Your Baby’s First Word

As new parents do you ever wonder when your baby will learn how to talk in a real language. Babies learning to talk & improve their speech typically happens in the first 3 years of life. We’re going to tell you step by step on how your little one goes from jabbering goo goo guuh guhh to talking in sentences.

0-4 months

When your baby is born, they start assembling information about what language is and learn how it works. Between 0-4 months your baby will start listening to the sounds you make and how you communicate. When your baby starts listening it lays the foundation for the vocabulary to start to materialize which happens at around 4 months.

5-7 months

When your baby first starts speaking it sounds like a bunch of gibberish, what your baby is doing is imitating the sounds of your speech patterns. Between the ages of 5 – 7 months you’ll notice your baby repeating certain sounds. When your little Sweetums is giving you attention, talk to your Sweetums using your daily vocabulary, but pay close attention to one and two syllable words. You’ll notice at this age your baby will tend to babble and use random syllables without no meaning.

8-12 months

At 8-12 months your baby starts to recognize basic words like “hi” and “bye”. Your baby’s language may remain challenging to decipher until the end of their first year. At this age your baby can somewhat understand you and respond to certain things like where’s “bubba” and they go grab their bubba. To help your baby develop their speech faster get them to play word games, ask questions, and name things that you see.

12-18 months

By 12 to 18 months, you may start hearing your baby talk. You will notice that your baby will start to use language in a more decipherable way at this age.

Age 1

By year 1 your baby should be able to use 2 – 3 words. Language progressively starts to really develop around this time. Your baby will be able to express themselves more with words and actions.

Age 2 & 3

By age of 2 - 3 your baby’s vocabulary expands quickly. Your baby should be able to use a combination of more phrases or sentences which usually includes a verb, a subject, and a location. They should be able to use at least 200 words and as many as 1000.

It’s astonishing the information that your child is absorbing, so take your time with them. Relish the amazing moments when your child starts speaking more.