Is Your Baby a Late Bloomer?

If you're concerned about your child's language development, it's a good idea to have a discussion with a health care provider. There may be a simple solution or resources that can help. For instance, Luke's mother, Karen, realized that she and the rest of the family were talking for her son, leaving him little opportunity to practice his language skills.

"I'd guess, out loud, what he wanted, and when I got it right, he'd nod and do his little happy dance," she says. "Now I make it a point to say, 'Tell me what you want' and wait for him to respond. This approach takes longer. It was faster to guess what Luke wanted to drink, for example, than to wait for him to say 'juice' or 'milk.' But the payoff of waiting is that Luke is gaining vocabulary."

Personality plays a role in talking too. Dr. Zuckerman explains that some babies are naturally quiet. You can help draw them out by singing songs, telling nursery rhymes, mimicking their sounds, and encouraging them to mimic you. Also, "there's nothing like sharing books," Dr. Zuckerman says. "Point and name things in the pictures, and ask your child to point and name."

Late Crawling Development

Lydia Hawley-Brillante, of Baltimore, never crawled and didn't walk until she was almost 2. Her mom, Robin, remembers Lydia as the most placid baby she'd ever seen. "She learned to sit at 6 months and was content with that. She didn't try to pull up to a stand," Robin says