Speech and Language Milestones: Baby’s First Year
Your baby’s first year of life is an exciting time of significant speech and language development, both in what your child understands and expresses. Even though most babies are not yet talking, their “pre-” speech and language skills are blossoming in amazing ways. Here are some of the major speech and language milestones your baby will likely experience over the first year.
Birth–3 months
Expressing:
“Goos” and “coos” to indicate pleasure
Uses different cries to express different needs
Smiles upon seeing caregiver
Understanding:
Startles upon hearing loud noises
Smiles or quiets when spoken to
Recognizes caregiver’s voice and will stop crying when voice is heard
When sounds are heard, decreases or increases sucking
4–6 Months
Expressing:
Babbles using many different sounds such as p, b, m
Laughs and giggles
Indicates excitement and displeasure through vocalizations
Gurgles during play
Understanding:
Shifts eyes to direction of a sound
Recognizes when caregiver changes tone of voice
Realizes that certain toys make noise
Listens attentively to music
7–12 Months
Expressing:
Babbles short and long strings of sounds (e.g. “baba atat mimimimi”)
Gains attention by using speech sounds
Communicates using gestures such as waving or lifting arms up to be held
Imitates a variety of sounds
Produces first word or two by first birthday
Understanding:
Likes to play games such as pat-a-cake or peek-a-boo
Turns body or head toward direction of sounds
Listens when being spoken to
Recognizes common objects when named, such as “book,” “cup,” or “shoe”
Starts responding to simple directions (“Sit down”) or requests (“Want more?”)
Keep in mind that as with all milestones, these are general guidelines for typical development. All children are unique and develop speech and language in their own way. However, if your child is consistently not meeting speech and language milestones and you are concerned, it’s best to act fast and talk to your pediatrician.
More in milestones:
Why developmental milestones will make you crazy
Newborn to 1 Month: Emotional Development
Newborn to 1 Month: Physical Development
Newborn to 1 Month: Cognitive Development
2-4 Months: Physical Development
2-4 Months: Emotional Development
2-4 Months: Cognitive Development
5-7 Months: Emotional Development
5-7 Months: Physical Development
8-12 Months: Emotional Development
8-12 Months: Cognitive Development
8-12 Months: Physical Development
12-15 Months: Emotional Development
12-15 Months: Physical Development
12-15 Months: Cognitive Development
16-19 Months: Emotional Development
16-19 Months: Physical Development
16-19 Months: Cognitive Development
20-24 Months: Emotional Development
20-24 Months: Physical Development
20-24 Months: Cognitive Development
Reviewed by Dr. Sara Connolly, December 2018
Sources:
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Speech Development.
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