My toddler isn’t talking yet — what should I do first?

Step 1: rule out hearing

Glue ear — fluid behind the eardrum, usually after repeated colds — is one of the most common causes of speech delay and completely invisible day to day: children with glue ear still turn to loud sounds. Ask your GP for a hearing test referral; it's quick, painless, and either finds a fixable cause or crosses the biggest variable off the list.

Step 2: get support moving in parallel

Tell your health visitor what you're seeing (words used, understanding shown, gestures, pointing). Ask specifically about local speech and language therapy drop-ins — many areas run them without referral — and put your name down even if you're told to wait and see, because waiting lists move slower than development.

Step 3: change the language environment, not the child

• Narrate your actions and theirs in short sentences.
• Pause noticeably after you speak — processing takes toddlers longer than feels natural.
• Offer choices ("apple or banana?") which invite a word, rather than quizzes ("say apple!") which invite refusal.
• Picture cards cut frustration while words catch up — pointing at a card for "drink" beats a meltdown, and using them does not delay speech; the evidence points the other way.