Babies typically begin their journey into speech during the first year of life. Here’s a month-by-month guide to your little one’s speech development:
Birth to 6 Months:
Babies listen from day one, associating sounds with their sources (like barking with the family dog).
Their initial communication is through crying, but soon they’ll use their tongue, lips, and palate to make gurgles and long vowel sounds (such as “oo,” “aa,” and “ee”)—precursors to those exciting first words.
By 4 weeks, they can distinguish between similar syllables like “ma” and “na.”
Around 2 months, they associate certain sounds with specific lip movements1.
4 to 6 Months:
At this stage, your baby’s sighs transform into babbling.
You’ll hear back-of-the-tongue consonant sounds (like “g” and “k”) and lip sounds (such as “m,” “w,” “p,” and “b”).
They’ll focus on familiar words like their own name, “mommy,” and “daddy” as clues to break up sentences.
Around 4.5 months, they may recognize their name, but only as an important word (like “Hi!” or “Bye!”). It’s not until 6 months, at the earliest, that they’ll realize their name refers to them
7 to 12 Months:
Babbling starts to sound more like words.
They intentionally repeat sounds (like “gaga”) over and over.
rewrite; Around 9 months, they understand gestures, pointing, and grunting to indicate their wants.
By 10 months, they gain more control and combine sounds, even inventing their own words.
Around 12 months, most babies say their first word, which could be a greeting (“hi” or “bye-bye”), names (“mama” or “dada”), pets (“doggy” or “kitty”), or food (“cookie,” “juice,” or “milk”)1.
Remember, each child’s development is unique, so these milestones serve as general guidelines. Enjoy celebrating every step of your baby’s language journey!