When should my baby start talking?
1 min read
Babies "talk" in stages long before real words, starting with cooing around two months, babbling by about four months, and often their first recognizable words around their first birthday.
In the early months, your baby listens closely to your voice and begins repeating vowel sounds like "ah" and "ooh." By four to seven months, babbling becomes routine, with sounds like "bah" and "muh," and your baby starts imitating the rhythms of your speech. Between 8 and 12 months, you'll hear real syllables like "ma" and "da," and they understand far more than they can say.
The normal range here is wide, so a baby who's a little ahead or behind is usually still right on track. Talking, reading, and answering their sounds every day does more to build language than anything else.
What you can do
- Talk and narrate your day, even during diaper changes and feeds
- Repeat your baby's sounds back to encourage turn-taking
- Read picture books together daily from an early age
- Tell your pediatrician if your baby isn't babbling by 7 months
Based on AAP guidance. Always consult your pediatrician for personalized advice.
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