Babies communicate using sounds and gestures. In the first year of life, babies go from babbling to playing with sounds, copying sounds and putting sounds together. First words might start at around 12 months. Babies start understanding and responding to words in the first year of life.
Babbling evolves over time, and some babies can say mama and dada from six months – although seven to eight months is more common. And then around their first birthday, some babies can say “mama” and “dada” plus another word to construct a mini sentence.
As your baby babbles more expertly, around 6 months old, you may hear word-like sounds such as "ma-ma," "ba-ba," and "da-da." This doesn't count as real talking, though, because your baby doesn't yet understand the meaning of these words. By around 8 to 12 months old, your baby will begin to attach meaning to words.
7 to 12 Months
At about 9 months, they'll start to understand gestures, pointing and grunting to indicate their wants. At about 10 months, they'll gain more control and combine sounds, even using their own invented words. So when do babies usually say their first word? Around 12 months, according to experts.
When it comes to speech, the window of what's considered "normal" is wide open. Your child may start to use sound-words like "mi" for "milk" or "dat" for "that" (as in, "I want that!") as early as 7 months. Or your child might not start to say words or word-sounds until as late as 18 months.
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.
A baby may also begin what psychologists call "jargon" or "pseudo" conversations. Your baby will babble just as if talking in sentences, imitating an adult's speech pattern, facial expression and tone of voice. This conversational babble is another sure sign that your baby is getting ready to talk.
Most babies can say at least one or two words by the end of their first year, but the timing may vary considerably from individual to individual. For instance, experiments indicate that babies understand certain words — like the names of everyday objects — as early as 6 months.
A 6-month-old baby should be able to: Take turns making sounds with you (Source: CDC) Blow raspberry sounds – sticking tongue out and blow (Source: CDC) Make squealing noises (Source: CDC)
Hold your baby close and look at them as you talk to them. Babies love faces and will watch you and respond as you talk. Chat about what you're doing as you feed, change and bathe them. Sing to your baby – this helps them tune in to the rhythm of language.
When to expect it: It could be as early as 6 months, when baby sits up on their own, but clapping is more likely to start closer to 8 or 9 months, Altmann says—and it may take a few more months for baby to master it. According to the CDC, it may take as long as 15 months for a child to master clapping.
At 6 months, your baby will start using sounds to express emotion. She/he may mimic sounds she/he hears, like "ma,” “da,” “ah,” “oh" and even "no!" Your little one will begin to recognize familiar faces, reach and grasp for toys and will soon be crawling — start preparing your home (and yourself) for a mobile child!
At 4 months, a baby typically can hold his/her head steady without support, and at 6 months, he/she begins to sit with a little help. At 9 months he/she sits well without support, and gets in and out of a sitting position but may require help. At 12 months, he/she gets into the sitting position without help.
Babies communicate using sounds and gestures. In the first year of life, babies go from babbling to playing with sounds, copying sounds and putting sounds together. First words might start at around 12 months. Babies start understanding and responding to words in the first year of life.
While children usually say their first word at the age of 1, gifted kids might start as early as 6 to 9 months. Other parents have even reported their children speaking at around 3 months. However, it's important to note that children can be gifted without speaking early, some are even late speakers.
In other words, it's perfectly normal for some babies to reach their talking timelines a little early (or even late), according to Baby Center. In general, the only red flags for caregivers come with greatly delayed speech development. Early talkers, however, do not typically create a cause for concern.
Your baby's first laugh might arrive around one month after their first smile. Though 4 months of age is a common time for laughter to emerge, it could happen at 5, 6 or even 7 months old. So get your phone or camera ready to capture these exciting sounds and endearing facial expressions.
Whitney Casares, a Stanford-trained private practice pediatrician in Portland, Oregon and author of “The Working Mom Blueprint: Winning at Parenting Without Losing Yourself,” says “the 'dada'-then-'mama' progression is more common.” She adds, however, that many researchers believe it might be easier for babies to say ...
The fact that your baby misses you when he is temporarily separated from you is a normal phase of development that virtually all children go through. It's a sign of his increasing maturity and growing understanding of the world around him.
When mothers are the primary attachment, babies are still quite fused to them well into their first year of life. The first separation they see from themself is to their father. Dada is usually the first person they identify outside of the mother and baby bond.
Cooing refers to single-vowel sounds, such as “ooh” and “aah.” Sometimes the noise your baby makes sounds like the word “coo,” which is where the action gets its name. A cooing baby is making their first attempt at expressive language, which is why this is such an exciting development milestone for your little one!
At about two months, your infant may begin cooing and repeating some vowel sounds (ah-ah-ah, ooh-ooh-ooh).