He won't say mommy!!

amother

Babypink

Sun, Jul 16 2017, 10:56 am

My toddler says tatty all day long. he says tons of other harder words but he won't say mommy!
I've been waiting patiently for his vocabulary to develop and by now I have become insulted.
I know he loves me but I really feel bad that he doesn't even try to say mama or anything at all when I say say mommy. Usually he'll say tatty instead.

How can I stop feeling so bad?
Isn't the mmm sound an easy one? He doesn't say mmm at all

mommy3b2c

Sun, Jul 16 2017, 11:03 am

Please do t be insulted. He is a baby!

How old is he?

Chances are that he knows how desperate you are so he is playing a game with you.

My oldest did this. At one point he was saying mama, Tata and baba. (Baba was my mom) and then he switched it all to mama. Me, husband and my mom all became mama. We would try to get him to say totty and Bobby but he would just smirk and walk away.

My current toddler, also refused to say tatty until a few months ago. He called us both mama. And he called my cleaning lady mama!

And....

He calls both his brothers and himself Moshe!

He literally says every single word you tell him to except for his name and his other brothers name. He knows exactly what he's doing. We tell him: "say Efraim" and he answers, "Moshe"

Let it go. Do not get insulted over a baby. I promise you he loves you just as much and will say mama one day.

Iymnok

Sun, Jul 16 2017, 12:09 pm

Some babies don't see their mother as a separate being, so they don't say mama!
My baby is 19 months, only in the last month or two did she consciously say Ima. She's been saying Tatti for months.
Don't worry, don't feel bad.
Give your baby a family picture and name everyone with him. He likely won't say his own name either, right?

FranticFrummie

Sun, Jul 16 2017, 12:45 pm

DD first said "kitty", and then "daddy". It wasn't until she was 22m before she said "mama". She never called me "mommy", I guess she didn't like the sound of it!

14 years later, I'm still "mama".

amother

Blonde

Sun, Jul 16 2017, 3:41 pm

My son USED to call me "maa" (mommy)- but only for a few months! Now everyone is "baa" and my husband is either "baa" or "a baa" (he says it like it's two words- a baa :-p) it used to be when I'd ask him to say "mommy" he'd stick out his tongue and do like that "pfffth" tongue spitting vibrating thing, you know what I"m talking about? he thought it was so funny. He knew I wanted him to really say it and thought it was hysterical that he wouldn't and would do the tongue thing instead. Whatever, so I gave up on that. We're all baa for now and that's just that. occasionally I'll try to get him to say mmm and he does just what yours does- he says "ba" (for abba) instead.

You aren't the only one. I totally thought I was one of the only ones! Interesting to read on here how other children aren't saying it either. Of course it would be really nice to hear, but I know he loves me tons anyway.

Kiwi13

Sun, Jul 16 2017, 4:33 pm

My toddler said "Tatty" a long time before he said "Mommy." But once he said "Mommy" he stopped saying "Tatty" and called BOTH of us "Mommy." For a while he called my husband a mixture of "Mommy," "Doggy" (his first and favorite word), or a babytalk version of my husband's first name. A few months later he moved past that stage and says "Mommy" and "Tatty" appropriately.

Every kid (and every stage) is different. I would just try to praise and encourage the behavior you want to see more of, and hopefully more if it will follow. You know, eventually...

miami85

Sun, Jul 16 2017, 4:40 pm

I've heard it said that kids often say other relatives' titles first b/c "Mommy" is like a "given" and "Mommy is jut there" My kids did that too--called both of us Abba, or both of us Mommy before finally differentiating. Its annoying but they do grow out of it eventually they won't stop MOOOOMMMMY!!!--even if Abba is in the room!