Do you know what is babbling? In simple words, it is a way of communication for kids. In the initial months, through the action of crying, babies express their discomfort, hunger, need for sleep, need for care, etc. When they are four months old, they can start making different sounds. They either sound like vowels or consonants. Have you ever seen your baby say ‘ba-ba’ or ‘ya-ya’ and even ma-ma or pa-pa? Common sounds like ‘ooo’ and ‘ah’ are also wholesome to hear when they are happy. This is what babbling is, the baby language!
Let’s learn more about babbling and its importance!
Phases Of Babbling:
Babbling is the second stage of infancy. As the baby enters the remarkable journey of developing talking skills, babbling begins.
So, exactly when do babies start babbling?
The babbling stage begins between four and six months of age, and these are basic sounds that a baby may make. They are babbling using syllables, which become more complex over time. By the end of their first year, they finally start speaking their first few words. Let’s explore the various stages of babbling:
- 0–2 months: Begins to cry and coo
- 3–4 months: Begins to say simple sounds like ‘aaii’, ‘aahh’, ‘ooo’, etc.
- 5 months: Begins to speak single syllables like ‘ba’, ‘ma’, ‘pa’, etc.
- 6-7 months: Begins to reduplicate the single syllables learned. This is the stage where the words ‘ma-ma’ and ‘pa-pa’ are audible. These are the golden words that every parent wants to hear.
- 8–9 months: This stage of variegated babbling is marked when a baby begins to mix different sounds or syllables like ‘ba de’, ‘de ah’, etc.
- 10–11 months: The baby develops more babbling during this stage, which is also known as the jargon stage. The baby would start talking to you with complex sounds such as “ba ba de ma,”
- 12 months: The first few words are finally spoken.
How Do You Encourage Babbling in Kids?
Why do infants babble? The simple answer is to communicate. So, if your baby has turned four months old but is not babbling, it might be a sign that your baby is having difficulty with communication. You may start practising a few exercises to encourage babbling. In extreme cases, a paediatrician consultant may be the need of the hour.
Parents play a key role in helping the baby learn to babble as they nurture them through infancy. Below are some tips on how to encourage babbling.
- Directly talking to your baby: It is important to show how to talk, and as you indulge in a conversation with your baby, the baby starts responding to you through simple sounds.
- Reciprocate their sounds: The babies feel encouraged when their words are responded to, and they begin having conversations with you. They would also start pointing out things and telling you something about them with their simple babbling sounds.
- Making or playing music: A baby learns words or sounds from music. You can play some musical instruments or musical cartoons. Through this, they are able to catch the sounds and repeat them. It would help them get familiar with words. They will learn several types of sounds, encouraging them to indulge in making sounds.
- Show cartoons or videos: Interesting videos for children to build interest in speaking as they see people or animals on the screen speaking. A baby show played on television is ideal for babies to learn different sounds.
Milestones In Babbling:
Several milestones in the development of a child also include speech development. The first milestone is the crying, or cooing, sound. This leads to the babbling sound of various phase-wise developments. Milestones for each baby are different as they grow and develop. As parents, it is important to know when your baby has reached the various milestones of babbling. This could be time-specific rather than phase-specific. Below are some of the ways to mark the milestones of babbling for your baby:
- Check if the baby is crying loudly, which is a sign that the baby is communicating with his or her caregivers. It is important to notice their crying patterns to understand their needs.
- The first sound pronounced is often the first milestone.
- Another milestone is when the baby begins to talk while playing with toys or seeing other babies.
Mark the above milestones for your baby. A consultation with a paediatrician may be vital at this stage.
Babies start babbling right after the fourth month. However, there could be instances of delay due to growth patterns and the home environment. Parents need to make an extra effort to encourage babbling in such cases. They can help babies practise sounds through various strategies. Spending adequate time with babies plays a key role in developing their speech. Cartoon movies are useful for helping babies babble right from the age of four months. It is vital for parents to note the various milestones that may be different from the stages of babbling.
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