Two-word phrases

What’s happening

Putting two words together — 'more milk,' 'up please' — usually follows once a toddler has a working vocabulary of around 50 words, and it's a real jump from single words toward actual sentences. Words that go together as a set phrase ('thank you', 'bye-bye') don't quite count the same way — the milestone is really about combining two DIFFERENT ideas on their own.

How to support it

• Keep talking, reading, and naming things — vocabulary size is the biggest driver of when two-word phrases start.
• When they say one word, model the two-word version back ('ball' → 'yes, big ball!') without demanding they repeat it.
• Offer real choices in short phrases ('milk or water?') — it gives them language to borrow and a reason to combine words.