Baby First Words and Language Development: What Counts as First Words?

Baby First Words: What Actually Counts?

'My baby just said their first word....I think?' We're all dying to hear our baby's first words and wonder what it will be. Once they start talking though, it can be tricky to figure out what actually counts as a first word! At Walky Talky hub in Perth, our speech therapy services often guide parents through understanding these exciting early milestones.

When Do Babies Usually Say Their First Words?

First words. Such a big and wonderful milestone for your little baby! What will it be? Mama? Dada? Or something random (one of my baby's first words was 'light'!). You'll typically start to hear your baby's first word anywhere from 9-14 months of age. If they haven't produced any words by 18 months, we'd recommend seeing a Speech Pathologist for further assessment. Parents in Perth can access our speech therapy services at Walky Talky Hub for expert support with language development.

Baby Language Development: What Counts as a First Word?

 Those first words won't be very clear. It can therefore be tricky to tell if it is a word or not! You might be saying to each other 'did she say...?' 'I swear he just said..!'.

Around 6-8 months of age, your baby will start babbling. As they get better and better at this skill, they will start to refine and shorten the string of syllables they're producing to sound more like the words you are modelling to them. 

It can be considered a word when your baby says it independently (i.e. without copying you) and in context (e.g. they look at mama and say ‘mama’, or call out for ‘mama’).

It's also considered a word when you hear them say it roughly the same way each time (e.g. 'bah' for ball). If you’re in Perth and unsure, our speech therapy services can help you track whether your baby’s sounds are moving toward real words.

Why Baby First Words May Be Hard for Others to Understand

Don't worry if these words aren't very clear at all and you and your partner at the only ones to understand them. Speech sounds are the last skill to develop in the 'communication pyramid'. First your baby needs to be able to understand and use words, then they work on refining their production of the sounds in their words. It is very common for babies and young children to have speech sound errors up until about 6 years of age. If you're interested to learn more, check out our blog on speech sound development for a table indicating which sounds develop when, and for more information on the communication pyramid I referred to above. 

Those first words will typically have the last sound 'omitted' (e.g. 'do_' for 'dog' or 'ca_' for 'cat').

How to Support Language Development and Baby First Words

There's so many simple strategies you can use to support your baby's first words and beyond. Your baby has been listening to you talk to them from the day they were born and they have been learning all about language since then. 

If you want to have access to tons of simple tips to get your baby talking, plus access to a Paediatric Speech Pathologist to ask specific questions about your baby any time, come join the Walky Talky Baby Membership!

You don't need to be worried about your baby's language to get benefits out of this membership. The tips are there to empower you with the knowledge on how to support your baby's communication development (and gross motor too!). You can't predict if your baby will have trouble talking but what we can do is get in early with the right strategies to give them the best chance possible. Lay the foundations early for some strong language skills in their second year of life!

Want all the strategies for helping your baby say their first words? Join now to get the tips!