• north America
Español
Infant Communication Development
infant-communication-language-and-hearing

Infant Communication Development

It’s a busy time for your infant’s developing brain, which is absorbing language and developing speech skills. Language development in infancy happens on a different schedule for every child, so there’s no reason to stress about set milestones. Instead, familiarize yourself with language development in infancy, so you know what to look for when your baby is anywhere from 4 to 12 months old.

Since before birth, your infant has been honing their listening skills. They’re making sounds that will soon become words and sentences—the sweetest sound a proud parent could hear!

Infant Communication: Month 4

  • Should be able to turn their head toward a noise as if looking for its location

Infant Communication: Month 5

  • Begins to make consonant sounds like "b," "n," and "m"

Infant Communication: Month 6

  • Babbles – more than two sounds
  • Strings vowel and consonant sounds into babble sounds such as "bababa"

Infant Communication: Month 7

  • Babbles with adult intonations, forming clear syllables such as "ma-me," imitating how you speak
  • Babbles as if speaking to you

Infant Communication: Month 8

  • Enjoys songs and maybe babbles to the rhythm of a catchy tune

Infant Communication: Month 9

  • May connect words with their meanings, for example pointing to their shoe when you say the word
  • May say “mama,” “dada,” and “baba”

Infant Communication: Month 12

  • Understands the meaning of nearly 70 words
  • May speak three or more words

Right now, your little one has a lot going on in the infant communication department. You can be an active part of the conversation by playing, reading, and singing to your baby, or with infant development games. We hope this is the beginning of a lifetime of conversations between you and your little peanut. Enjoy!