Speech development milestones in babies and their evolution month by month

  • Babies begin to communicate long before they speak, using gestures, sounds and glances.
  • Each stage of speech development is marked by milestones such as babbling, simple words, and basic comprehension.
  • From the age of 2, there is an explosion of vocabulary and the child begins to form more complex sentences.
  • Proper encouragement at home and observing milestones are key to identifying potential problems.
Maria Jose Roldan

3 minutes

abilities of a good speaker

The first "baby talk" is non-verbal and occurs shortly after birth. Your baby makes faces, cries, and squirms to express a variety of emotions and physical needs., from fear and hunger to frustration and sensory overload. Good parents learn to listen to and interpret their baby's different cries, something that develops over time and through constant observation.

Speech milestones in babies

Speech development in babies follows a fascinating and amazing trajectory. Although not all children reach these milestones at the same time, it is important to understand what the stages are. key to identify areas that may need special attention.

At 3 months

At this early stage, the baby begins to respond to auditory and visual stimuli in a more specific way. For example:

  • Listening your voice and pay attention by redirecting his gaze towards you while you speak.
  • Reacts to familiar voices and sounds that he or she heard frequently while in the womb.
  • At the end of the third month, it begins to emit lulling sounds, such as cheerful and repetitive vocalizations, typical of this age.

At 6 months

During this period, babbling becomes one of the most common and enriching activities for the baby. Milestones include:

  • Begin to babble using sounds like “ba-ba” and “da-da.”
  • Responds to his own name and native language more accurately.
  • Use vocal tones that can reflect joy or annoyance.

Babbling at this stage is still a execution of syllables random, but it is a clear precursor to meaningful speech.

At 9 months

Advances at this stage include greater motor and cognitive control, which facilitates understanding of language:

  • Begins the understanding of basic words like “no” and “goodbye.”
  • Experiment with a wider range of sounds and vocal tones.
  • Begins to point out objects of interest while listening to the names associated with them.

At 12 and 18 months

The first birthday marks an exciting milestone. Baby can now say some simple words like “mama” and “dada,” and understands one-step commands like “come here.” Between 12 and 18 months:

  • Several things must be said words and signal objects/people.
  • They imitate everyday sounds and try to repeat words.
speech delay in children
Related article:
Speech Delay: How to Understand and Stimulate Children's Language Development

To the 2 years

Between 18 and 24 months, the child's vocabulary experiences a explosive growth:

  • They begin to combine words in Two-element sentences like "I want milk."
  • They understand and execute a wider variety of instructions.
  • They ask questions simple and show interest in identifying objects through speech.

To the 3 years

This period is marked by a strengthening of expressive and receptive language:

  • They expand their vocabulary exponentially, reaching more than 900 words.
  • They use symbolic language to express emotions and abstract concepts.
  • They participate in symbolic games that foster their understanding of the world.

As your baby navigates these fascinating stages of development, watch for early signs of speech delays or difficulties by consulting specialists when necessary. Ongoing, positive stimulation from home will make a big difference in his future communication skills.


Add as preferred source