The power of babble: Why your baby's ‘talk’ matters
· ·

The power of babble: Why your baby’s ‘talk’ matters

ByLondon Speech and Feeding

That adorable string of ‘ba-ba-ga-ga-ma-ma’ might sound like baby gibberish, but it’s actually a crucial milestone in your little one’s language development. Babbling or babble, as we call it, is far more than just cute baby noises. It’s a sequence of sounds that lays the foundation for future communication.

Image by freepik

What is babbling?

Babbling typically begins around six months of age, though the timing can vary slightly from baby to baby. It involves your baby experimenting with different sounds, stringing together consonants and vowels. You might hear them repeating sounds like:

  • ‘Ba-ba’
  • ‘Da-da’
  • ‘Ma-ma’
  • ‘Ga-ga’

As they progress, the babbling becomes more complex, with variations in pitch, rhythm, and intonation. It might even sound like they’re having a conversation with you!

Why is babbling so important?

  1. Laying the groundwork for speech: Babbling is like a vocal workout for your baby. By practising these sounds, they’re strengthening the muscles in their mouth, tongue, and vocal cords that are essential for speech.
  2. Developing phonological skills: Through babbling, babies begin to understand the sound patterns of their native language. They’re learning which sounds go together and how they’re used.
  3. Enhancing social interaction: Babbling is a social activity. Babies often babble back and forth with their caregivers, which helps them learn about the give-and-take of communication.
  4. Cognitive development: The act of babbling requires babies to use their brains in new ways. They’re learning to control their vocalisations, pay attention to the sounds they’re making, and connect those sounds to the responses they receive from others.

How can you encourage babbling?

  • Talk to your baby: Even though they can’t understand your words yet, talking to your baby exposes them to language and encourages them to respond with their own vocalisations.
  • Imitate their sounds: When your baby babbles, imitate them! This shows them that you’re paying attention and encourages them to keep ‘talking.’
  • Respond to their babbling: Treat your baby’s babbling as if it’s a real conversation. Respond with words, smiles, and gestures.
  • Play sound games: Make different sounds for your baby and encourage them to imitate you. This could include animal sounds, silly noises, or simple words.
  • Read to your baby: Even before they can understand the words, reading to your baby exposes them to the rhythm and sounds of language.
  • Sing songs: Singing is a fun and engaging way to introduce your baby to new sounds and words.
  • Use mirrors: Babies often enjoy watching themselves make sounds in a mirror.
  • Tactile stimulation: Gentle massage around the mouth and face can increase oral awareness and encourage vocalisations.
  • Vary textures: Offer different textured teethers.
  • Read books with sound effects: Choose books with animal sounds or other engaging noises.
  • Blow bubbles: The act of blowing and popping bubbles can encourage vocalisations.
  • Use visual aids: Show pictures of objects and say their names, emphasising the consonant sounds.
  • Use exaggerated facial expressions: When you make sounds, exaggerate your mouth movements to help your baby see how sounds are made.
  • Increase joint attention: Follow the child’s gaze and point to objects that they are looking at and say the name of the object.

When to seek help

If you notice that your baby is not babbling by eight months, it’s a good idea to talk to your speech and language therapist. You might also notice a lack of variation in tone when your child is making sounds, is your baby sounding a little ‘flat’ or monotonous? While every child develops at their own pace, a lack of babbling can sometimes indicate a developmental delay or hearing issue.

Remember, babbling is a gift. So, enjoy those precious moments of ‘baby talk’ and take comfort in knowing that your little one is on the path to becoming a chatterbox!

Do get in touch via my contact form if you are concerned about your child’s development or if you simply want some reassurance that your baby is developing well. We will be delighted to arrange a screening appointment for you and give you support and reassurance.

Sonja McGeachie

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Owner of The London Speech and Feeding Practice.

Health Professions Council registered
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists Member
Member of ASLTIP

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

1
Navigating the exciting 9–18 months journey: Your baby's communication milestones
· ·

Navigating the exciting 9–18 months journey: Your baby’s communication milestones

ByLondon Speech and Feeding

Between 9 and 18 months, your little one undergoes a remarkable transformation, blossoming from a curious explorer into a budding communicator. This period is filled with exciting milestones in speech, language, and social development. Let’s delve into what you can expect.

9–12 months: The world opens up

Communication takes flight

  • Babbling becomes more complex with a wider range of sounds. By babbling we mean syllables like: pa ga ka ma da and then ‘baba’ gohgoh’. First we hear one and two syllables together and then longer and longer strings! This is so exciting!
  • First words! One day around the 12 months–14 months mark we hear a first word! My older son’s first word was ‘Licht’ which is the German word for ‘light’ as literally every time I carried him along the corridors in our home, I pointed out the light switches to him and turned them off and on a few times. And each time I said ‘Licht!’ and it stuck! PS: sadly I cannot remember what my younger son’s first word was… poor second and third babies they just have to muddle along and call loudly to get noticed!
  • Understanding grows! Baby now understands simple instructions like ‘where is your ball’ and responds by looking to the ball across the room!

Social butterflies

  • Your baby now starts to show interest in other children, and may try to copy their actions. Now we are getting proper traction with simple social games like peek-a-boo and patty-cake. Whilst your baby is generally interested in other people and children he or she may show separation anxiety when mum or dad or other familiar person suddenly leaves the room and they feel alone with strangers.

Fine motor skills

  • Pincer grasp develops. This is where your child puts an index finger to the thumb in order to pick up of small objects, hold them and transfer them to either a box, back on the floor or into the other hand.
  • Your baby may start to explore objects by banging, shaking, and mouthing.

12–15 months: Words are taking shape

  • Language explosion: From our early words we now suddenly see baby’s vocabulary expanding, with new words added each week. I would highly recommend parents keep a little journal of all the words they hear. If nothing else this is a wonderful aide-memoire for years down the road when you might like to reminisce about the first ten words. I promise you otherwise you won’t recall! (especially for second and third babies; I would do this now, had I the time again).
  • Understanding grows:
    • By about 15 months our baby can follow simple two-step instructions like ‘Go get your shoes and bring them here.’
    • Begins to understand the concept of ‘no.’ and that’s a very useful thing. Though before you breathe a sigh of relief… your toddler may well show you that he is understanding a ‘no’ though he may not stop doing what he is doing or come down off the table!
  • Playtime gets interactive:
    • Now we engage in more complex play, such as stacking blocks, pretending to eat with a spoon, and imitating actions.
    • Many toddlers now start showing an interest in picture books.

15–18 months: Communication blossoms

  • Words combine: Towards 18 months or around about then your toddler may start to put two words together, such as ‘more milk’ or ‘bye-bye dada.’
  • Gestures and sounds: Now we also use gestures to communicate, such as pointing, shaking head ‘no,’ and waving ‘bye-bye.’
  • Exploration and curiosity:
    • Your toddler is now EVERYWHERE! Turn your back and he or she is gone! Your toddler now shows a strong sense of curiosity and explores their environment with enthusiasm.
  • Copying
  • Look out for actions and gestures your toddler will copy such as clapping hands or patting a cushion or banging a spoon on the table .

Remember

  • Every child develops at his or her own pace.
  • These are just general guidelines, and some children may reach certain milestones earlier or later than others.
  • If you have any concerns about your child’s development, please consult with your speech and language therapist. We are always keen to hear from parents and happy to help promote all those lovely early skills.

General tips to encourage communication if you feel your child needs a little more help

  • Talk, talk, talk! Engage in frequent chatting with your child.
  • Listen to your child: Allow for periods of silence when playing with your child to allow them to say something or make sounds which you can then copy and respond to.
  • Read aloud regularly. Use books with simple words and pictures.
  • Play interactive games: Hickory Dickory Dock, Row Row the boat, Old McDonalds, 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed, chasing and catching, tickling games.
  • Respond to your child’s babbling and gestures. You can copy them or if your toddler says long strings of babbling you cannot understand you could just say: ‘Oh ok!? ‘yes that’s great!’ ‘who knew!’ ‘wow you’ve got much to say!’ as if you understood.
  • Limit screen time or if your child is very passionate about watching clips then sit and watch with your child so that you can see what is the best bit, which songs they like the best and what sort of phrases they love hearing.

This exciting period of rapid growth and development is a precious time for both you and your child.

By providing a loving, stimulating, and responsive environment, you will naturally nurture their communication skills! Any more questions, please get in touch!

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

The London Speech and Feeding Practice

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

1
Milestones matter: What to expect in your baby's first year of communication
· ·

Milestones matter: What to expect in your baby’s first year of communication

ByLondon Speech and Feeding
Milestones matter: What to expect in your baby's first year of communication
Designed by Freepik

The first year of your baby’s life is a whirlwind of growth and development. While watching them learn to crawl, walk, and grasp objects is exciting, it’s equally important to pay attention to their developing communication skills. Here are some key speech, language, attention, play, and communication milestones you can expect to see between 6 and 9 months.

Sounds:

  • Babbling becomes more complex, with strings of sounds like ‘bababa’ or ‘dadada.’
  • Your baby may start imitating some sounds.
  • When you call your baby he or she will respond to his or her own name.

What you can do to help your baby

First, please don’t panic. Every baby is different and it does not mean your baby is delayed if he or she is not quite ready.

Make sure you spend time babbling, singing and talking to your baby in a tuneful, happy, sometimes silly! way, pulling faces, smiling, laughing and tickling your baby, all the while sing sing sing and chat!

Try to imitate your baby’s sounds and actions. You will see that your baby likes this a lot and will reward you with smiles, giggles and after a while your baby will want you to continue copying him or her. At that time you will see that he or she will start to copy you more and more.

Try and call your baby’s name lots of times. When you re-enter a room having been out for even a short time, say ‘Hello (baby’s name) I’m back’. Your baby will soon learn to look when you say their name.

Attention:

  • Can follow simple directions (e.g., ‘Come here!’).
  • Shows interest in books and pictures.
  • Begins to understand the word ‘no.’

What you can do to help attention skills develop

Get down to your baby’s eye level or make it easy for your baby to look at you, even briefly.

Try and gain your baby’s attention when he or she is not busy with something else.

Try and become irresistibly funny and interesting to look at! Think of ‘Mr Tumble’! Wear a silly hat, silly glasses, blow some bubbles, blow a funny horn, stand on your head (joking)… make it impossible for your baby to ignore you!

Play:

  • Explores objects by banging, shaking, and mouthing them.
  • Shows interest in cause-and-effect toys (e.g., dropping objects and watching them fall).
  • Engages in simple social games like peek-a-boo.

What you can do to help play skills to develop

Offer suitable objects that are attractive to look at and easy to hold and shake. Show your baby repeatedly what to do with these objects, bang them together and sing a little song, bang bang bang shake shake shake…

Offer containers and drop items into them. Shape sorters, metal bowls make a terrific clangy noise when you drop items into them. Blow feathers or tissues and watch them fall. Blow bubbles and watch them pop.

Sing a range of nursery songs repeatedly and make suitable actions along them. Try and involve your baby by sitting him or her on your lap so he or she can hear and feel you bopping him or her up and down, swinging him or her gently from side to side or row row rowing his or her boat gently down the stream

Communication:

  • Uses gestures like waving ‘bye-bye’ and reaching for desired objects.
  • May begin to use babbling to express needs and wants (e.g., babbling while reaching for a toy).

What you can do to help communication progress

Practise waving ‘bye-bye’ to people coming and going all day long.

When your baby babbles whilst reaching for a toy, you can copy him or her and then name that toy, for example.

Baby: ‘gagabbagaga’ – whilst reaching for a shaker – Adult: ‘gagagag I want my shakey! Aargh I am reaching for it but I can’t get it, help me help me… ah there is my lovely shakey shakey!’

If your baby is not responding to any of your efforts above then please do get in touch with a Speech and Language Therapist near you, or contact me via my contact form. Sometimes one consultation is all you need to get going with helping your baby and before you know it a lots of progress has been made and your baby is on the way to speaking!

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

The London Speech and Feeding Practice

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

1
Your baby's communication journey: 3—6 months
· ·

Your baby’s communication journey: 3–6 months

ByLondon Speech and Feeding
Your baby's communication journey: 3—6 months
Designed by Freepik

This is an exciting time for both you and your baby! Between 3 and 6 months, communication literally explodes. While your little one may not be saying words yet, he or she is actively learning to understand and express themselves. Here’s a glimpse into what you can expect:

Understanding:

Recognises familiar voices:

Your baby will likely turn his or her head towards the sound of your or other familiar adults’ voices.

Tips for supporting and expanding: Talk, sing and chant! Your baby will love and smile at hearing your talking voice, and he or she will not be judging your singing talent! You can sing to your hearts content, perhaps some lovely nursery rhymes you remember from your childhood, or festive songs like Jingle bells !. Or you can simply make up your own little songs and chants alongside all the daily activities you do with or for your baby. You could have a ‘nappy’ song, a ‘let’s get you ready for the park’ song, a ‘I’m hungry’ song or a ‘mummy’s cooking soup’ chant. It does not have to be beautiful but what does help is having little rhymes and rhythms to your singing. Your baby will love it and soak it all up.

Begins to understand ‘no’:

Your baby may pause or stop an action when you say ‘no’ and shake your head at the same time.

Tips for supporting and expanding: I don’t think that at this stage you will have much cause to say ‘no’ to be fair but you could do it playfully and bring it into a ‘no more’ situation so that your baby can make the connection between ‘no’ and ‘finished’ or ‘stop’ or ‘done’. Feeding might be a good opportunity for this one. You could also ask ‘who is it’ when someone is ringing the bell or coming down the stairs, e.g. ‘oh I hear footsteps! Is this daddy??…. no it’s not daddy no it’s grandma! daddy’s gone out!’

Responds to his or her name:

Your baby will start to show a reaction when you call his or her name.

Tips for supporting and expanding: Try calling your baby’s name a lot, and get different family members or visitors calling your baby by his or her name and calling his or her name before saying ‘look’ or ‘peek-a boo’ etc.

Use Baby Signing: You can introduce simple gestures and signs such as ‘milk’ ‘nappy’ ‘sleep’ ‘dog’ ‘cat’ etc to help your baby make the connection between what you are saying and what he or she is seeing.

Expressing:

Cooing, gurgling and babbling:

These sounds are more than just adorable! They are your baby’s way of experimenting with his or her voice and learning to control his or her vocal cords.

You might hear sounds like ‘ba-ba-ba’ or ‘ga-ga-ga’. This is a huge milestone!

Tips for Supporting and expanding: This is a wonderful time to copy your baby’s sounds, celebrate them and show your baby that you are listening to his or her sounds and you are understanding everything he or she is saying! This is also a brilliant time to start reading to your baby. You can read any children’s books you fancy. Again your baby will adore the sound of your voice but increasingly he or she will also look at the pages of a book and try and understand and make connections between the words you say and the pictures he or she sees.

When you hear your child babbling you can try and give it meaning where possible, for example your baby says: ‘ba ba ba’ you could fall into ‘Baa Baa black sheep have you any wool’ song or you could say ‘mmmh banana!’ And show a banana that’s lying on the table. Or you could just say: ‘baba baaaaah you are saying ba! That’s so great!’ Anything goes really at this stage!

Facial expressions:

Your baby uses smiles, frowns, and other facial expressions to communicate his or her emotions (happy, sad, angry).

Tips for supporting and expanding: Try and make interesting and exaggerated facial expressions yourself when you are talking to your baby! Try and be a little bit clowney and really practise showing ‘surprise’ ‘boo’ or a big grin, smile, purse your lips, blow raspberries, open and close your mouth and make funny faces. Copy your baby when you see his or her facial expression change. When your baby looks confused, say ’oh we don’t know what’s happening we are confused!’. When your baby looks happy, say ‘you look soo happy! What a lovely smile!’

Eye contact:

Your baby will start making more and more eye contact with you during interactions.

Tips for supporting and expanding: Try and get ‘face to face’ a lot with your baby. When cuddling your baby look at his or her face and often make sure that it is easy for your baby to see and look at you. If you can lower your position so that your face is in line with your baby that will make things easier for you both.

Good games to play: ‘People-Games’ these are games where you do not need any toys to have a good time. All you need is the other person: Peek-a-boo, bumping your baby up and down on your lap with a song, Row Row Row your boat, tickling games, catch you games etc.

Now we are at 6 months another very exciting stage has arrived: feeding SOLIDS to our baby! More of this in my next post!

When to Seek Guidance:

If you have any concerns about your baby’s communication development, please don’t hesitate to consult with me. Early intervention can make a significant difference and really help your baby making progress.

Remember: Every baby develops at his or her own pace. These are general guidelines, and some babies may reach certain milestones earlier or later than others.

I look forward to seeing you! Get in touch with me via my contact form.

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

The London Speech and Feeding Practice

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

1