Quick question about talking

[BabyLove08]

Jo's post got me thinking. When my ped told me by 18 months a child should be able to say 6-8 words does he mean say them all the time and be able to repeat them? does it count if they've said the word once but haven't repeated it since? just curious how that works ;)

DS says mom,dad,blankie,tickle tickle on a regular basis but other words like bye bye, pretty, again, mommy are hit and miss! he has said ball an duck once but does that count?

when someoen says my child can say ex: "10 words" do they mean repeat words and use them on a regular basis or do they mean that's the amount of words they've said? :hehe: sorry i know i'm making this more complicated than it really is ;)

[Elaine]

I haven't got a clue. I guess it would depend on what my kid was saying at that age. I'd probably count words he'd said once. :hehe:

[Jojo]

I wouldn't know either because Matt says Jack!

[Mari_Posa]

You can count a child knowing a word when they are able to say it spontaneously on their own in three different situation.

[InlovewithShane]

I also have read that toddlers may know a word and then stop using it when learning something new. I don't think it matters how often they use it as long as they can.

[Goosey]

I would say...they've said it once or twice but doesnt mean its a constant. :hehe:

When you think about the phrasing "my child can say XYZ words" doesnt imply they do it constantly just that they have said it.

I always thought it was silly when people started counting the number of words their kids said. I didnt get why that was a big deal(still dont honestly). I really had to think when people asked what words my boys were saying or how many they said LOL.

[BabyLove08]

thanks ladies, i had no clue ;)

[Leah]

I would say it counts if they know the meaning and didn't just repeat what you said. I don't know if that's right, but there's my 2 cents. :p

[Ashley]

I would agree with Leah, I think they want to know what your child understands. This used to freak me out with Tyler, as he would sometimes be at the absolute minimum in the earlier times. Lily doesn't shut up, so no worries there, but it varies so much from child to child, I don't know how accurate it can really be?? My two were at such opposite ends of the spectrum..

[Sarah]

I think that is normal at that age. I do remember worrying about the frequency when Andrew was that age, and then suddenly he was using more and more words until it got to be what it is now, complete sentences! It was a gradual transition, but the "wordsplosion" happened at about 26 - 28 months for us. ;)