Anyone experience this with their child learning to talk?

Yup, its pretty common!

My nephew used to call a phone a wah wah. I always secretly thought my sister got off the phone from speaking to our mum and said wah wah wah. Never voiced that opinion.

I think its pretty common for kids to "make up" words for things. Just repeat the correct wording back to them but I bet you end up calling the thing by its "made up" word. We did with Wah Wah & Phone.

My 14 month old is adamant a car is a bar bar.

Edit: Hrmm i'm wondering if you're the Poppy that was pregnant around the same time I was with my son. I was due 31 Oct 08. Funny because now i'm due not long before you again if you are the same Poppy.

It is baby talk. Babies have their own language until they are usually 2 years old then they start losing it. Ever watched the movie Baby Geniuses where they were trying to figure out baby language well there really are studies done on it and they have proved that babies really do have their own language in the beginning not really any different than other countries having their own language. Eventually they pick up on more english words and start forgetting the baby talk. My 15 month old can say words but he will still point and babble something then go back to using regular words again.

I don't have children (I'm 16), but when my little brother was learning to talk he did that all the time! It's really common for young children to have their own "language". This is because babies can't pronounce certain sounds the way adults can. Usually they can't pronounce 'R' 'W' 'Ooo' 'Uh' etc.

My brother used to say 'ata' instead of 'water' because he couldn't get the W or the R. I think your son is probably just mimicking however you would say 'I want' in the only way he can. In short, it's nothing to worry about.

Hope that helps :)

My daughter used non-language vocal cues when she wanted something, too. And beyond making up "words," she has also made up signs and gestures to get her needs met - she started doing that after we introduced sign language at 16 months. They learn quickly that if you respond to them, whatever they have said works. After figuring out her cues and asking "Do you want a banana?" (etc.) when she would ask for something, she is now able to say short phrases to get her wants and needs met - i.e., "Want banana." She's 23 months, and although she hadn't said one intelligible word by 16 months (hence the introduction of sign language), her speech exploded somewhere between the 18 and 20 month mark. She can now say several short sentences.

Its normal....they cant say the actual words they wont so they come up with their own words. My brothers name is Jason and he couldnt say it so he called himself Sena for the longest time. Its just their way of trying to get a point across. And it worked...when he says "naing" you know it means he wants it.

haha, yeah. my son started pointing at things and saying 'wah-dah' -- I think he means 'what's that?' I was trying my darndest to get him to point (he still just gestures at things with his whole hand) so I'd point at something and say 'what's that?' to him and then say, 'that's a tree,' 'that's snow,' 'that's a car,' etc. mine is 11 months old.

from what I read, it counts as an actual word. as long as you know what it means and he's using it consistently and at the proper time, it's a word. congrats.

i used to babysit a little boy. he was about 3 or 4? so at that age that age they have a very big vocabulary usually. his mom and dad both spoke english. no other language. this boy sounded like he was speaking german. i couldnt understand a thing. it was all so wierd. i even recorded it to show my mom cuz i was like in shock. everything was soooo wierd he said!!!! and the little 1 year old didnt say one thing. no talking to himself or blabbering at all. nothing. but its very strange to me. i found it just soooo wierd!!!! im not sure what it is but they say babies are "wired" at birth to understand every language. so maybe the saw a commercial or heard a nieghbor? i dunno. but yeah. hope i helped? lol