Your baby’s first words
It is such an exciting time when your little one starts to say their first words! It can also be a time that triggers some uncertain feelings as a parent. You may even start to question every little sound that comes out of their mouth. We are hoping to take away some of that mystery by discussing when to expect a first word, what counts, how to teach them and what to do if those first words aren’t coming out.
When do first words develop?
Babies start saying their first words around 12 months old, however they likely have many other ways of communicating with you because they actually have been learning to communicate since birth.
There are some things that babies do that tell us they will start using words soon:
- Point, laugh, coo and gesture
Babies will also babble before they start saying their first words. Babbling is where a baby combines early developing consonant and vowel sounds and this starts between 5-10 months. It may sound like “dadada, mamama, bubub”. Babbles often don’t have meaning yet, but it’s important for you to interpret what you think they mean (try to work out what they are wanting to say, and respond like they did say it). If you pay close attention, you’ll start to see when they are sending you an intentional message.
What counts as a word?
So how do we know when they are using an actual word? Is it just babbling, a coincidence, or us overthinking?
We are looking for the word to be intentional, consistent, in the right context and spontaneous.
- Intentional: this is where your baby is communicating with you on purpose. They often look like they are trying to tell you something.
- Consistent: They say the words in the same way each time. This does not mean that they say the word with the same sounds as an adult; it takes time to learn how to say sounds correctly and that is expected. Quite often, they will say something that sounds similar or even only say part of the word. We are looking for them to say it in a consistent way each time (e.g. “ba” for “ball”). Partial words still count!
- In context: Your child is learning that sounds, words and symbols represent concepts. They need to show that they are associating the word with the concept. This looks like your baby intentionally saying “moo” each time they see a cow.
- Spontaneous: To count as a first word, your baby needs to be saying it spontaneously, or without imitating the word from another person.
Some examples that can be first words when they meet the above criteria are:
- Animal and environmental sounds: Sounds like “vroom, moo, woof” all count as words as long as the sound is being used to replace a label (e.g. your baby points to a car and says “vroom”).
- Exclamatory words: These are words that we use to comment on the world around us. If your baby drops their toy out of the pram and says “uh-oh” or they say “yay” when they put a car down the ramp, it counts as a word because they are communicating something with you.
- Sign language: Toddler sign language also counts as a word as long as they have done it a couple of times, are using it consistently (even if the movement isn’t perfect) and in context.
Some common first words that we hear regularly are: dada, mama, bye, ball, hi, no/yes.
What do I do if my child’s first words aren’t coming?
Not all babies start talking right at 12 months. Some will use words before 12 months, and some will use words after. If your child is 18 months or older, and they aren’t talking or if you are concerned, we recommend doing the following.
- Hearing: Your child needs to hear what is being said to them and hear themselves to develop verbal communication skills. Make sure your child can hear enough for communication by having their hearing screened. It’s very easy for hearing difficulties to go unnoticed, and hearing is so important for developing spoken communication.
- See a speech pathologist: Speech pathologists are experts in communication development. They can complete an assessment to determine where your child sits in comparison to their peers and can provide a plan tailored to develop your child’s specific communication needs.
Contact us to discuss more about speech therapy for kids.