Baby Talk Milestones: First Few Basic Words

One of the happiest memories of a parent is when their child is finally speaking some basic words, per Children's Health. Regardless of what they say, either mommy or daddy, parents would jump out of joy as they ultimately stutter some words. Kaleigh Loeffler, a speech-language pathologist with Children's Health, explains speech milestones to watch for in toddlers and ways parents can encourage the child to talk.

Usually, most babies say their first word between 12 and 18 months of age. Nevertheless, parents can begin to hear the early stages of verbal communication shortly after birth. Loeffler told the outlet that babies start to make sounds from birth to three months as there is smiling and cooing. Once the baby is six months, you may hear more speech-like babbling, such as "puh," "buh," and "mi."

Loeffler added that usually, toddlers are still in a stage of an experiment where you can hear words that may sound unfamiliar or words that you commonly use, and toddlers get used to it. However, babies do not totally form complete words by the age of 1. Sometimes, they continue to babble, pointing and gesturing, and it's okay as the baby is still communicating.

When can babies start to talk?

Boys tend to develop language skills a little later than girls, but generally, young ones may be labeled "late-talking children" if they only speak less than ten words by age 18 to 20 months or less than 50 words by 21 to 30 months of age.

The child's main method of communication has constantly been crying. Gradually, they will make a big difference in language development as time passes and will soon be able to talk. Babies will start to practice repetitive sounds such as "da da" around seven months. Sherry Artemenko, a speech-language pathologist and founder of Play on Words, added that babbling is one of the most important milestones for babies as it represents the onset of real communication.

Typically, by nine months, babies will start to say some words without even knowing what they mean; hence, when the words begin to transform into words with meaning, it would feel instant magic to the parents. The first attempt to somehow express themselves in words while knowing the importance is anywhere between 9 and 14 months. Nevertheless, babies began learning how to speak right after birth, primarily by watching and listening to other people.

Babies attentively listen to both words and sounds they hear around them as it serves as the first step in their language acquisition, What to Expect says.

Encouraging babies to begin talking

When babies start talking, they not only flaunt their newly learned language skills but eventually lead them to learn actual words. A little chitchat or discussion can give one a peek into cognitive development as one memorizes and repeats sounds simultaneously.

They also learn how to use verbal and nonverbal actions properly. Long before the baby says a word, they comprehend the rules of language and socialization by only watching parents or adults. Babies can learn by also mimicking others and engaging verbally with them.

According to Parents, rhyming is one of the fun ways to learn new words. Furthermore, parents can encourage babies to start talking by reading books together and pointing at certain photos as they describe such to the baby.