My son will be 2 next month also. ANd sounds like he's right about where your son is. Although I think your son is...I'm not worried at all. As long as he is talking but not making sense too much and saying a few words and knows exactly where to point to things and exactly what you are saying when you talk to him I really think it's fine. Sometimes boys are late bloomers. My friend's daughter is 4 months younger and is talking sentences already. I think girls are a little quicker. And I hear of so many toddlers not speaking until past two now a days that it's somewhat normal. I would just check with your pediatrician and confirm with them but I really thikn your son is totally fine!

I just reread my response and saw the typo. I was going to say I think your son has a few more words than mine but then I realized they are about the same!

I used to be a language arts teacher, and speech development was a big concern of mine too (my son turned 2 in September). Boys ARE very different from girls. Girls' speech develop MUCH faster, but boys develop spatial awareness and understanding faster (it's just harder for us moms to recognize).

It sounds like your son understands quite a bit of language AND is communicating an appropriate number of words. Just to put your mind at ease, make sure to talk to your pediatrician about it at the 2-year check-up. Most pediatricians don't worry about it unless there is little or no speech at 2 1/2 or 3.

With the amount he already knows, you will probably see a HUGE increase in his vocabulary in the next few months. All of a sudden after his birthday, my son started putting words together, and now at 27 months he's speaking in sentences. I bet yours will be there by 2 1/2 too!

thanks for this posting. I am looking forward to my son being 2 1/2 and speaking more. He says a lot already. He actually counted to 10 the other day.m I was so shocked! We do the abc's everytime I change his diaper. He has an excellent memory. (better than mine! Thank goodness) He says between 2-4 word sentances right now. Mostly though he loves scolding me. :)

I wasn't sure when he was supposed to be saying full sentances

It may help to refer to the discussion titled "speech delay" about 8 discussions down. The last posting was Dec. 08.
What is he doing physically?
I had the same concerns with my son in May, but by November he was saying three and four word sentences.
Remember..."Girls talk, boys walk."
If he's able to comprehend and point things out to you in his books he's probably just fine. He may be just perfecting words in his head before he tries saying them as I think mine did.

This is a frequent topic that arises in this community and a general rule of thumb is to see two-word phrases and quite a few words at this age. Although boys, in general, may develop their speech a bit later than girls, it is not something necessarily to rely upon and I do encourage you to follow up with your ped at the 2 year visit next month.

All the best,

Dr. Jeremy