Stages of Baby Talk (Birth to 12 Months)

Overview

• Understanding early speech milestones from birth to 12 months.
• Stages include initial sounds to first words.
• Importance of baby's hearing and understanding in speech development.

Phonation Stage (Birth to 2 Months)

• Sounds: Vowels, consonants, and broad sounds.
• Developing differentiated crying:
  • Communicates different needs.
  • Helps parents understand baby's needs.
• Attention to speech foundation:
  • Baby startles to loud noises.
  • Recognizes and responds to voices.
  • Smiles and changes in sucking behavior when hearing new sounds.
• Importance of frequent speaking to babies.

Goo Stage (2 to 3 Months)

• Introduction of cooing and gooing sounds.
• Indicates healthy hearing and language recognition.
• Babies can say all sounds in all languages at birth. They adapt to specific language sounds over time.

Expansion Stage (4 to 6 Months)

• Babbling becomes more speech-like: Includes 'p', 'b', and 'm' sounds.
• Babies laugh, vocalize excitement, and displeasure.
• Speech becomes a form of play and communication.
• Babies track sounds with their eyes and start recognizing sound-making toys and music.

Canonical Stage (7 to 10 Months)

• Babbling includes long and short sound groups.
• Non-crying sounds used to gain attention.
• Use of gestures and imitation of speech sounds.
• Enjoyment of games like peekaboo, teaching conversational rhythm.
• Respond to simple requests and recognize words for common objects.

Variegated Babble Stage (11 to 12 Months)

• Babbling mimics the rhythm and pattern of speech, resembling a foreign language.
• First words typically appear around the first birthday, though clarity may vary.

Important Notes

• Baby milestones vary; early, on-time, or late.
• Quiet periods may occur when babies focus on motor skill milestones.
• If concerned about baby's speech development, consult a pediatrician and consider a speech pathologist.
• Continuous interaction: Talk to your baby frequently.