Baby Language Development Guide
Baby's language development includes receptive language (understanding) and expressive language (speaking). From babbling to sentences, understand your baby's language journey.
1. Two Areas of Language Development
Receptive Language (Understanding)
This is your baby's ability to hear and understand. Understanding "no," "milk," "where's daddy?" falls into this category. Receptive language always develops before expressive language.
Expressive Language (Speaking)
This is your baby's ability to express with sounds. It progresses from babbling to words to sentences.
2. Language Milestones by Age
0-2 Months
- Receptive: Responds to loud sounds, calms to voice
- Expressive: Communicates through crying
- Cooing begins - "ah~", "oo~" sounds
- Different cries for hunger, discomfort, tiredness
3-4 Months
- Receptive: Turns head when name called, locates voice direction
- Expressive: Varied cooing sounds, laughter
- "Aah~", "ooh~" and other vowel sound variations
- Attempts back-and-forth "conversation" with parents
5-6 Months
- Receptive: Distinguishes emotional tones (angry/happy)
- Expressive: Babbling begins
- "Ba-ba-ba", "ma-ma-ma" - consonant-vowel repetition
- Experiments with pitch, squealing
7-9 Months
- Receptive: Understands "no," responds clearly to name
- Expressive: Varied babbling combinations
- "Da-da-da", "ma-ma", "ba-ba" etc.
- Babbling with intonation (sounds like sentences)
- Understands peekaboo
10-12 Months
- Receptive: Understands simple commands ("give me," "wave bye-bye")
- Expressive: First words appear (1-3 words)
- Meaningful words like "mama," "dada," "milk"
- Uses gestures (pointing, waving)
- Points at desired objects while vocalizing
13-18 Months
- Receptive: Points to body parts, understands "where is...?"
- Expressive: Vocabulary explosion begins (~10-50 words)
- Single words express sentences ("milk" = give me milk)
- Imitates animal sounds
- May use more gestures than words
19-24 Months
- Receptive: Understands 2-step directions ("get shoes and put on")
- Expressive: 50-200 words
- Two-word combinations begin ("mommy water," "daddy go")
- "What's that?" questions begin
- Says own name
3. How to Support Language Development
0-12 Months
- Talk often: Narrate what you're doing
- Respond: React to babbling as if in conversation
- Songs/nursery rhymes: Repetitive melodies expose baby to language
- Read books: Point to pictures and name them
- Eye contact: Look at baby when speaking
12-24 Months
- Expand: When baby says "car," expand to "red car driving"
- Offer choices: "Apple or banana?"
- Wait: Give plenty of time to respond
- Model, don't correct: Instead of correcting, repeat correctly
- Real conversation: Talk directly instead of TV background
4. Signs of Language Delay
Consult your pediatrician or speech therapist if:
- 6 months: No response to sounds, no babbling at all
- 12 months: No babbling, no gestures, doesn't respond to name
- 18 months: Fewer than 1-2 words, doesn't understand simple commands
- 24 months: Fewer than 50 words, no two-word combinations
- Any time: Regression of language abilities
5. Bilingual Environments
Babies in bilingual environments may speak a bit later at first, but there are no long-term language development issues.
- Count words from both languages combined
- Each parent consistently uses one language (OPOL method)
- Code-switching (mixing languages) is normal
6. Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Does TV/video help language development?
A. Not recommended for children under 2. Real human interaction is much more effective for language development.
Q. If speech is delayed, does it mean there's an intelligence issue?
A. Language development alone can't determine intelligence. If understanding is good even with late speech, there's less to worry about. Still, get professional confirmation.
Q. Is it okay to imitate baby talk?
A. Rather than using baby talk for long, it's better to repeat with correct pronunciation. Some simple words are fine, but avoid excessive baby talk.