Every parent’s dream is to hear their child say the word, Mama or Dada. Babies who are born do not speak words. They pronounce words at a certain interval from birth. They go through several stages of language development from birth and finally begin to speak words. However, the time it takes for each child to say the words may be slightly earlier or later.
How does a baby’s language development take place?
A child goes through many language development stages from birth until they finally speak their first word. The first cry after birth is the starting stage of language development. Likewise, a baby’s babbling and cooing are language development milestones.
Babies start to communicate through sounds like crying from birth. Usually, within one month babies start cooling. Besides, babies show more cooing after three months. Also, between 4 and 7 months from birth, babies explore their word-processing abilities. According to medical research papers, babies begin to understand words and language at around 8 to 9 months.
When can babies say Mama or Dada?
Usually, babies take 10 to 12 months from birth to start speaking meaningful words. And after 12 months, the babies can say 5 to 7 correct words. For example, when they pronounce the word “mama” they refer to their real mom and not everyone else. However, some babies take more time to speak words than this time limit. What are the reasons for that? Some infants have a delay in verbal language development due to a lack of words, language, and communication.
Do babies say Mama or Dada first?
Some babies say Moma as their first word, while others say Dada. Most speech-language pathologists say the “Dada” sound is easier to produce than “Mama” sounds. Have you noticed that many babies use sucking motions to calm themselves? It helps to position their tongues correctly for the “d” sounds. Hence, infants use sounds like “d” continuously to cry or express feelings.
What can parents do for their baby’s language development?
Parents can actively interact and engage with their infants to develop their language abilities. Children of parents who talk and play with them using sounds face to face, will be able to use words to communicate quickly and well. Now let’s see how parents can develop their infant’s language.
Interact often:
Parents can continue talking, singing, and reading to their baby. Likewise, they can speak simple words and repeat sounds. Besides, parents can ask simple questions from babies by pointing to familiar objects.
Sing and play rhyming games:
The singing and playing of rhyming games encourage language development. Many babies like rhyming games which are very playful language. Likewise, parents can change the style and tempo of the music to keep their babies attention.
Conclusion
According to speech pathologists, babies go through several stages of language development before they say their first words. Usually, babies take 12 months to speak actual, meaningful words. Parents can help to develop babies’ language skills using different methods. You can read more medical research papers for more information.
