Phase

What Babies Can Do and How You Can Help

Birth to 3 months

The baby first learns to communicate by crying and a different form of cry is associated with different needs. Piercing scream may indicate hunger, while whimpering cry could indicate diaper change time. Babies try to learn and imitate the voices that they listen to at this age. The gurgles and coos they make are all in response to the voices around him.

How to help: Help your baby by talking and singing to them often with the background noise to the lowest as noises may distract baby’s attention.

3 to 6 months

By this age, the baby makes a lot of babbling sounds which may sound the same to you, irrespective of the language you speak. Babies notice the conversations between people and are eager to give their inputs and join in. They tend to make certain sounds more often like ‘ka’ or ‘da’ as they might like the sound produced by these words, or the way their mouth feels when they say it. By the time they are 6 months old, they start responding to their name as well.

How to help: You can ask questions with visual aids and pause so that they can respond in their own way.

6 to 9 months

By this age, the baby starts to experiment by using their tongue, teeth, palate and vocal cords. They make all sorts of sounds and funny noises regarding vocalization as a game to them. Babies are involved in a monologue with themselves where you may feel they are talking non-stop in an alien language with endless words. The sounds they make actually begin to form into words like mama and dada. They can also express emotion based on the tone in which you talk to them, grin if you are happy and show distress if you are angry.

How to help: You can point at things when talking about them and also introduce babies to themselves by pointing them out at the mirror saying their name.

9 to 12 months

By this time the baby starts understanding the things you are referring to. They may not be able to say out the words, but will display their understanding with actions. The language receptive skills are very high in this age group. They might go to the dinner table when you announce that they are supposed to eat.

How to help: By this time you can start pointing out body parts and read books to them by pointing out images and actions like waving and blowing kisses.

12 to 15 months

By this time the vocabulary of your baby increases to about one or two dozen words. The number of words spoken at this age increases very rapidly. If they cannot speak out the words, they can communicate by gestures.

How to help: You can use simple words and sentences to teach babies how to string words together. Provide encouragement when they learn a new word or attempt to communicate with you.

15 to 18 months

By this age, children realize the importance of communication and are capable of associating words with their meanings. They even use the right tone when stating certain things. If they want to be carried, they might raise their tone and ask “Up?” Since they know that their demands are met easily when they ask, they are encouraged to talk more.

How to help: Babies talk more when you listen to them attentively and show interest. Make eye contact when they talk to you, even if you do not understand what they are saying. Ensure that you respond to the questions they put to you, so that they feel motivated to keep trying. If the time taken to talk is longer, spend time reading together with babies as well as showing pictures and pointing familiar objects to help them.