My son was a late talker. He was an early walker, early builder, and hit most typical baby milestones with ease. Talking was a whole other issue.

Frankly, there were times when I wondered if my kid would ever talk. He learned to communicate with points and noises, but many I never caught onto, so his not talking frustrated both of us.

Why a late talker? I’m not so sure. My son’s pediatrician thought he was spending so much energy being active (he was an early runner, kicker, thrower, and so on) that he didn’t have the energy to give to speech.

I’m a big time talker too, so it had nothing to do with me. I talked up a storm to this child from birth, and yet, nothing. By two years of age my son had fewer than 50 words he’d say, which in the eyes of pediatricians made him a late talker.

If you have a late talker you may be worried that there’s a deep underlying issue causing him not to talk. In some cases there are, but in other cases, this is just one of those milestones your baby might be hitting late. If you have a late talker, it’s usually just wise to hang in there and wait. There are warning signs to look for though. Technically, even a late talker should be able to do the following:

• Babble and using consonant sounds while babbling.
• Understand you, even if you don’t understand him. I.e. you say “No” and he gets it.
• Say a few words at least by 18 months of age.
• Interact with you (mom and dad) or anyone he’s especially close to or around often.

If your baby is doing all of the above, he’ll talk when he’s ready, and you probably can relax about his speaking ability. My son was able to do all of the above and by three years he was a talking machine. Also keep in mind that your baby should be overall healthy. If he’s had numerous ear infections, that’s a reason to get him checked out for possible health related late talking issues.If your family has a history of cognitive issues related to speech, that’s another reason to talk to your pediatrician.

Next we’ll look at which babies are most likely to be late talkers.