When do babies start talking?
The age at which babies start talking can vary quite a bit. Some babies may say their first words as early as 6 months, while others don’t start talking until after 12 months or even later. There is a wide range of what is considered normal when it comes to speech and language development. However, most babies will say their first words sometime between 9 and 15 months.
Baby’s first words
A baby’s first word is an exciting milestone for parents. Some common first words are “mama”, “dada”, “baba” (for bottle), and words for favorite foods or toys. These first words often have unclear pronunciation and may not sound exactly like the real word. Babies typically start with easy-to-pronounce consonant-vowel combinations like “ba”, “da”, or “ma”.
While first words don’t often have a clear meaning at first, over time babies realize that saying a word like “mama” or “dada” will get the attention of their parent. This starts the connection between speech and communication for babies. They start to learn that words stand for objects and can be used intentionally to interact with others.
One-word stage
After speaking their first word, babies enter a one-word stage of language development. During this stage, they primarily communicate using single words. These single words often represent entire ideas or desires. For example, saying “mama” could mean “I want mama”, “Where is mama?”, or “Look at mama!”
The one-word stage typically lasts between 3-9 months. Over this time, babies expand their vocabulary to about 10-20 words. They also start to realize that words represent concepts. As their understanding grows, babies become able to use words more purposefully and flexibly to communicate.
Two-word combinations
Around 18-24 months, children reach the two-word stage. This is when they start putting two words together to express simple ideas. Some examples of two-word phrases are:
– More milk
– Daddy bye
– Go home
– Ball fall
Using two-word phrases represents a major speech and language milestone. Combining words requires understanding how words represent meaning as well as enough memory and processing skills to remember and produce short sequences of language.
In the early part of this stage, children often use one part of speech frequently, such as pairing noun-noun combinations like “mommy sock”. Over time, they add in more variety like noun-verb phrases (“daddy go”) and social conventions (“thank you”). Their vocabulary also expands rapidly during this stage to about 300-500 words.
Telegraphic speech
From around 2-3 years old, children enter what is called the telegraphic speech stage. During this stage, they begin speaking in short, simple sentences of 3 or more words. These sentences are often lacking function words and grammatical markers. For example, a child might say “mommy drive car” instead of “mommy is driving the car.” This style of speech is called telegraphic because it resembles a telegraph which communicates only the most essential words.
Some key features of telegraphic speech include:
– Primarily uses content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives)
– Leaves out function words (articles, prepositions, auxiliary verbs)
– Lacks word endings and other grammatical markers
– Uses short, simple sentence structures
Telegraphic speech shows a growing understanding of how to construct phrases and join ideas together in meaningful ways. Children at this stage have a vocabulary of about 1000 words. With support and modeling from adults, telegraphic speech gradually develops into more complete, grammatically complex sentences over the preschool years.
Factors that influence speech development
While the general stages and timelines provide averages for speech development, the actual age when a specific child says their first words can vary quite a bit. Some factors that can influence the age of first words and the pace of language development include:
Gender
Some research has found that girls may develop speech and language skills a little faster than boys on average. However, there is significant overlap between genders and differences tend to be small.
Birth order
Firstborn children may develop speech a bit faster compared to later born siblings. This may be because firstborn children spend more one-on-one time interacting with caregivers in early infancy.
Family history
Children with family members who had speech delays are at somewhat higher risk for delayed speech themselves. Genetic factors likely play a partial role.
Prematurity
Babies born prematurely are more likely to reach speech milestones later. Extremely premature babies in particular may be 12 or more months behind. Additional support is often needed.
Developmental disorders
Children with autism, Down syndrome, hearing loss, or other developmental conditions often show language delays. They benefit from early screening and intervention services.
Multiple languages
Children learning two or more languages from birth may have a large vocabulary but be slightly slower to produce two-word and short phrase speech. Their language skills are divided between multiple languages.
Childcare experiences
More exposure to childcare settings with many caregivers or less one-on-one attention can influence the pace of learning first words. Closer caregiver interactions tend to foster communication.
What is the earliest a child can talk?
While most children say their first word between 9-15 months, some infants start talking earlier or later than this timeline. So what is the earliest age that babies can realistically start talking?
6-8 months
It is very rare, but some infants say their first word as early as 6 months old. Early talkers tend to have advanced motor skills and strong social skills that motivate early communication. However, their speech is still quite limited at this stage.
8-10 months
Some babies may have a vocabulary of 1-3 words around 8 or 9 months old. About 2-5% of babies show early speech development like this. These early talkers often understand meaning and have purposeful communication sooner.
However, their speech is still limited and focused on sounds like “mama” or “dada”. Having a few words by 8-10 months is exciting but does not necessarily predict advanced language skills further down the road.
10-12 months
It becomes more common for babies to say their first word around 10-12 months old. About 25% of infants will have at least 1 meaningful word by their first birthday. This early speech may coincide with early motor development like walking independently before 12 months.
However, even by 12 months, most babies understand much more language than they can produce through speech. Their comprehension vocabulary is still far larger than their spoken vocabulary at this stage.
Reasons for late talking
While some children start talking before they turn one, others may not say meaningful words until after their first birthday or even as late as 18-24 months old. Late talking does not necessarily indicate a problem. Here are some reasons a toddler might start talking later:
Normal variation
There is a wide range of what is considered a normal age for talking. Some children are simply on the later end of the normal spectrum and get started talking closer to 18 months or 2 years old. Most of the time, late talking is not a cause for concern if the child is otherwise developing well.
Hearing issues
Problems with hearing can contribute to speech delays. Ear infections, fluid build-up, and other issues should be checked out. Even a mild hearing loss of 20-30 decibels can affect language development.
Developmental disorders
Some developmental or intellectual disabilities like autism and Down syndrome often involve delayed speech. Children with these conditions benefit greatly from early intervention services.
Boys
Boys tend to develop speech skills slightly slower than girls on average. By 24 months, boys’ vocabularies are often smaller and they may rely more on gestures to communicate.
Genetic factors
Strong family histories of late talking suggest genetics may play a role for some children. This seems to be the case even when there are no other developmental conditions involved.
Multiple languages
Becoming proficient in two or more languages can slow vocabulary growth in each individual language. Total vocabulary might be typical but divided between languages.
Child temperament
Slow-to-warm-up temperaments and less social interest/motivation to communicate can delay infants’ and toddlers’ expressive language development.
Warning signs of a speech delay
While individual variation exists in when children start talking, there are some warning signs that may indicate a more significant speech delay or language disorder:
– No words by 18 months
– No two-word phrases by 24 months
– At any age – not responding consistently to sounds or own name
– Limited interest in communicating or interacting through gestures/vocalizing
– Loss of previously used words
– Difficulty understanding simple instructions
If your child shows several of these warning signs, it is a good idea to have their speech and language development evaluated by their pediatrician. Early intervention can make a big difference in helping children with delays catch up with their peers.
How to help babies start talking
As a parent, there are many ways you can encourage and stimulate your baby’s early communication skills to set the stage for first words. Here are some tips:
Respond promptly
Respond consistently when your baby makes sounds or gestures. This shows the power of communication. Avoid overstimulating though.
Have conversations
Engage in back-and-forth “conversations” by imitating their coos and babbling. This teaches turn-taking.
Describe activities
Narrate your day by describing routines, objects, and activities. Repeat key words often.
Read books
Look at colorful, sturdy board books together. Point out and name pictures on each page.
Limit screens
Reduce background media noise and limit passive screen time. Babies learn better from live interactions.
Expand expressions
When your baby says or gestures, expand on their communication and model more.
The path to talking can vary quite a bit between individual children. While most say their first words sometime between 9 and 15 months, early talkers may start as young as 6 months and late talkers might not speak until after 18 months. Multiple factors like gender, family history, and birth order can influence the timeline. With language-rich responses from caring adults, babies make great strides moving from first words to two-word phrases and beyond in their toddler years.