My daughter just turned 2 this month. Her vocab consists of about 6 words. No matter how hard I try, and believe me I do, she refuses to try to talk. She is so smart and knows exactly what is going on. She follows commands with no problem. She has a clean bill of health and no hearing problems. I read to her constantly, and never pressure her or let her see me get frustrated. I'm starting to feel guilty thinking that its because she is an only child. If she had another child to interact with daily would she be more vocal? The grunts and cries are never-ending! Is this my fault for not having another child for her to grow up with?:confused:

First, its not your fault!

Children learn to speak usually out of necessity. If they can get their point across by grunting, groaning and pointing, learning to speak actual words becomes much less important. As an adult, you can generally understand what your child is trying to tell you.

Being around other children helps insomuch as they cannot understand as well. Socially, children tend to become more vocal.

No need to rush out and have another child to get this one to talk though. Playgrounds, mother's clubs... even the play area at McDonalds is plenty of interaction to encourage vocal growth.

My mother always said I never felt the need to talk until I was two and then she could never get me to shut up after that.

One thing you need to do is when she points don't just hand her what she wants. Get her to say cookie if she wants a cookie. Automatically doing something for them makes it a convenient way for them not to have to say anything.
When you want to go somewhere or do something don't just go doing it. Say ''Mommy's going to the store you coming along?'' or ''Mommy's hungry for pizza you want pizza too?''
Ask her questions to get her answering.

I was in the same boat. My son was the only child, I am a single mom and he wasn't around many kids. When he was 3 I had him put in speech therapy and between that and preschool... It's almost never ending. She will come around.

You are definitely not doing anything wrong, you sound like you're doing everything that you should be doing, don't worry.

She sounds happy, healthy and bright , be patient and carry on the way you are and let her develop at her own pace, but if you're really worried, make an appointment with your health visitor, it's probably nothing though.

I know someone who didn't crawl or walk, even if a toy rolled out of reach, would just sit there. Then one day, at a children's party, he just got up and walked out of the way of all the bigger kids!

My son was the same as your daughter, healthy and very clever but no matter how much I tried, he couldn't really master the art of language for a long time. He was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome when he was 5, which explains a lot. He can talk very well now but isn't quite at the same level as other 7 year olds. Despite all this, I do not worry about his speech at all, he is very clever and it will catch up eventually. It's best not to worry and be laid back about these things, it will correct itself in time. You're a good mother xx