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Home › Articles › Babies › Baby's First Words

Baby's First Words

Speech Milestones to Look For

By Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP

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By 3 months, your baby may start to smile. After such a positive connection, you will interact with your baby more by using words and facial expressions to encourage another smile. She may respond to your interactions by smiling and making sounds. You should follow your instincts and repeat these sounds to begin the process of language modeling.

"As your baby begins to coo, imitate him," recommends Sharon Frank, M.A., CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist in private practice and mother of 4-year-old Joey. "This will tell your baby that you're listening to him, and it will also encourage him to make the sounds."

Also at this age, a variety of vocal intonation patterns are used, and your baby learns to interpret the inflection and tone of your voice. She is recognizing the differences between your words, for example, when you ask a question or make a statement.

What can you do to encourage speech skills? "In this stage, babies tune in to the parent's touch, facial expressions and vocalizations more than the parent's words," says Frank. "Focus on exaggerating your facial expressions and changing vocal pitch when talking with your baby."

4 to 6 months
At around 4 months, your baby will start to respond to "no." He is now able to look around for the source of new sounds and will attend to music. Between 4 and 6 months, babbling begins. Babbling is when your baby uses more speech-like consonant and vowel sounds including "p," "b" and "m." Your baby can babble when he is alone or when he is playing with you.

"Imitate any babbling or words your baby is saying," says Frank. "As your baby points to things, name the objects. Start to point to things for and with him and label them ('bed, dog, Daddy'). Additionally, try to speak in one- to three-word phrases (i.e. 'Mommy go bye-bye,' 'more milk')."


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