Normal Speech Development in Babies
Linguistic development is an important part of a baby's growth. Language is central for communication, and delays in speech development, even at a young age, can impact a child's future linguistic understanding. It's important to stimulate your baby's speech development at all ages and to pay attention to warning signs if she is not developing normally.
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Birth to 3 Months Old
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Good hearing is essential for normal speech development; a baby who cannot clearly hear words and sounds will not learn to speak. Normal newborns are startled by loud noises and comforted by lullabies or gentle speaking. Although babies this young cannot speak, they should vocalize frequently by crying, grunting and cooing.
4 to 6 Months Old
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Babies this age begin imitating vowel and consonant sounds that they hear you make. They imitate your facial expressions, and sometimes they will begin to say a word like "mama." They babble and enjoy taking turns in "conversation" by listening to you talk and then babbling in response.
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7 Months to 1 Year Old
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By their first birthday, most babies can understand and repeat simple gestures and words. They frequently try to repeat words, especially words that are important to them such as "mama," "milk" or "bye-bye." They might try to sing along with music, and they might try to imitate sounds you make, such as a cough or a sneeze.
1 Year to 18 Months Old
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By 18 months, most babies can say at least 10 words, although their pronunciation may not be clear or understandable. They can understand simple questions and commands, and they communicate with gestures and movements as well as with words and sounds. They enjoy babbling, and their inflection will sound like sentences even if their words are nonsense. They can nod their heads for "yes" and shake their heads for "no."
19 Months to 2 Years Old
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By their second birthday, most toddlers should be speaking with words more than with gestures. They can understand simple commands, and they can speak in two-word sentences. They can say many words, and they understand more words than they can speak.
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