Speech Problems?

[ewoods]

My son, who is two-and-a-half, has suddenly started...babbling? I don't even know if that's the correct word for it. He knows quite a few words and can communicate in whole sentences. I would say that his vocabulary is normal for his age. But lately he's started babbling again. We'll be sitting there and he'll start spouting off gibberish and look at me like he's expecting a response but I have no idea what he's saying! It almost sounds like the noises that children make when they're trying to talk but don't know any words yet, only much more complex.

To be clear, he still has all his normal words, but he's added in these strings of gibberish and I'm so confused. Is he regressing somehow? Is he actually saying stuff and I'm just not understanding him? Anybody else have experience with this?

[Newmom!]

I have a feeling that it is because, even though he has mastered a small vocabulary, he knows that conversation consists of long and multiple sentences, not 1-3 words here and there. Most likely he is trying to have a long conversation with you. :-)

I wouldn't worry about it at this time. If this continues for more than several weeks to a few months or you hear the babbling more and words less, then definitely consult your pediatrician. In the meantime, acknowledge that he is trying to communicate with you but be honest if you can't get the gist of what he is trying to tell you. It will give him an opportunity to try to think of a new way to say the same thing (a great skill). So, he's probably just practicing and soon enough he will have understandable long conversations with you.

[ewoods]

Thanks for the reply Newmom. I was getting pretty worried. I've always been able to understand him, and I was afraid that something was wrong. Hopefully, as you said, this is a sign that he's developing his language skills further, not going backwards. :)