Language development: Speech milestones for babies | Baby Talking Timeline: A Month-By-Month Guide to Speech Development | 0 TO 2 years
Having a baby is one of the most exciting times of your life. But it seems almost as soon as your little bundle of joy is born, you inevitably begin to ask questions like: “When will my baby say his or her first words?” “How soon will my baby say mama?” and “Exactly when will my baby begin to talk?”
If you are a first-time parent and perhaps have spent limited to no time around babies or newborns, then you likely have no idea when your baby should reach this important developmental milestone. Don’t worry. As a first-time parent, there are many baby talking milestones that you have to look forward to, and they all come during specific stages of development.
Eventually, at around 4 months old (for most babies, but not all), before they gain the ability to form words, babies try their best to imitate the sounds that they hear, mostly from their parents or other people around them. This is referred to as baby babble.
By the end of 3 months
By the end of three months, your child might:
- Smile when you appear
- Make cooing sounds
- Quiet or smile when spoken to
- Seem to recognize your voice
- Cry differently for different needs
By the end of 6 months
By the end of six months, your child might:
- Make gurgling sounds when playing with you or left alone
- Babble and make a variety of sounds
- Use his or her voice to express pleasure and displeasure
- Move his or her eyes in the direction of sounds
- Respond to changes in the tone of your voice
- Notice that some toys make sounds
- Pay attention to music
By the end of 12 months
By the end of 12 months, your child might:
- Try imitating speech sounds
- Say a few words, such as "dada," "mama" and "uh-oh"
- Understand simple instructions, such as "Come here"
- Recognize words for common items, such as "shoe"
- Turn and look in the direction of sounds
By the end of 18 months
By the end of 18 months, your child might:
- Recognize names of familiar people, objects, and body parts
- Follow simple directions accompanied by gestures
- Say as many as 10 words
By the end of 24 months
By the end of 24 months, your child might:
- Use simple phrases, such as "more milk"
- Ask one- to two-word questions, such as "Go bye-bye?"
- Follow simple commands and understand simple questions
- Speak about 50 or more words
- Speak well enough to be understood at least half the time by you or other primary caregivers