Your baby may be producing a greater variety of consonant-vowel sounds, from “buh” and “pah” to “yaw” and “dah.” Whenever your baby makes a sound, repeat it back to them. This will encourage them to continue experimenting and practicing.

In this post:

• Activity: Try this to encourage babbling
• Article: What research says about how to respond to your baby’s babbles 
• Ask & Learn: Is it common for babies who are ahead in crawling to be behind in speech?

Try this to encourage babbling

Around 7 months, your baby may start experimenting with intonation and volume as they create what are known as “proto-sounds.”

These vocalizations are similar to adult language but with a drawn-out vowel, such as “baaaa.” The letter “b” is typically one of the first sounds babies make when they begin to babble consistently.

Here’s one way to encourage your baby practice making “b” sounds.

• Place 2 to 3 objects that begin with the letter “b” in the Treasure Basket. Some ideas: the Wood Ball, the picture of a baby from the First Puzzle, and the My First Signs book.
• Take out the objects, one by one, and name them, making sure to enunciate the “b” sound. 
• By exposing your baby to the same sound repeatedly, you can encourage them to try to recreate it through babbling. This is an early step toward expressive language ❤️

What research says about how to respond to your baby’s babbles 

Did you know that the way you respond to your baby’s babbling can actually shape the way they communicate? 

In a 2014 study, researchers found that babies whose parents responded to their babbles based on what the baby could see showed an increase in new consonant-vowel vocalizations (“baba, mama, dada”) that sounded more and more like discernible words. The babies also began directing their babbling more deliberately at their caregiver, indicating a more advanced understanding of how social communication works.

How to respond to your baby’s babbling

Try to figure out what your baby is babbling about. As your baby plays with the Spinning Rainbow, you might say, “Wow! The Spinning Rainbow is going so fast when you spin it. I see you watching all those colors fly by.” If they spin it again, you can say, “Whoosh! Do you like hearing that spinning sound?” This helps teach them that words have meaning and can be used to describe their experiences.

Have a “conversation” with them. Even though your baby isn’t talking yet, you can still have meaningful conversations with them. This back-and-forth interaction, called “serve and return,” is a mix of words, gestures, and sounds that build off one another. Here’s what it might look like:

1. Your baby makes a sound, then stops and looks at you.
2. You make eye contact and repeat the sound they made.
3. They make a similar sound again and smile.
4. You smile, make the same sound, then add a new one. As the conversation develops, try matching your baby’s facial expression with lots of eye contact.

Use gestures when you respond. When talking to your baby, use slow, exaggerated gestures. Your baby won’t be able to imitate you in this way yet, but you can help them learn that gestures and body language are part of communication.

What parents are asking our experts…

“Is it common for babies who are ahead in crawling to be behind in speech?”

Answer:

If your baby is focused on learning to crawl, you may not hear as many new sounds or babbling—but that doesn’t necessarily indicate a speech delay. The gross motor skills required to crawl often promote and support oral motor skills. As children grow and their brains develop, certain milestones like crawling or walking tend to accompany or contribute to gains in other areas, like speech. 

Answered by:

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Learn more about the research

Gros-Louis, J., West, M. J., & King, A. P. (2014). Maternal responsiveness and the development of directed vocalizing in social interactions. Infancy, 19(4), 385-408.