The first time you hear your baby say a real word, you will likely be on the phone calling everyone you know. After all, communication is a huge step in your child’s developmental process! Even before your baby begins to speak, it is important that you communicate with him/her, whether through talking, stories, or singing. Soon, your baby will begin to mimic your words and before long, connect them to the meaning.
Typically, a baby will begin to make babbling sounds that get a response out of mom and dad but over time, the nonsensical words begin to take shape, sounding like “mama”, “dada”, “doggie”, “car”, and so on. Obviously, as your child begins to pick up sounds from mom and dad, you will need to be careful what you say. Although it might not seem like your baby will ever repeat certain words, you can be sure at the opportune time, something will come out making for an embarrassing situation.
Your baby’s sounds are directly linked to hearing. At first, the “words” do not have much definition but they will over time. During the first three months, communication is heard more in the form of crying. As the parent, you will quickly learn what each of the cries means. For example, a loud piercing cry might be associated with pain, while a whimpering cry might be connected with the baby being tired. During this same time, your baby will begin to make other sounds such as gurgling, cooing, giggling, etc.
By the time your baby reaches four months of age, the babbling will be much more noticeable. In this case, you may notice your baby trying to say “bottle” although it might come out more like “baba”. Most often, a baby will attempt words like “mama” and “dada”, which are the most important sounds in the word. If you find your child repeating sounds and/or “words”, he or she is experimenting with the way they feel and sound. This type of practice is what develops into actual words and sentences.
Now, between five and nine months, big things begin to happen. Although some of the sounds may not be perfectly said, you will start to understand your child very well, even communicating through normal conversation. Remember, your child will not be forming sentences but tones and patterns will be obvious. In fact, many children will also begin pointing at the refrigerator while asking for a bottle” or a toy when saying “doggie”.