Its not uncommon for baby #2 to be much slower in language. I hope you're not worried. My Baby #2 barely spoke at age 2. I would buy books. Reading is always good along with pointing out the pictures. Lift the flap types are popular too.

books, games, toy telephones, things that are interactive and require more than one person to play.

It's true that a younger child sometimes talks later and/or less often than the older sibling. Sometimes because everyone knows what they want before they have to say it, or the older one talks for the younger, or the older talks a lot and the younger can't get a word in. My brother and I are 31 and 30 now, I'm the oldest, and it is still a family joke that I do a lot of talking and does next to none. I still get blamed for not letting him talk when we were kids! LOL!

Puppets and stuffed animals might encourage talking while playing, too.

I agree interaction with the parent playing with the puppet, reading to the child, having picture books with large realistic looking pictures that you can point at and name the objects and your child will pick this up seem to work well in word learning and communication for young children. A good way to teach children anything is to find a song about it. They learn so much by way of listening and participating in singing.

The telephone is an excellent choice I think. You yourself should sit down with your child and talk into the phone to a Grandparent or someone the child knows. This should create some interest in communication.

There is not a game, toy or anything out there that can teach a child to talk as well as you the parent can. Think of ways to interact with your child. After showing pictures in the picture book. Ask the child by point to the picture, ball? and pointing at other object like a chair and saying -What is this? Chair. He/she should start to pick up these words. Like I said find a tape with songs on it. Singing is so fun for children. He/she could start singing before actually conversing with you :-)
Good luck!
~Lynn~

My son didn't talk a lot, and his speech wasn't the clearest. He was fine, there was nothing wrong. But then we spent a week w/o his older sister (3.5 years older) and WOW! Suddenly he got air time! A chance to practice! Mommy's undivided attention! Made a huge difference.

There's an old joke/fable/legend (it isn't true) about either Einstein or Freud (varies depending on who's telling it). The child doesn't speak until he's three. Then, suddenly, when the parents have given up, the child at lunch one day says, his first words, "Mother, the soup is cold." "If you can talk so well, why haven't you spoken before now?" they ask in amazement. "Everything was fine until now," comes the child's reply.

Since everyone else is talking, etc., he doesn't really need to. (or get to)

My DS talks the most when he is playing with one of those Fisher Price Lil' people play sets. And its great to interact with them as well, using conversational skills and asking questions, etc... priceless!

Also, when my son was 7 months old we started teaching him sign language. (we both used it daily in our occupations) We found it very beneficial in allowing him, at a very early age to communicate with us.

I can't remember everything my son was saying at the age your son is, but I think it was after 2 that the speech picked up. He's now 31 months and the words and popping out like crazy! Give your son a few months. He may not be a real big talker and he might just not be really into being verbal right now. When you go for your son's 2 year check-up at the doctors, see if things are better. I think if he's not saying between 15-20 words by then, the doctor may suggest a hearing test just to be sure. I hope one day you wake up and hear lots of words pouring out of his mouth!

~Leslie~

Thanks for all the suggestions. Tamara mentioned the sign language. He has developed some of his own signs. For pottying, and bye, and other things (even though he can say the word, "bye, he chooses to wave most times). He can say several words, we just don't hear them often. He says them when he isn't concentrating on them. He may say a new word then we won't hear it again for a few weeks. My other little boy went through a stage of imitating. we would say a word, then he would, and go back and forth that way. Our youngest, hasn't seem to gone through it yet. Just last night I heard him use 2 words together for the first time, "need more" we were eating, haha. Hopefully, he will come along, just want to help him as much as I can.

Just talk talk talk to him & definitely read. Kids learn from from hearing, observing & practicing.

I asked a speech therapist about my granddaughter who wasn't speaking clearly (or that much) when she was 2 3/4. I was told not to worry about it until she turned 3 and nothing changed.

When she turned 3, two months ago, she started talking up a storm and hasn't stopped. Her speech is also quite clear.

They say that is often what happens. They absorb so much during the 'delayed-talking' years, that they just all of a sudden uncork, and never stop! :-)