What Your Baby Should Be Saying

Babies can start babbling as early as 6 months of age, and soon after, they might start recognizing their own name. This, like other milestones, is a big part of your newborn’s development. We at 5-Minute Crafts will guide you through what they may or may not say throughout the years that follow.

3 months

• Watches your face as you talk
• Starts cooing

6 months

• Babbles (ba-ba, da-da)
• Able to recognize their own name
• Changes their tone of voice to show if they’re happy or upset

7 to 12 months

• Uses a wider range of sounds and tones of voice
• Begins to understand gestures (pointing and grunting)
• Might say their first word (mama, dada, doggy)

12 to 17 months

• Starts to answer simple questions (without words)
• Might have a vocabulary of up to 6 words
• Tries to imitate simpler words

18 months

• Says several simple words
• Can point to people, objects, and even body parts
• Repeats words but can miss either the ending or beginning

24 months

• Might understand several words
• Starts referring to themselves by name
• Puts 2 words together (for example: mama car)

3 to 4 years

• Able to use consonants
• Describes uses of objects
• Uses verbs that end in “ing” (talking, swimming)
• Can repeat sentences
• May answer simple questions

5 years old

• Knows how to speak with a rhythm
• Can use 8 words or more in a sentence
• May describe objects
• Might use their imagination to come up with stories
• Engages in conversation with others