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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.

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Medically reviewed by a board-certified pediatrician

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

Month 5

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

Month 6

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

Month 7

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

Month 8

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

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”

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!

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