Patient's question:
Hello, my baby is now 15 months old. He can call "daddy," "grandpa," and other names, and he also says many words. He can say two-word phrases too, but he just won't call "mommy." When I call him, what comes out of his mouth is the sound of "daddy." It's really strange—why won't he call "mommy"? What do you think is going on with such a child? What could be the reason?First follow-up question: I spend time playing with my baby every day after work, and he also sleeps with me at night. He's quite willing to be with me. Currently, grandma is taking care of him during the day. The sound he makes for "grandma" isn't quite right either. He pronounces it as "dai dai" with a three-syllable tone.
Doctor's answer:
Don't worry, my son is now 16 months old and can call "Mom," "Dad," "Grandma," "no," "take," "hit," "car," and so on. Sometimes he might call "Mom" or "Dad" for a while, or he might only call "Mom" or "Dad" for a few days straight, and occasionally he won't call "Grandma" for days. I think this is related to how much close contact he has with someone. When his father comes back from a business trip, since I take care of him at night, after a few days, he will start calling "Mom" when he sees his father.My son also started calling "Dad" before "Mom." I was puzzled by this at the time and thought it might be because I was too busy during the stage he was learning language, so I didn't give him enough attention or care. It could also be that he found it easier to accept the pronunciation of "Dad." If your baby still hasn't started calling "Mom" yet, don't hurry. Give him more care and often say the word "Mom" while taking care of him in daily life. You can add this word to anything you do for him, like "Mom is putting on your pants" or "Mom is getting you a drink." Also, be mindful of showing the baby the mouth shape when you pronounce "Mom." Gradually, he will start calling "Mom."