From a phonetics standpoint, it's much easier to say mama than dada, says Heather Goad, an associate professor in linguistics at Montreal's McGill University. Mama can be produced by doing little more than closing and opening the mouth, she explains. The D sound requires a more complicated tongue gesture.
Russian linguist Roman Jakobson claims “ the sound of “m” (for “mama”) is easier for babies to make because they tend to do so when their mouths are fastened to a bottle or breast.” But Breyne Moskowitz, PhD, states that nasal sounds such as “m” are actually more difficult and babies are more likely to utter the sound ...
But according to Breyne Moskowitz, PhD, nasal sounds such as “m” are actually more difficult. Between the ages of four and six months, infants start babbling as a way to test their articulatory skills. They're more likely to utter the sound “da” because doing so doesn't require him or her to force air through the nose.
“With that being said, over the course of our history, moms were typically the ones home with their babies and likely talking about dads at work or when dad will come home.” “Research shows that 'dada' is actually a more common first word.
Don't take offense if your baby says dada first, 99.9% of them do, said my pediatrician.
Your toddler might have any number of reasons for why they don't call you mama: Possibility #1 -Conceptually the child has not made the connection between this particular word and his actual mother. Sometimes it's because this word has not been presented to him in the same way that he learns all of his other words.
Every child is different, but if baby isn't saying “mama” and “dada” by 12 to 15 months, flag it for your pediatrician. Most doctors expect children to have mastered those words by that point; for those who haven't, a hearing test or speech therapy may be recommended.
Babies typically say words like 'mama' or 'dada' by 12 months old, so if they're not quite that old yet, you might just need to wait a while longer. Once your baby reaches 12 months of age, try to be patient with them, and rest assured that once your baby can talk, they will talk.
In these months, your baby might say "mama" or "dada" for the first time, and may communicate using body language, like waving bye-bye and shaking their head.
In American English, the 10 most frequent first words, in order, are mommy, daddy, ball, bye, hi, no, dog, baby, woof woof, and banana.
That the hardest sounds for children to learn are often the l, r, s, th, and z is probably not surprising to many parents, who regularly observe their children mispronouncing these sounds or avoiding words that use these letters. Typically, such behavior is completely normal for children.
“Mama,” along with “papa,” “dada” and “baba,” are typical first words of babies the world over, says Sharon Weisz, a Toronto-based speech language pathologist. But that's not because babies are recognizing or naming their parents. It's because those sounds are the easiest for babies to make.
The first consonant sounds are typically 'baba' or 'dada' simply because they are easy sounds to produce." But she says that as early as 6 months, your baby will start to experiment with consonant and vowel sounds, and will start repeating words that are often said to them.
From a phonetics standpoint, it's much easier to say mama than dada, says Heather Goad, an associate professor in linguistics at Montreal's McGill University. Mama can be produced by doing little more than closing and opening the mouth, she explains. The D sound requires a more complicated tongue gesture.
Speech/Language Milestones
Boys tend to develop language skills a little later than girls, but in general, kids may be labeled "late-talking children" if they speak less than 10 words by the age of 18 to 20 months, or fewer than 50 words by 21 to 30 months of age.
At what age do babies start talking? Most babies say their first word sometime between 12 and 18 months of age. However, you'll start to hear the early stages of verbal communication shortly after birth. "From birth to 3 months, babies make sounds.
12 months: Doesn't crawl, stand with support, search for things he sees you hide, say simple words like “mama” or “dada,” gesture (waving hands, shaking head), or point to objects of interest. Loses skills he once had.
Researchers at the U.C. Davis M.I.N.D. Institute and ASHA, have found a child's failure to consistently respond to one's name by their 1st birthday is often one of the most consistent early indicators of autism spectrum disorder and other developmental delays.
Try not to worry if your toddler isn't talking much at 18 months. The age at which children learn to talk can vary widely. If it takes your child a little longer than usual, it shouldn't affect how he develops later on. Ideally, by 18 months, your child should know between six and 20 words, and understand many more.
Most children speak their first word between 10 to 14 months of age. By the time your baby is a year old, he or she is probably saying between one to three words. They will be simple, and not complete words, but you will know what they mean.
Around 13 months, many toddlers have vocabularies that consist of three or four words. Yours can probably say "mama" or "dada," and something like "ta ta," for thank you, "ba" for bottle or ball, and "bye-bye." But don't be upset if she can't.
By 3 months, they will smile back at you. By 4 to 6 months, they will turn to you and expect you to respond when upset. By 7 or 8 months, they will have a special response just for you (they may also be upset by strangers).