My child isn't talking as much as others their age: what should I actually do?

By 18 months, most children can say a handful of single words. By 2, that usually grows into short two-word phrases ("more juice," "mummy go"). By 3, most children can be understood by people outside their immediate family most of the time. These are ranges, not deadlines: some perfectly typical kids are just a few months behind on all three.

What's worth a closer look: no words at all by 18 months, no two-word phrases by 2.5, or a child who seems to understand what's said to them but struggles to respond in any way (pointing, gesturing, sounds), not just words. A regression, where a child had words and then stopped using them, is always worth a conversation sooner rather than later.

What to actually do: start with your pediatrician at a routine visit, but don't feel like you need to wait for one if something feels off. An initial screening with a speech-language pathologist doesn't require a referral in most cases, and it's a conversation, not a diagnosis: it's the fastest way to find out whether what you're noticing is a normal variation or something worth addressing now, while early intervention still has the most room to help.

In the meantime, narrate what you're doing together, follow their lead in play, and give them time to respond before jumping in for them. None of that replaces an assessment, but it's a genuinely useful way to spend the weeks before one.