# Toddler Talking: First Words to Short Sentences

> First words to short sentences: what's typical, how to help, and when to get it checked.

Stage: toddler - Topic: Play and development - Page: https://www.askcladle.com/guides/toddler/toddler-talking

Grounded in: CDC milestone checklists (2022), AAP HealthyChildren guidance on language development and bilingual children, and ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) guidance for parents.

## TLDR

- Around 12 months: a name for a parent and waving. By 18 months: three or more words. Understanding runs ahead of speaking.
- Talk about what they're looking at, add a little to what they say, and pause to give them a turn.
- Two languages don't cause delay. Get a hearing test and check-in for no words by 15-16 months or fewer than three by 18.

## What's typical

- **Around 12 months:** a special name for a parent ("mama", "dada"), waving, understanding "no".
  Understanding runs well ahead of speaking.
- **By 15 months:** one or two more words, and pointing to ask for things.
- **By 18 months:** three or more words, and following simple directions without gestures.
- **By 2 years:** two words together ("more milk", "daddy go"), many new words a week for some
  children.
- **By 30 months:** about 50 words, and short phrases with an action word ("doggie run").
- **By 3 years:** back-and-forth conversation, "why" questions, and speech strangers understand
  most of the time.
Some children say little and then a lot all at once. Mispronouncing words is normal at this age.

## Everyday ways to help

- Talk about what you're doing and what they're looking at, in short, simple sentences.
- Add a little to what they say: if they say "car", you say "Yes, a red car. It's going fast!"
- Pause and wait. Give them time to fill the gap with a sound, a gesture or a word.
- Read together every day; let them turn pages and point. Re-reading favorites is great.
- Sing songs and rhymes with actions.
- Offer choices ("Banana or apple?") so they have a reason to answer.
- Keep screen time low; talking with people teaches language in a way video doesn't.
- Don't make them say a word before they get something; model it and move on.

## More than one language

Speaking two or more languages doesn't cause speech delay. Use the language each parent knows
best. Mixing languages in a sentence is normal. Count words across all languages when you check
milestones.

## When to check in

Talk to your child's doctor, and ask for a hearing test, if your child:

- isn't babbling, pointing or waving by about 12 months,
- has no words by about 15 to 16 months, or fewer than three words by 18 months,
- isn't putting two words together by 2 years,
- doesn't seem to understand simple requests, or doesn't respond to their name,
- loses words or skills they had, at any age.

In the US, children under 3 can get a free evaluation through Early Intervention, and you can call
them yourself. Speech therapy works best when it starts early, so there's no benefit in waiting to
see.