Milestone Guide to When Kids Start Talking for 2020

You will never forget the moment your baby says mama. It’s engraved in your heart forever.

Me.

If there is anything that melts my heart more as a mother it’s definitely when my kids started to say their first words. The tiny sweet and innocent mispronounced way they say “mama” or “dadda” for the first time is quite unforgettable. The smile they get when they realize that those words mean so much more than they will ever know is magic to a mama’s heart. Both my kids started communicated at different times and it’s quite amazing to see how each child, although siblings, reached those milestones at different times. Read along as I provide you with important information on when kids start talking.

As soon as I saw you I knew an adventure was going to happen- Winnie the Pooh

What Age do Babies Start Talking?

Babies first start expressing themselves verbally sometime between the ages of nine to fourteen months old. Some babies will even start cooing and making sounds around the age of 7 months old. Please note that all babies are different and can start talking at different times and even outside of the milestones that are listed below. If you are ever concerned about their speech, please contact your pediatrician. One piece of advice that I feel really has helped with milestones is that you should not compare your baby to another. Each baby is truly different on how they develop.

Language Milestones for the Ages of 1-4 Years Old

One to Five Months Old: Different types of crying will ensue at this time. Phonetic syllables will begin to be heard. Cooing starts to develop into vowel sounds. At this time your baby will start responding to your voice. They will start to respond to your voice by making noise when you speak to them.

Six to Eleven Months Old: They will begin to start babbling and saying “Ba-ba-ba”. In this stage you will most likely also hear your baby say “mama” or “dada”. They will start to communicate by using actions and gestures as well. During this time your baby will most likely say their first word. This is when the excitement starts! Mom tip: take notes of their first words.

Twelve to Seventeen Months Old: At this time your child should be able to answer simple questions and understand them. They should be able to say 2-3 words to label an object or person. They will begin to imitate simple words as well. Their vocabulary at this time should consist of 4-6 words.

Eighteen to Twenty-Three Months Old: At this time their vocabulary should consist of 50 words. They should be able to ask for common foods by name, make animal sounds and start combing words. They should be able to use two-word phrases at this point of time.

Two to Three Years Old: Your child should be more descriptive by using words such as big, small , happy or sad. They should be able to use three-word sentences. At this time they should also be able to answer very simple questions when asked. Their speech becomes more accurate during this time as well. This was the funniest stage for me because kids say the funniest things.

Four to Five Years Old: At this point your child should be able to answer WHY questions, carry out a series of directions, understand rhyming and fully engaging in conversations. They should be able to understand complex questions and their speech should be more understandable.

Please remember that every baby is different and the above are simple milestones, your child may reach them within this period or outside of this period. If you are concerned about your child’s development always contact your pediatrician.

I encourage you to check out my blog on Zulily’s site where I go more in depth on when most babies reach these milestones and how to encourage your baby to talk. Thanks! Dris

I partnered with Zulily to bring this post. While I may have been compensated, all opinions are my own.

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