Toddler speech and screen time: what is normal and when to ask for help

Every child learns to talk at their own pace, and many Indian toddlers grow up hearing two or three languages at home. This guide covers what is usually expected, how screens affect it, and when to ask for a check.

What to expect, roughly

These milestones follow the US CDC's developmental checklist, as we could not find a single Indian chart to use instead. Your child's own doctor's chart or the milestones in the Mother and Child Protection (MCP) card are also good references.

• By 12 months: responds to their name, waves "bye", babbles, says "mama" or "papa" and points at things they want.
• By 18 months: says several words besides mama and papa, and follows simple instructions like "give it to me".
• By 2 years: puts two words together, such as "paani chahiye", and points to things in a book when you name them.
• By 3 years: talks in short sentences, and family members can understand most of what they say.

Speaking two or three languages

Growing up with Hindi, English and the home language together does not cause speech delay. Children may mix languages or start a little later in each, and that is normal. Count all the words they use across languages.

Screen time

• The WHO advises no screen time for children under 2, and no more than 1 hour a day for ages 2 to 4, with less being better. This is WHO guidance rather than an Indian government limit.
• Time on a screen is time not spent talking, playing and being held. Toddlers learn words from people far better than from videos.
• If you do use a screen, sit with them, talk about what you see, and pick slow, calm content. Turn off autoplay on rhyme videos, because it can run on for an hour without anyone noticing.
• No screens at meals or in the hour before sleep, and keep the TV off in the background when nobody is watching.
• Video calls with grandparents are a good use of a screen.

Simple ways to help your child talk

• Talk through the day: "Now we are washing your hands. Soap, paani, tawel."
• Read picture books every day, and sing rhymes and lullabies in your mother tongue.
• Wait for them. Ask a question and give a few seconds for a response.
• Repeat and expand. If they say "gaadi", you say "Yes, a big red gaadi!" Do not make them say it again correctly.
• Let them play with other children, in the park or at a relative's home.

When to ask for help

Talk to your paediatrician soon if your child:

• Does not respond to their name or to sounds by 12 months
• Does not point, wave or make eye contact by about 12 to 15 months
• Has no words by about 16 to 18 months
• Loses words or skills they used to have, at any age
• Is not putting two words together by about 2 years
• Seems not to hear well. Ask for a hearing test, because hearing problems are a common and treatable reason for late speech.

Early help makes a big difference. In India, the government's Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) runs District Early Intervention Centres (DEIC) at district hospitals, which screen young children for developmental delay and offer therapy. Ask your paediatrician or the nearest district hospital about it.