Babies coo before uttering their first word. The baby’s gestures while attempting to speak are cute, and they do not speak any language like English or Spanish rather babble. So, when do babies say their first word? It is between their 11 and 14 months. You are curious to know the first words of the baby also expecting it to be “mama.” However, the first words cannot be ensured. The lips and tongue of the baby gain dexterity. The little brain of the baby starts matching the names, with the objects present around. Every child is unique and takes its own time to reach the milestones of speaking, but you can help your baby on the path and encourage your baby to talk early.

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When Do Babies Say Their First Word?

The baby starts communication from birth. Initially, the baby’s mode of communication includes crying and the way you respond to the baby lays the foundation for baby’s communication.

Baby At 2 Months: Now the baby responds to your cues. When you shower some honeyed words by looking straight into the baby’s eyes, the baby babbles back in return. Baby starts connecting what it hears and what mouth says. When you adopt, the motherese mode of speaking that is singing a song or high-pitched talk. By doing this, you help your baby remain focused and try decoding your words and sentences.

Baby At 3 Months: A 3 months baby can listen to your voice and watch your face as you speak. The baby is also attentive towards other sounds like noise or music heard in the surroundings. Most of the babies prefer female voice over males. While some of the baby’s love listening to the sounds that the baby heard while in the womb. By 3 months, completion baby easily can coo a happy, repetitive, gentle song vocalization.

Baby At 6 Months: Baby’s sphere of cooing expands, and this includes new sounds as “da-da” or “ba-ba.” The babies probably respond to their names by the end of six or seven months. Additionally, babies are now able to recognize the native language and vary the tone to make you understand that the baby is upset or happy. Some of the curious parents interpret the babbling syllable “da-da” to be a daddy. But, the baby at this age does not attempt to say something logical rather randomly attempts some syllable.

Baby At 9 Months: Get ready to listen to lovely babbling of your baby. Your baby makes vowel sounds and soon the baby will add consonants as well. Within some time, the baby tries imitating the surrounding sounds. Baby can understand some words like “bye,” and “no.”Also, babies use a wide range of tones and sounds.

Baby At 12 Months: Most of the babies can now saw words like “dadaa” and “mama.” The baby also understands what it is saying and responds to your words. Baby can understand your words if not obeying your simple one-step requests like “Please give it back.”

Baby At 18 Months: Baby is now able to speak out 10 simple words. Simultaneously, the baby can point people and objects. And can also point the body parts. The baby now is interested in repeating your words and often repeats the last word of your sentence. You can notice the baby leave out either the first or the last part of the word while speaking. Baby usually calls a “dog” as “daw” and noodles as “noo-noos.”

Baby At 2 Years: The babies start stringing the words, you can listen to them saying “Mama bye-bye” and “me milk.” They speak up small phrases consisting of two or four words. The baby not only learns about the name of the objects around say, for instance, “cup” but also understand the abstract idea like “mine.”

Baby At 3 Years: Baby’s vocabulary rapidly expands by the age of 3 years. The baby can better understand some of the abstract words like “feelings like happy,” and “now.” Also, the spatial concepts like “out.”

Promoting Baby Talk

Interact with the baby every time while bathing the baby, simply point to the shampoo and tell the baby it is “shampoo.” This helps the baby to build its vocabulary. Initially, the baby may not be able to comprehend your words. But, gradually the senses of the baby get stimulated and, in the long run, this helps to build baby’s interest in reading books. Sing to the baby, as babies naturally love music, the song is a great way to get them introduced to a wide variety of sounds. Games like peekaboo and so big help baby to improve its listening skills, imitation and turn-taking and these are prerequisites to start a conversation. When baby coos at you simply babble in reply say, for instance when the baby says “hoo hoo” you can use similar words in reply like “hoo boo, Where Are You?” This gives the baby a fun experience to learn the language and the baby love it. Before you start babbling back pause for some time and let, your baby hold the rhythm to get the feel of a true conversation.

Baby’s First Words

You can hear the baby’s first word probably on the first birthday of the baby. It is one of the memorable gifts from the baby to the mama. By the age of 16 months, baby can tell a couple of words. On an average, it is 30 for boys and 50 for girls. Usually, boys tend to develop speech one or two months later than girls.

During this age, each baby develops at their rate of speech growth. However, you can continue your baby motivating to speak. When you are reading a book with your baby, talk to the baby about the content on the page. Make sure the baby gets enough narrative session during playtime. If the baby enjoys a certain game with the help of the game, make the baby learn associating verbs to function and words to the objects.

Do not foresee every desire of the baby and fulfill it in advance. Say, for instance, as the sippy cup gets low do not volunteer yourself to fill it before the baby tells you. Make animal sounds like monkey or cow or a cat. As animal talks are simple for the toddlers to learn as the language do not have consonants.

Baby’s First Sentences

As your baby starts using small phrases like “want ball” or “more milk” promote the baby to talk more. You can ask the baby to describe the pictures in the book. By doing this, you are reinforcing the baby’s vocabulary. But make sure you are not frustrating the baby. If the baby feels quizzed and irritated, the baby may simply clam up from the place.

Make the baby learn through repetition technique. If your baby says “Doggy barks” repeat it for your baby as “yes, the dog barks.”

Build Up Baby’s Vocabulary

When the baby reaches 2 years of age, the baby can understand a complex sentence. Also, baby can use more adjectives, prepositions, and pronouns. Finally, now you both can have a real talk, something you waited for so long.

Do not correct the baby instead repeat the sentence in the correct form. If the baby tells “Dad goed out” you can tell him “Yes, Dad went out.” On the contrary, allow the baby to correct you, make silly mistakes intentionally as your kid loves to correct it. Say, for instance, hold the baby’s shirt and tell him “let’s put on the pant now.”

Give the baby some pause during conversation. Do not finish the baby’s sentence by yourself give the baby some time to do it. Once you ask a question give some time for the baby to think and come up with the answer. Allow the baby to think about what it has to say.

Ask the baby to tell you some stories. Like the place baby visited the last may be a zoo. You can ask the baby to recollect the memories of the zoo by imposing certain questions like what the baby saw there. Do not expect too much from the baby you can receive simple answers like “A Bird.”

Teach The Baby Speaking

Baby can understand your words clearly long before they start speaking clearly. Most of the babies use a word or two to speak even if the baby can understand up to 25 words.

Watch: If your baby is reaching out both the arms to pick up a toy, food or something the baby needs. This is where you can help the baby to talk. When the baby pushes her plate away to tell you, it is enough. Smile at the baby while looking into the eyes and respond to these early nonverbal gestures helping the baby to talk.

Listen: Have a listening ear to your baby’s babble and coo. Additionally, respond to the baby by repeating the same sounds. Babies also try to respond to your sound and try to understand the variation in tone. And they try to imitate the parents and try to understand the language they hear often. Help your baby develop speaking by giving it some time and being patient.

Praise: Even the smallest attempt made by your baby should be recognized and appreciated. However, the baby’s talk may be random and confusing. Your reaction helps baby to acquaint itself with the power of talking.

Imitate: Babies love parent’s tone and way of speaking. As baby listen parents talking to them frequently, the baby are motivated to develop talking. More you talk with the baby using baby talk and correcting it babies more easily learn the language and speaking.

Elaborate: Elaborate the baby’s gestures. When the baby bangs the table, don’t just give the baby more food but ask the baby “Do you want more food?” And serve then.

Narrate: Talk to the baby about your action. As you are dressing, feeding or changing the baby tell the baby what you are doing. “Now let me put on this red shirt and red looks great on you,” and “I am preparing a meal for you.” It helps baby to connect the actions, object, and speech.

Hanging Around: If you do not understand your baby’s talk. Repeat what you think it would be to your baby and take the baby’s opinion as to if it is right. Make your baby recognize that every speak of the baby is awarded.

Let The Baby Lead: While playing with your baby follow the baby’s interests and communications. This makes the baby understand communication is two-way and the baby now knows listening and following forms part of communication.

Play: As your little one turn toddler, encourage playing, imagining and pretending few things that help the baby to develop verbal skills.

Read Loudly: Lifetime readers evolve from these little kids. At this age, it is important to cultivate a fun atmosphere for learning.

Speech Delay

In case, if you feel your baby is facing speech delay then you can contact your doctor to take the necessary treatment. Speech delay may be due to a many reasons. Diagnosing speech delay at the earliest helps the baby to get the necessary treatment before reaching the school age. As treating speech delay takes a lot of time than the time required for diagnosis. After you consult your doctor here are few things to help you:

Hearing Test

Three among the thousand babies born suffer from hearing loss. Hearing loss can be a potential cause for delayed speech. A majority of the states test the baby for hearing loss soon after the birth. After 3 months, you can take your baby to the test for hearing loss if the baby had not cleared the initial test.

Consult A Speech-Language Pathologist

Speech specialist will be able to identify and treat the specific speech delay problem and voice disorders. The treatment includes some guidance to the parents and some games that help the baby counteract the problems in speaking. Additionally, it also improves the baby’s language skills.

Developmental Screening

About 17% of the children in US face behavioral or developmental disability such as intellectual disability, autism, and mental retardation. You can ask the pediatrician to screen if there are any developmental problems causing speech delay.

Encourage your baby talking by cooing and babbling in return. Sing for your baby and make some sounds of animals. Respond positively by appreciating every little effort of the baby towards speaking. Your behavior forms a building block in improving baby’s talk.