When Do Children Start Saying Words?

Speech in the First Year

• Typically a baby starts engaging in pretend talk somewhere between 6 months and 1 year old; she'll babble back to you in response to your words or seem to be speaking a language of her own. She may utter her first recognizable word before her first birthday; "mama," "dada" and "uh-oh" are common first words, according to MayoClinic.com. She should also show understanding of some language before she turns 1. According to HealthyChildren.org, most babies at 12 months old respond when hearing their names called and point and make noises at objects that they want. If your baby hasn't yet said her first word before her first birthday, don't panic -- many children are slow to speak, but develop normally once they begin.

Speech in the Second Year

• Many experts point to the 18-month mark as the point at which most children have spoken their first words. In fact, most 18-month-olds have a vocabulary of about 20 words, says KidsHealth.org, and know 50 or more words by their second birthdays. Typically an 18-month-old also recognizes names of objects and people and can follow simple directions related to them; for instance, she can "point to the ball" or "go to Grandma" when instructed. By the time she turns 2, a child can usually combine two or three words into short sentences. Her pronunciation may be be unclear, especially to people who don't know her well, but should steadily improve over time.

Encouraging Speech

• Ultimately your child will speak when she's ready, and no amount of pleading and urging from you will make it happen until then. Your can encourage her burgeoning language skills in a few critical ways, though. Your job: help her connect gestures and actions with their names, and show her how words can help get her what she needs. Provide running commentary on your child's actions. Say things like "Now we'll roll the ball. Now Mommy has the ball, now baby has the ball." Name the things she uses and points to, suggests ZerotoThree.org. When she wants a drink or snack, say "Do you want juice?" Eventually she'll learn that saying "juice" makes you head for the fridge. Read to her every day, even before her first birthday, pointing to pictures of objects as you name them.

When to Seek Help

• One in five children has some speech delay, says HealthyChildren.org, and doesn't begin using words as early as her peers. The reasons for a speech delay vary; children who are slow to speak might have other development issues or suffer from hearing problems. In many cases, a child with delayed speech is perfectly healthy. Still, it's wise to contact your pediatrician with any concerns. Ask for help if your child isn't using gestures or pointing to objects by her first birthday, advises KidsHealth.org, or if she hasn't spoken her first word by 18 months old. Your doctor may want to test your child's hearing and have her evaluated by a speech therapist. If a problem exists, early intervention can get your child back on track.