A baby learns to talk by listening to voices and sounds. Soon your baby will begin to make sounds to tell you how he/she feels or what he/she wants.
Babies develop at their own rate. Some babies will do things at a young age. Some babies will take a little longer. Here are some things that most babies do.
Very young babies (up to three months old) will:
- make noises (eg. coos, gurgles)
- turn towards a new sound
- jump at a loud noise
- be calmed when you speak in a gentle voice
- smile at you
By 6 months
Most babies will:
- watch your face when you talk
- cry in a different way when hungry
- make noises to get attention
- make sounds back when you talk
- smile at you and other family members
When to call for help?
- Your baby does not react to your voice or other sounds.
- Your baby does not smile or make sounds when awake.
What you can do to help a young baby learn
- talk to your baby a lot when you are washing, dressing, or feeding him/her
- sing songs or nursery rhymes
- play simple games like "peek-a-boo"
- show your child picture books and talk about what you see
By 12 months
Most children will:
- understand their own name
- understand words like "bye-bye' or "up"
- say sounds like "ba ba, no no, go go"
- laugh and try to make sounds like you do
By 15 months
Most children will:
- take turns making sounds
- say 2 or 3 words, but not clearly
- understand "no" and shake their head
- reach or point to something they want while making a sound
- understand simple questions or directions like "where is your nose?", "show me your shoe"
When to call for help?
- Your child does not use words and sounds, but gestures to tell you what he or she wants
By 18 months
Most children will:
- understand words and point to parts of their bodies like "nose, ear"
- will look for things when asked to, like "get your hat"
- make new gestures and/or words like you do
- make gestures or ask for "more" or "again"
When to call for help?
- Your child does not make gestures and sounds like you do.
- Your child started to use words, but stopped.
By 21 months
Most children will:
- point to a picture or sign, such as when asked "Where's McDonalds?
- play with toys and pretend to do things like feeding a doll or going in a car
- say a variety of words but may not put words together
- follow directions such as "drink your juice " or "sit down, please"
When to call for help?
- Your baby can only say about 10 words.
- Your child does not pretend with toys.
By 24 months
Most children will:
- understand more than they can say
- say 2 words together, like "more milk"
- say "what's that?" (may sound like "who dot? ' or "whassat?)
- can pick one thing out from a group of objects, such as a cup
When to call for help?
- You have a hard time understanding what your child says.
- Your child uses very few words or does not put words together.
How can you help your child learn at this age?
- Talk to your child simply, clearly, and slowly.
- Look at your child when he or she talks to you,
- Praise your child's efforts to talk.
- Play children's music and stories and listen with your child.
- Talk about new places and experiences before you go, while you are there, and when you get home.
- Expand what your child says. If the child says "dog", you say "big dog.
