When Do Babies Start Talking? A timeline for milestones, first words & more
Although your baby won't be having a conversation with you at 3 months of age (that'd be crazy), they are certainly taking in everything you are saying to them. This is one of the reasons why it is important to talk to them as if they are a talker.
It feels silly at first, but trust me, these babies are tiny little sponges soaking up everything! (Yep, even those sighs and eye rolls which they’ll be tossing right back at you when they turn into sassy 2-year-olds).
For now, asking questions, pointing out things around the house, and simply reading books to them are great ways to help them with language development.
And before you know it, their first word, ‘mama’, will turn into “Mum, Mum, Mum” in a single breath. And you pick them up from school and spend the whole drive home listening to a monologue with every little detail about Suzie’s new pups and Adam’s latest antics.
The beginnings of a child's speech development
Just like your baby has to crawl before they can walk, they have to engage in baby babble before they can ‘talk the talk.’
And those sweet coos and gurgling noises are the beginnings of language for your baby that lead to the baby’s first words.
Before your toddler can learn how to say ‘no,’ and form an argument on why they should have cake for breakfast, they need to practice. Cue in ‘babbling’ (That’s just them building up their argument!)
On a more serious note, babbling is a critical and perhaps the most adorable milestone that marks the start of communication.
Before babies start talking, they learn to make different sounds and focus on the facial expressions of their caretakers to see how they respond, which is how they build social relationships.
This is also how they learn the rules of language.
By simply noticing how you react to their sounds and your conversational patterns, your child learns how to communicate. This starts from the very beginning of their life, and why it’s so important to interact with your baby, despite it seeming like a one-sided conversation.
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The timeline for talking
2-3 months: Expect your baby to make coos at around 2 to 3 months old.
4 months: Babbling will start at around 4 months of age – typically with lots of ‘p’, ‘b’ and ‘m’ sounds. Gurgling noises will also be heard at this stage, generally during play or excitement.
12 months: Most babies start talking or saying their first word around the 12-month mark, maybe even using 2-3 words with meaning.
How to support your baby's speech and language development
Talk and talk
Engage in conversation with your baby as much as possible: point things out, name different toys, and generally interact with them. The more you talk, the better it is for your baby’s language development in the future.
While a baby might be able to learn new words from television, they won’t be able to learn the art of communication by simply watching. Hearing a parent’s speech in response to theirs will motivate your baby and help them understand their own language skills.
Give your baby time to process and understand words
Pause after you say something, so that your baby has the time to process what you’ve said, and even respond with a sound. Remember to teach at your baby’s pace, they are using a lot of energy and brain power to try and keep up with you.
Language sounds
Use different tones whilst reading them a book, this will encourage learning of new sounds. When you read, your baby will hear you express different emotions – encouraging social and emotional development. This will encourage language skills when your baby tries to mimic sounds and therefore learn new words.
Decipher your baby’s attempts
Try to decode your baby’s language – i.e. if your baby says a combination of sounds such as ‘ma ma ma’, you might look around and say ‘Oh, are you looking for your bottle? Here is your bottle’.
Sing together
Sing to your baby or listen to music together to flesh out their language skills and confidence.
Common first words
From birth till the time babies reach a stable age of toddlerhood, their vocabulary grows exponentially, and speech develops, although their rate of development may vary from age to age.
Birth to 3 months
During this phase, babies typically communicate using a mix of cries and coos, depending on what they try to convey. These cries and coos pave the foundation of speech development, which occurs later in the child’s life and are the building blocks of verbal communication.
By 12 months
By their first birthday, a lot of babies start talking. Whether they just say their first word or get their head around just a few words. This stage will probably stick to a handful of repetitive words, but these are still crucial for daily activities and problem-solving. A standard list of words in a child’s vocabulary by the age of 1 includes words like
- Mama
- Baba
- Yes and no
By this age, the words are simple and easy but still hold enough significance to communicate with others, especially their parents/caregivers.
When a baby turns 1.5-2 years old, baby talk involves using relatively simple words, but they can still combine two words to form short sentences. By around 18 months, they may have 5-10 naming words like “dog, cat, car.”
By age 2, your child will likely use around 50-150+ words and be able to say two-word phrases. For example, they may be able to say ‘want more’ or ‘no cheese’. You will still have to do some decoding to understand exactly what they mean sometimes – but that’s half the fun!
By age 3, your child will likely be able to combine three words together. They may say things like ‘get in car’ or ‘go to park’. And hey, their speech will generally be understandable. Nice! At this point they’ll have a large bank of around 1000 words.
What factors affect your baby's ability to talk?
Numerous factors can affect your baby’s ability to talk, both negatively and positively. Being aware of these factors can help you understand how to facilitate your child’s speech development and can aid you both in the process.
1. Parental interaction
Parents need to interact with their kids frequently and engage them in mentally stimulating conversations and activities. Children can grasp speech from their environment, and when parents are communicative and expressive, they can quickly pick up words and sounds. Moreover, the better speech quality parents use with children, the better their learning and speaking ability will likely be. When it comes to baby talk, experts say that whilst it’s helpful when a child has no idea of what any words mean – by the age of 15 months, they’ll need a bit more language modeling.
2. Medical factors
Certain medical conditions can affect a baby’s speech skills and can affect language milestones. Frequent ear infections, for example, can impact hearing, affecting how quickly babies begin grasping words and can cause language delays.
3. Social interaction
The environment can have a considerable impact on how and when your baby begins talking. If a child is exposed to an environment with engaging and stimulating experiences, like other children, TV shows, and other grown-ups, their speech learning can have a positive impact.
FAQ's: Let's talk baby talk
1. When will my baby say their first word?
Your baby will likely say their first word by their first birthday (cute, right?); it might not be immediately clear what they are saying, but you will notice that it is definitely intentional. They might be able to point to a familiar object and name it, or respond to a request such as ‘Would you like more carrots?’ by answering ‘yes’ or nodding.
Should your baby say a word like ‘ball’ or ‘dada’, it is worth encouraging the conversation so that this word is repeated throughout. Encourage your baby in any way you can to keep going. After all, repetition is a technique used in many areas of learning and has shown incredible success in language development.
2. How important is reading to your baby?
Not a fan of baby books, huh?
Well, research proves that babies who have been read to in the early months have better language comprehension, more expressive vocabularies, and higher cognition scores by age 2 – than those who were not read to. (Plus, it’s good for you too, so pick up a few fun ones and add it to your schedule!)
If you hand your 6-month-old a board book to interact with on their own, they’re not likely to read it to themselves, are they? No, it will probably end up straight in their mouth and become their new favourite teether. And what about your newborn? They’re not following the storyline, so is it really necessary to spend the time reading to them?
Reading to your baby, even though they may not be riveted by the story yet, can drastically improve listening skills, attention span, and memory and is very important for general stimulation. Hearing different stories will also help to build a rich network of words in your baby’s brain. It’s also so important for bonding and connection.
Try to set aside time to read every day, i.e. before a nap or bedtime. This will help to establish a nice routine that will continue well into childhood. Reading aloud for a few minutes at a time is enough, so be sure not to overcomplicate it.
The best books for babies are ones that have simple, repetitive text and clear pictures.
3. How do babies learn to talk?
Great question!
A baby’s speech development is highly influenced by what they hear and learn from their environment, and some of it can also be credited to their genetic disposition.
In their first six months of life, babies make cooing sounds as they begin to understand speech from the people around them and their interactions with others.
As babies age, their speech skills improve by watching others. Initially, they learn and use a few simple words. You can help your child with their speech by ensuring that you spend time talking to them, using nursery rhymes to entertain them and build their listen skills, or even singing songs.
4. When do babies talk in sentences?
When most babies enter the 18-24 months age bracket, they can typically start talking in short, two-word sentences. Between the ages of 2-3 years, babies can begin making coherent sentences, using three-word sentences, or even more, and can learn language fairly quickly.
Language red flags and speech delays
Signs of speech delay
- Not babbling: A lack of babbling can be a sign of speech delay, so it is essential to be cautious of your baby’s ability to babble by 7 to 12 months. In case of any delays or concerns, the best is to have an early intervention to avoid problems in the future.
- Limited speech sounds: Speech delay can be identified from a child’s speech sounds. If a baby does not use a variety of speech sounds or struggles to imitate speech sounds effectively, it can be a cause of concern.
- Limited understanding of spoken words: By their first birthday, kids can typically understand basic instructions like “don’t do this” and “come here”, or recognise when their name is being called. If a child is unable to understand or cope with basic communication, like “You want mummy?” or “Where is daddy?”, “need milk?” by the age of 24 months, consulting a doctor.
If, by the age of 18-24 months, a child struggles with short sentence formation or is hesitant to use words, consult a doctor or child health nurse about speech delays.
Loss of previously acquired speech
Milestones progression is one way to ensure that your child is not having any developmental delays. In such cases, if there is language regression, professional evaluation may become necessary to rule out the possibility of developmental issues.
Are bilingual children delayed talkers?
Being exposed to multiple languages simultaneously does not have any known disadvantages or have any on-record link with speech development in children (despite speculation).
Bilingual kids, like most kids, can speak two or more languages simultaneously and pronounce their first word by the time they are 12 months old. However, some research states that bilingual children may start to speak at a slower pace than their monolingual peers.
When to seek help
Paying close attention to your child’s speech, how your baby behaves with other children when communicating, their vocabulary, and their confidence can help you identify signs of speech delay early. If you notice warning signs, like avoiding communication or eye contact, preferring gestures and pointing over speaking, or getting frustrated when trying to communicate by 12 months, you may need to consult your doctor to rule out developmental delays.
If you’re concerned about your baby’s speech and language development, you should have your GP or child and family health nurse evaluate them. Here are some things to look out for:
- An infant who isn’t responding to a sound or isn’t vocalising by 6 to 9 months of age.
- Between 12 to 24 months, toddlers who are not using gestures such as waving, pointing, or prefer gestures than using any sound at all.
Wrapping it up
To answer your question of “when do babies start talking?”, babies say their first words at all different points. Typically, you can expect those precious first words around the 1.5-2 year mark, but there will be variations for different journeys. Until then, enjoy the slow burn of their tiny coos, passionate babbles, and funny expressions. You won’t get this chapter back, unless you’re down for number two (and even then, every kid is different!).
For recommendations on the best books to read to your baby or toddler, visit the Kiindred App and search our Book Club in the Homefeed.
Sources
Speech development in children, Healthdirect. Available at: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/speech-development-in-children
Learning to talk, Pregnancy, Birth, & Baby. Available at: https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/learning-to-talk
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