When do babies start talking?

It's such a joyful moment when your baby says that first precious word.

But when should that happen? And should you worry if your baby doesn't speak as early as other children?

Kaleigh Szurek, a speech-language pathologist with Children's Health℠, explains speech milestones to watch for in babies and toddlers and ways you can encourage your child to talk.

At what age do babies start talking?

Most babies say their first word sometime between 12 and 18 months of age. However, you'll start to hear the early stages of verbal communication shortly after birth.

As your child grows, there are several speech development milestones to look for at various stages.

Birth to 3 months

From birth to 3 months, babies make sounds and expressions to communicate with you. This is the age that babies start cooing and smiling.

By age 4 to 6 months

Once your baby hits 6 months, they may become more expressive and start babbling. You may notice:

• A “puh” or “buh” sound

• Something that sounds like “mi”

• Giggling or laughter

• Other playful sounds

By age 12 to 18 months

This is the age that many babies say their first word. A baby’s first word often includes them saying the words parents love to hear most – "ma-ma" and "da-da."

In addition to starting to say ma-ma and da-da, babies ages 12 to 18 months will start to name things that they often see, including:

• Ball

• Milk

• Baby

• Banana

"Typically, right before that 1-year mark, babies experiment with different sounds, and then you might hear a few words," says Szurek. "But don't worry if your baby is not forming complete words by age 1. Sometimes the babbling continues well into the next year of life, with pointing and gesturing. That's OK. Your baby is still communicating."

By age 2

By age 2, you may start to hear your child say two-word phrases. Some examples are:

• "Dog sit."

• "Mommy go."

• "My toy."

By age 3

By age 3, your child will understand nearly all the words you say and have words for almost everything they encounter. And they’ll start using three-word phrases. And with each year that passes after that, they’ll start to talk in longer and longer sentences.

Learn about other important developmental milestones for kids.

How many words should an 18-month-old and 2-year-old say?

At 18 months old, babies may say anywhere between 10-50 words. If your child has not hit that mark, you don't necessarily need to worry. Children develop at different rates.

"Instead of focusing on a specific word count for each age, consider: Is your child's vocabulary growing? Are they learning more words each week?" advises Szurek. "If you're seeing continuous growth, that's an indicator that speech is going well."

Talk with your pediatrician if your child does not speak about 50 words by age 2.

What factors affect your baby's ability to talk?

Sometimes language and speech development is delayed if your baby has certain conditions, including:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

• Cerebral palsy (CP)

• Down syndrome

• Hearing impairment

Environment also plays a role in speech development. If a child does not get a lot of exposure to language and interaction, the age of a child's first words may be later.

Are bilingual children delayed talkers?

There's a common misconception that children who grow up in bilingual homes and learn two languages will have speech delays. However, Szurek says there is no evidence to support this. "If a child knows 10 words in both English and Spanish – water and agua, for example – we would count that as a 20-word vocabulary," she says. "Developmentally, they're on track."

How to teach your baby to talk

The best way to encourage your child to talk is to spend time talking and interacting with them.

"Give your baby lots of face time and one-on-one interaction. Children learn language by watching and imitating your facial expressions. They're like sponges, absorbing everything around them," says Szurek.

To help your baby talk, try these tips:

• When your baby coos, respond. Say: "Oh, are you happy? Are you sleepy?"

• When baby smiles, smile back. This back-and-forth interaction is communication. Your baby learns to pick up cues and respond.

• Narrate what you and baby do – as you do it. For example, say: "Daddy's changing baby's diaper." "Baby is holding a spoon." "Baby's kicking the ball." This parallel talk helps babies learn vocabulary.

• Read a book.  Point to the pictures on each page. Talk about the colors and objects.

• Sing songs and nursery rhymes. To capture your baby's attention, dance or gently rock your baby as you sing. Act out "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Jack and Jill." Your baby will associate movement with words.

• Play. Any type of play – with balls, toys or pots and pans – contributes to babies' language development. They imitate what you do and say.

• Continue the conversation: As your baby becomes a toddler, teach them to put together new words by expanding on what they say. For example:

  • When your child points to a dog and says the word "dog," you can say: "Yes, that's a big dog. That dog is running outside. Hear the dog bark."

  • If the child says "airplane," say: "That's a big airplane. That plane is flying high in the sky."

Tools to promote speech development

Many parents are curious if certain toys or apps can help their baby learn to talk.

Toys that can promote speech development

Szurek recommends choosing toys that show cause and effect.

Some examples of cause-and-effect toys include:

• You put a ball in a hole, and it goes down a slide.

• You put a coin in a piggy bank, and it sings a song.

• You wind up a box, and a stuffed animal pops out.

Playing with a cause-and-effect toy teaches children that their actions can cause something to happen. It shows them that they can control and predict what’s going to happen, which is stimulating for them.

"When you put kids in situations where they are engaged and have a sense of control, it follows that they’ll be more motivated to try to interact and communicate with their environment. And that helps their language development," Szurek says.

Apps that can promote speech development

Szurek believes that face-to-face interaction is the best way to develop speech and language skills in your child. But there are a few apps she recommends to parents of young kids if they’re looking for ones that might help with a child’s language development.

• My PlayHome: an imaginative playhouse where your child can follow directions, request completion of certain everyday activities and label actions/objects they use daily

• Let Me Talk: a free app designed to encourage communication using pictures for your child who may not yet have verbal expression

• Splingo: a variety of games used to facilitate learning of a variety of areas of language development

Szurek tells parents to always make sure to use the app together – and limit screen time to no more than one hour per day, especially for kids under 5 years of age. She also recommends that you take whatever new words or concepts you learned from the app back into your real life. For example, if the app had lots of images of fruits, be sure to practice the names of those fruits the next time you serve your child fruit, or take them to the grocery store.

Learn more about recommended education-based apps for kids.

What are signs that your child may need help with speech and language development?

Szurek recommends any parent contact their child’s doctor if their child has a sudden loss of speech and language skills. And also if they’re not meeting the following speech milestones.

By 15 months

Talk to your pediatrician if your baby is 15 months old and:

• Is not making sound combinations, ex. “puh” or “buh”

• Is not playing games such as pat-a-cake or peekaboo

• Does not respond to his name

• Stop to listen while someone is talking

• Anticipates what will happen next

By 18 months

Talk to your pediatrician if your baby is 18 months old and:

• Does not show interest or attempt to communicate (such as pointing or gesturing)

• Does not demonstrate play appropriately with simple cause-effect toys

• Does not attempt to imitate what he hears from you or people nearby

• Does not use word-like expressions to name and/or request for items

By age 2

Talk to your pediatrician if your child is 2 years old and:

• Does not use sound combinations with inflection similar to adult speech

• Unable to identify body parts/common objects

• Imitates words but doesn’t come up with their own words

• Not demonstrating understanding of new words each week

By age 3

• Not using at least 5 words

• Not using a variety of word combinations

• Difficulty understanding verb

• Difficulty engaging in pretend play

• Seems to have a good vocabulary but you and other caregivers have trouble understanding their words.

If you're concerned about your child's speech development, talk to your pediatrician. If needed, you'll get a referral to a speech-language therapist for an evaluation. Sometimes, your child just needs a little extra help. And getting that help early gives your child the best chance of thriving.

Find speech support for your child

At Children's Health, the Speech Therapy program is home to experts who specialize in helping children overcome speech and language challenges. Our multidisciplinary team works with families and providers to help children develop the skills to successfully communicate, socialize and learn.