Babies are like sponges, absorbing everything they hear and see from the moment they are born. Each stage of their early development is crucial for learning how to communicate. This guide will help you understand what to expect and how to support your baby's speech development from birth to 18 months.
From Birth to 3 Months: The Early Listener
At this stage, your baby is highly attuned to your voice and the sounds around them. They may try to imitate your voice with cooing and gurgling sounds. You can nurture their listening and early vocal skills by:
Singing to Your Baby
Singing to your baby, even before birth, can be incredibly soothing. Your baby will recognise and love the sound of your voice.
Conversing Normally
Talk to your baby as if they were an adult. Use normal conversation tones and words. Your baby will gradually pick up the nuances of language and start to recognise words.
Social Interaction
Talking to others in your baby’s presence is also beneficial. They will enjoy hearing different voices and seeing various facial expressions, which are essential for their social development.
From 3 to 6 Months: Babbling Begins
Between three and six months, your baby begins to understand more about how people communicate. They start to babble, and you can encourage this budding speech development by:
Close Interaction
Hold your baby close, make eye contact, and talk to them while smiling. This close interaction is crucial for their understanding of communication.
Imitation
When your baby babbles, imitate their sounds. This back-and-forth can be a delightful game and helps them learn the basics of conversation.
From 6 to 12 Months: Recognising Words
By six to twelve months, your baby will start making sounds that resemble words and respond to the emotional tone of your voice. To help them along, you can:
Interactive Play
Games like Peek-a-Boo are perfect for teaching them about communication. Encourage them to mimic your actions and sounds.
Descriptive Interaction
Give your baby a toy and describe it to them. For example, say, “Feel how fuzzy Teddy Bear is.” This helps them associate words with objects and sensations.
Mirror Play
Show your baby their reflection and ask, “Who’s that?” If they don’t respond, gently say their name to help them make the connection.
From 12 to 18 Months: First Words
From twelve to eighteen months, many babies start to use words consistently and understand many more. You can support their burgeoning vocabulary by:
Identifying Body Parts
Ask your baby to point to their nose, ears, or other body parts, and then point to yours. This helps them learn words and body parts simultaneously.
Picture Books
Read together and ask questions about the pictures. Give them time to respond, which encourages them to use their words.
Expanding Vocabulary
When your baby uses a word, build on it. If they say “ball,” you can respond with, “That’s your big, red ball.”
Object Interaction
When your baby points at or gives you an object, talk about it. For instance, “You gave me the book. Thank you! Look at the picture of the baby rolling the ball.”
