The average toddler says a handful of words by his first birthday, and continues adding a few on a daily basis. Neuroscientists have figured out that once your little one has mastered roughly 50 words, a language explosion will begin and he’ll regularly surprise you with new adorably pronounced (or mispronounced) words.

Most children say more than 150 by the time they’re 20 months old, 300 or so by their second birthday. But if mums the word at your house, don’t panic. Like most developmental milestones, kids learn to talk at their own pace, In fact an estimated 10 percent of toddlers talk later than do their peers.