It sure seems to me that most first kids have the alphabet down and even know the sounds of each letter be the time they are 18 months. Honestly, this makes me feel like a bad parent since I have not been overzealous about stuff like that but we are working on it. I have to remember that Ahnna started talking later than some kids (which can also make me feel like a bad parent) so she is just now getting into learning the alphabet and she is pretty happy about it as shown below 
Posted by jacqui on October 2, 2009 at 10:03 am
I was worried about my little boy, because when he was two he still didn’t talk, and I felt like a bad parent too. I went to the doctor and she said kids will talk and do things when they are ready. He is almost 2 1/2 and he is talking but still won’t say letters. I wouldn’t worry about it.
Posted by Stacey on October 2, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Wendy, coming from a person who went to school learning about children and their speech patterns and learning about their developmental growth, I gotta tell you to relax a bit and don’t put so much pressure on yourself. By the time a child is 5 they should know their ABC’s and be able to pronounce every sound. Everything between now and then is preparation and they will go through many ups and downs. You will think at times they are regressing but they are actually just trying out sounds to see how their mouth works and how others respond to them. Just encourage them with proper speech patterns and read to them. Reading really is the best basis for learning.
Posted by Jade on October 3, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Sheesh, I haven’t even THOUGHT about the alphabet yet. We’re still working on “Don’t eat that” and “Put that down before you poke your eyes out.” I think as long as we’re still in the survival stage (hers and mine) the alphabet and all other book learning is going to have to wait. So just know, no matter how long it takes you, it’ll take us about two years longer.