At What Age Should a Baby Talk?

You love listening to your baby babble and coo, but you can't wait to hear those typical first words "mama" and "dada" and to really begin to communicate with your baby. Language development varies with each child, so some babies may say their first words at 6 months, while others may not talk until after their first birthday. However, most babies will have said their first words by the end of their 12th month.

  1. Early Language Development

    • Babies are learning how to talk long before they ever actually say a word. All that adorable baby babble you love to listen to is actually training for conversation. According to WebMD.com, newborn babies listen to your voice and pick up on tone and inflection. By the end of three months, they begin to coo and learn about making sounds. By the end of six months, most babies are able to make simple sounds such as "bababa" or "dadada." Though most parents may take this to be a baby's first word, most babies don't assign meaning to words until much later.

    First Words

    • Every baby develops at his own pace, but Parenting.com says that most babies will utter their first words between 11 and 14 months, and WebMD.com says that most babies know a couple of simple words by the end of 12 months. At this stage, babies aren't just making sounds; they actually assign meaning to their words and know who they are referring to when they say "mama." Babies at this age typically understand far more language than they can say, and KidsHealth.org points out that most can understand simple directions, such as "Please pick up the toy."

    Other Language Milestones

    • Language skills develop rapidly in the first three years of life. Though it may seem like you've waited forever to hear your baby's first words, once she gets going with talking, you may long for those quieter days. KidsHealth.org claims that toddlers can say about 20 words by 18 months and 50 or more words by the time they are 2. Toddlers should also be forming simple two-word sentences by age 2. In the next year (between 2 and 3), language development skyrockets, with many more words being learned and more complex sentences being formed.

    Helping Your Baby Learn Language

    • You can help your baby learn language by reading to him and talking to him often. You can encourage communication from birth by responding to your baby's cues and the noises he makes. Speak aloud to your baby and narrate what you are doing. Say the names of toys or objects as you use them to help your baby build his vocabulary. KidsHealth.org also recommends reading together as early as 6 months. The truth is, you can start reading to your baby as early as you like because babies love to hear the voices of their parents. Name common items and try to encourage your child to interact with the story by imitating the actions or making sounds as you read the story.

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