When Do Babies Say Their First Word: What Parents Can Expect
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When do babies start talking? – This is a question that many parents stress over, and it becomes even trickier once they start comparing their little one’s progress with others.
Before we dive into specifics, let’s clear the air – there is no exact time when babies say their first words! The speech and language development journey is different for every baby, and each moves at their own pace. For instance, some might say their first “mama” around the eighth month, while others take longer than that. Simply put, if your baby is still babbling on, there’s nothing to worry about – once they get talking, getting them to stop will be the challenge!
Still, most parents want a little bit more detail on when do babies say their first word, and that’s exactly what Stelle is bringing to you! In this guide, you’ll find a simple month-by-month timeline to help you understand when will infants start talking, as well as useful strategies to help with their language development. Our goal is to make you feel confident and supported in this journey, no matter how long it takes!
Baby Speech Development Timeline
Birth-3 Months: Coos and sighs. Your baby will start responding to your voice.
4-6 Months: Laughs, squeals, different pitches. This is when you will hear the first babbles (“ba”, “ma”, “goo”)
7-12 Months: Babbling gets more intentional, and your baby might start imitating sounds. Many parents start asking when do babies say their first word around this time.
13-18 Months: Says a few words like “mama” and “dada”. Understands simple instructions and uses gestures.
19-24 Months: Knows about 50+ words. They may start pairing them together like “mama eat”.
25-30 Months: Speaks in simple phrases, follows basic instructions, and asks simple questions.
3 Years: More complex sentences, clearer speech, bigger vocabulary.
4-5 Years: Clearly understandable sentences, storytelling, a lot of questions – including the infamous “Why?”
How To Teach Your Baby To Talk
As previously mentioned, speech development is different for every child, but there are ways you can help them progress. Best of all, you don’t need any tools for it – just your voice and lots of gestures!
If you’re curious about what age do babies start talking and want to help your little one communicate, the following strategies can make a world of difference.
1. Talk More To Your Baby
Speak In “Parentese”
Parentese is the “language” adults usually use when they talk to their little ones. Although it might sound a bit odd, it actually boosts your baby's language skills, and helps answer the big question – when do babies start talking? Regular speech may not be so interesting to infants, which is why you should use a slower rhythm when talking, and really exaggerate your vowels.
Narrate Your Day
While you're feeding, bathing, or preparing your baby to go out, explain what you’re actually doing. Over time, they will start absorbing these “steps” and use them as instructions later on. This kind of exposure leads to big milestones, including when do babies say their first word.
Repetition
When you’re teaching your infant how to talk, repeat the same words as much as possible (don’t use variations just yet). Mention objects, repeat phrases, and echo their babbles. Repetition paves the way to meaning, which further supports when will infants start talking naturally.
Expand Their Sounds
If your baby says “ba” a lot, expand it so it forms an actual word like “ball”. Bonus points if you give them the object you’re talking about!
2. Create A Speech-Friendly Environment
Reduce Background Noise
If you have any distractions and background noise when you’re talking to your baby, try to silence them so it’s only your voice they hear. A strong listening environment encourages earlier progress in when do kids start talking.
Get Down To Eye Level
Face-to-face movements help your little one study mouth movements and facial expressions.
Encourage Gestures
Babies love it when you talk with your hands! Wave, point, clap – anything that grabs your little one’s attention.
3. Read and Sing Every Day
Board Books
Short, colorful books help babies associate pictures with words. Try naming objects slowly and clearly.
Nursery Rhymes
Rhymes teach rhythm and repetition, plus, babies love them! Be prepared to sing Old McDonald on repeat!
Sound Imitation Games
Why not make a game out of imitating sounds? When you say “moo”, “boo”, or “coo”, encourage your baby to do the same. This game of sounds will quickly transform into actual words.
4. Encourage Interaction
Ask Simple Questions
During play time, ask your child simple questions like “Where’s the dog?”. Even if they don’t answer correctly, the act of them looking for it is already a success.
Turn-Taking Games
Pass a toy back and forth, or take turns making sounds. This simple action teaches the young ones what it’s like to have a real conversation.
Play Pretend
Playing pretend is fun to do even as an adult! So, every time you’re pretending to drive a car, make an ear-catching “Vrooooom” sound while you’re holding an imaginary wheel.
5. Make It Fun
Name Objects During Play
Every time your baby picks up a toy, name it. Fun, natural labeling boosts vocabulary long before when do babies start talking.
Action Songs
Songs with motions included help them link words to actions. “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” and “Itsy, Bitsy Spider” may become your most listened-to tracks of the year!
Animal & Vehicle Sounds
Most children imitate playful sounds before real words – an important stepping stone toward when do kids start talking.
What To Do If Your Baby Isn’t Talking Yet
Many parents worry about what age do babies start talking, but as you can see, this process includes a combination of gestures, social cues, imitation, and more. Naturally, this may be a little overwhelming to some babies, which is why they take longer to talk.
Firstly, don’t worry if your baby doesn’t hit the benchmarks mentioned above – they will in their own time. But, there’s still something you can do to help them out along the way.
Look at Total Communication
Babbling, pointing, waving, responding to names, making eye contact, and showing understanding all count. These signs show your baby’s language journey is in progress.
Increase Exposure
More face-to-face time, more reading, and more conversation lead to steady growth. Continue offering rich language experiences and playful communication.
Watch for Gradual Progress
Even tiny changes like new syllables, more babbling, and new gestures, are meaningful steps toward speaking. Remember – words are just parts of the process, not the whole picture.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever wondered when do kids start talking or felt unsure about your child’s language development, know that you’re doing a lot more than you know! Your gestures, babbles, and everything in-between contribute to their speech, so stay patient and celebrate every milestone, no matter how small it is.
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