then they immediately think something’s wrong with her.

  3. Elvira #4

    Yeah, that's really annoying with my daughter. They really pushed us to use an assessment to help with her speech and language development. Something we never did because she understood everything My daughter only said "mama" when she was 23 months old.

  4. Veraaa #5

    All kids develop differently. My daughter turns 2 in March and still doesn't speak well. Of the words she does say, she mostly just says the first two letters... me=mr.... and hat.... and mrs.... So we guess what she means!
    But hey... she's motorically strong, climbs the stairs up and down herself.... and she's already potty trained. In other areas she's much faster.
    If you're worried about many areas, you can always consult a professional. And otherwise.... it'll come. Good luck!

  5. Elvira #6

    @anoniem my daughter could already walk at 11 months, so maybe your little girl will be even quicker with a different development pace

  6. Anonymous Guest #7

    Yes, that’s what they say indeed—that they’re quick with other things, but our daughter was slow with everything. She only started crawling when she was 1 year old and started walking at 1 year and 5 months. She also doesn’t eat independently yet; we basically feed her. When she tries herself, it doesn’t really work out well..

    Actually, there’s nothing she’s been quick with, but well, we’ll keep an eye on it for now, and if it’s not better in 2 months, maybe we’ll take her to a specialist.

    Thanks for your responses.

  7. Anonymous Guest #8

    I was in the same boat. She understands everything and does things at her own pace. She started walking at 11 months. Soon after, she was already standing on a skateboard and picked up cycling quickly too.

    She never crawled. She struggled with change. She understood us, and we understood her.

    At 3.5 years old, she used 7-word sentences that were unintelligible to strangers. A year later, her phonological development was still only at the 18-month level, despite a year of speech therapy.

    Now she’s 6 years old and has had lots of speech therapy and other forms of support, and phonologically there’s hardly anything wrong anymore. She’s taking a break from speech therapy for now.

    Her little sister also spoke poorly. Luckily, not as poorly.

    I’d still recommend seeing a speech therapist to have them take a look and see if there’s an indication for any speech or language issues. Especially since she gets frustrated. It’s very important for her and for you that she’s understandable.

    Wishing you lots of success.

  8. Joyce2021 #9

    My son was 2 years and 3 months old and didn't speak a single word. Then we started him at daycare. Less than two weeks later, he started babbling full sentences... He just needed to be around other kids, and that helped so much for his speech. I don't know if your daughter has any brothers or sisters?

  9. Veraaa #10

    You’re saying she’s just a bit later in her development. It doesn’t have to be something serious. Maybe with some small tips or help, you can speed things up a bit.
    I’m not an expert... I’m a teacher and a special education teacher... I do know that you don’t need to feel ashamed... you can definitely pay a visit to your GP. Then you can ask your questions... and maybe they can help you think about where to best direct your concerns. If most things are on the motor level (and speaking can also be motor-related)... a pediatric physiotherapist might be a good place for some exercises.
    I hope you listen to your instincts... and reach out when you feel it’s time and necessary... or give it a bit more time if that feels right.

  10. Elvira #11

    @joyce2021 here at the old toddler group, no word was said, and after our move to the new toddler group, she came in already chatting I suspect the teachers at the old toddler group have little interest in the children, lack motivation to stimulate their development, and don't do much fun stuff with the kids

  11. Anonymous Guest #12

    Thanks for the replies, ladies. I see that several kids are struggling and some pick themselves up again on their own.

    But because she's so slow with everything, and she's also easily overstimulated, she starts whining pretty quickly when she doesn't get her way or when something doesn't work out. Maybe it's just because of her age, but I sometimes wonder if it's normal for her to whine so fast.

    She has a little sister, but she's only six months old. She does go to daycare, but not lately because of corona. But she was on the 0-2 year section, and I sometimes get the feeling they don't do much to develop the kids there. We're already thinking about moving both of them to a different daycare since it's usually much calmer there, and I'd like her to have more kids around her.

    Besides, she's healthy and not intellectually disabled or anything, so that's not the issue. I'll give it a bit more time, and if there's no improvement, I'll get in touch with the doctor. But it's tricky with the schedule, since we still have a six-month-old baby, I'm pregnant, and I also work, so we'll have to figure out how to make it work.

  12. Anonymous Guest #13

    Let a professional take a look. I see several reasons for concern.

  13. Veraaa #14

    I totally relate to the fussing when things don't go as planned. My almost 2-year-old daughter also likes to do everything herself, so there's sometimes frustration when she can't do it on her own yet.
    It could be that she fusses quickly when many things don't go as planned. So she understands intellectually but her motor skills aren't there yet. If you keep a close eye on it, you'll soon know for sure when and if you should step in. Good luck!!

  14. Elvira #15

    @anoniem since you mention that she's slow with everything, I'd still make an appointment with the GP. What do they actually say at the health center?

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