Nothing can beat the joy of having a baby and embracing parenthood, but it feels equally good when you hear your baby utter his/her first words. It is quite difficult to determine when you should expect your baby talk, but your baby should be able to say 3-5 words by the time they are a year old. Some babies start talking sooner, while other takes longer.

14 Month Old Not Talking, Should You Worry?

Most babies will say their first words between 11 and 14 months. They are usually able to say up to 20 words by the time they are 18 months old. However, this does not mean you should panic if your 14-month old is not talking. Even those babies who start uttering a few words by this time cannot say words properly. It is also important to bear in mind that not all babies will develop at the same pace. That is the reason why a group of moms will have varying answers to when their children started talking. However, developmental milestones help doctors and parents notice any signs of problems.

Here is a bit more about experiences of different women to help you understand the idea better:

"My daughter did not say a single word by the time she was 14 months old. She started talking when she turned two, and she would talk continuously. The problem was we could not understand what she said. We took her to a speech therapist as well when she turned 3, but thankfully, everything was just fine. Our doctor confirmed that she was a late talker, and when she actually started talking, she had so much to say. This made her talk too fast. We just worked with her and asked her to say things again slower, and it worked. She is not 5 and we can understand most of what she says, but she sometimes go back to that "speed talk" problem. We hope it will resolve with time."

"My daughter is now 15 months and has not spoken a single word yet. While she babbles a lot, she has not said any word yet. We have heard bad things from strangers, but we are sure that she is still developing, and it is all normal. She follows simple directions and can point to things when given a word. I believe we should give a baby time to develop and do not focus too much on the "charts" of when kids do what. If you are really concerned, go talk to your doctor. Never let strangers put bad things in your head."

When to See a Doctor

Well, in most cases, you don't have to worry much about 14-month old not talking. And often your family and friends would tell you to relax and understand that your baby will talk when he/she is ready. However, there are situations when you should not stick to the wait-and-see approach.

In most cases, late-talking children catch up with their peers, but sometimes, undetected disorders can make things difficult for children. You should talk to your doctor if:

• Your baby doesn't babble, or babbles with no consonant sounds by 9 months.
• Your baby wants certain things but does not know how to use body languages such pointing to show what he/she wants by 12 months.
• Your baby has not said a single word by 16 months.
• Your child does not talk in two-word phrases by 24 to 30 months.
• Your child utters only single-syllable words without any final consonants by 36 months.

It is also important to consider how your baby responds to different sounds. They should be able to respond to their name and turn their head towards the direction of a loud sound. Talk to your doctor immediately if you feel something is not right.

Even when your 14-month old is not talking, it does not mean that he/she is not developing normally. Some perfectly healthy babies are late talkers and say their first words by the time they are two years old. Just do not ignore any warning signs or if you suspect something is not right,talk to your doctor, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician or a speech pathologist.

How to Help Your Baby Talk

You can try a few things to encourage your baby to talk. For instance:

• Imitate the sounds your baby makes and encourage them to do the same.
• Play games with them. You can always start with "so big" and "peek-a-boo". Make them anticipate what comes next.
• Talk to them when getting them dressed or feeding them. This will help them learn new words.
• Get some storybooks and read to your baby. First wordbooks work great and help babies learn and say new words.

Above all, it is important to understand that you can help your baby learn how to talk. You have to get down to his/her level and communicate nicely. So many times parents throw out language to their children when they are turned away from them. It is important for you to slow down and help your child be a better communicator.

Always look at your child when you are speaking. This ensures that he/she is focused and understands what you are trying to say. When he/she is focused, he/she will also try to learn the words you say.