Toddler doesn't talk in front of others

[Bear95]

My son is approaching 3 years now, he is a very active and uninhibited kiddo. He has always been slightly behind in his language and advanced in his gross motor skills. However he is still hitting milestones for his age group.

I have had family and friends express concerns for his speech development because for some reason he does not really talk in front of anyone besides his father and I. We are seperated and with both of us he will freely use short sentences and a variety of words but when it comes to other people he reverts to 'mhmms', sounds or babbling.

Besides his lack of talking he does not seem shy. He will happily babble, he says 'thankyou' and 'bye' to sales assistants and I have had to remind him not to go up and hug strangers but when it comes to any other communication, nada.

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I have tried looking it up but seen as he isn't shy in any other way I can't seem to find the reassurance I am looking for. Any advice or similar stories would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not concerned for his ability to understand as he is very bright, I just want to help him be able to express himself in front of others as sometimes he becomes very frustrated with other family members.

[Iona-RO]

Hi @Bear95 

Thank you for sharing and reaching out for support. It's great to hear that you're really enthusiastic about helping your son to reach those communicating milestones. It sounds like you're doing a really great job at encouraging him to engage and connect with others, even if you might feel he's not quite grasped it fully as yet.

Little ones all develop at different rates and different stages, so you might find he just needs a little longer. However, if you are worried, I'm wondering if you have chatted to your GP about it at all?

There's also some really great resources over on the Raising Children website. There are whole sections about development along with communication & connection that you might find helpful.