Stan is fourteen months old. At breakfast he points at the ball under the chair and calls out “ba!”, then looks at his mum to check whether she understood. He also says “mama”, “dada” and something that sounds like “am” when he sees food. His cousin Zosia was already saying a dozen words at the same age. Stan’s parents wonder whether “ba” counts as a word or is still babbling, and when a child actually starts to talk.
There is no single date in the calendar that answers this, but there is a fairly detailed map. This article walks through the stages of speech and language development from the first weeks to the third birthday, based on the developmental milestone lists of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). At the end you will find the signs that are worth discussing with a doctor or a speech and language therapist.
When do children start talking?
Most children say their first words around their first birthday. ASHA lists saying one or two words, such as “mama”, “dada”, “hi” and “bye”, among the skills of a child aged 10–12 months. The CDC says that by 15 months a child tries to say one or two words besides “mama” or “dada”, and by 18 months three or more. Putting two words together usually appears before the second birthday, and short sentences and questions during the third year.
Speech does not start with the first word, though. Long before it, a child practises using their voice, listens to conversations, babbles and communicates with gestures. The first word is the visible result of a year of work rather than its beginning. That is why the question “when do children start talking?” is easier to answer when broken into smaller ones: when do babies start babbling, when do they say their first word, when do they combine words and when do they build sentences.
Speech milestones in one table
| Age | What you usually hear and see | Source |
|---|---|---|
| By 2 months | Sounds other than crying, reacts to loud sounds | CDC |
| 0–3 months | Cooing (“ooo”, “aah”, “mmm”), sounds back and forth with a parent | ASHA |
| By 4 months | Cooing, making sounds back when you talk, turning towards your voice | CDC |
| 4–6 months | Vowel sounds combined with consonants, laughing, blowing “raspberries” | ASHA, CDC (6 months) |
| 7–9 months | Babbling long strings of syllables (“mamama”, “bababa”) | ASHA, CDC (9 months) |
| 10–12 months | Pointing, waving “bye-bye”, one or two words | ASHA, CDC (12 months) |
| By 18 months | Three or more words besides “mama” and “dada” | CDC |
| 19–24 months | At least 50 words, putting two words together (“more water”) | ASHA |
| By 30 months | About 50 words, combinations with an action word (“doggie run”), “I”, “me” | CDC |
| 2–3 years | Short phrases, plurals, “why?” and “how?” questions | ASHA |
| By 3 years | A conversation with at least two back-and-forth exchanges, “who?”, “what?”, “where?” questions, speech others understand most of the time | CDC |
Two notes on the table. First, the CDC lists skills that at least 75% of children have by a given age — not an average, but a threshold most children pass earlier. The lists were revised on this basis by the CDC in 2022 (Zubler et al., “Pediatrics” 2022); how such a threshold differs from the WHO development windows is shown, using movement as the example, in the article on when babies sit up. Second, ASHA points out that its lists are not a screening or diagnostic tool, and suggests also looking at the age ranges just below and above your child’s age.
The first weeks: crying, cooing, listening
A newborn does not talk, but listens from the start. ASHA lists alerting to sound, quieting or smiling when you talk, and turning towards voices among the skills of a baby up to three months. The CDC adds that by two months a baby makes sounds other than crying and reacts to loud sounds.
Around this time cooing appears: long, sing-song sounds such as “ooo”, “aah” and “mmm”. In Polish this stage has its own name, “głużenie”, distinct from “gaworzenie” (babbling). ASHA also notes that in the first three months a baby makes different sounds when happy and when upset, and can already make sounds back and forth with you. It is the first conversation, even without words: you speak, the baby answers, you wait, and the baby answers again.
By four months, according to the CDC, a baby coos, makes sounds back when you talk to them and turns their head towards the sound of your voice. These responses are easy to miss in a busy day, but they are the foundation of later talking: the baby learns that their voice changes something and that someone is waiting for it.
When do babies start babbling?
Babbling in the full sense, repeating strings of syllables such as “mamama” or “bababa”, usually appears in the second half of the first year. ASHA places “babbles long strings of sounds, like mamamama, upup, or babababa” in the 7–9 month range, and the CDC lists making a lot of different sounds such as “mamamama” and “bababababa” among the skills at least three in four children have by 9 months.
Babbling does not start overnight. At 4–6 months, according to ASHA, a baby makes different vowel sounds, sometimes combined with a consonant, such as “aaagoo” or “daaa”, giggles, blows raspberries and vocalises during play. By 6 months, the CDC lists taking turns making sounds with you, blowing raspberries and squealing.
It is worth remembering that “mamama” at nine months is usually still play with sound rather than calling for mum. The baby is practising lip and tongue movements, testing how syllables sound and listening to themselves. When you pick up these sounds and repeat them, then add a real word, you show your child the bridge between babbling and language. The CDC gives exactly this example: when your baby says “bababa”, repeat “bababa”, then say a word that starts the same way — in the CDC example “book”; in a Polish home it might be “banan” (banana).
When do babies say their first word?
The first word usually appears around the first birthday, though for some children a few months earlier and for others a few months later. The CDC lists calling a parent “mama” or “dada” or another special name, waving “bye-bye” and understanding “no” among the skills of a one-year-old. ASHA, for 10–12 months, mentions one or two words such as “mama”, “dada”, “hi” and “bye”.
First words rarely sound like adult words. For a 15-month-old the CDC gives “ba” for ball and “da” for dog as examples. A word, then, is a sound the child uses consistently for the same thing, person or situation — like Stan’s “ba”, which always means the ball. It does not need to be pronounced correctly to count.
Gestures develop alongside words. ASHA lists pointing, waving, showing and giving objects, and trying to copy the sounds you make, for a child aged 10–12 months. By 15 months the CDC lists pointing to ask for something or to get help. Gestures and words are two routes to the same goal: the child wants to say something and is looking for a way to do it.
From first words to fifty
Between the first and second birthdays a child’s vocabulary grows from a handful of words to several dozen. According to the CDC, by 18 months a child tries to say three or more words besides “mama” and “dada”. For 13–18 months ASHA describes a child who understands and uses words for common objects, some actions and the people in their life, and who mixes long strings of sounds, syllables and real words with speech-like intonation.
At 19–24 months, according to ASHA, a child uses and understands at least 50 different words for food, toys, animals and body parts. The CDC puts “about 50 words” on its list for 30 months. The difference comes from the way each organisation counts: ASHA describes a typical range, while the CDC sets a threshold that at least 75% of children pass. Parents and speech therapists often call this period of rapid growth the “vocabulary spurt”.
How many words a two-year-old says, how to count them and what to do when there are fewer is covered in a separate article on toddler speech development. Here the direction is what matters: in the second year it is not only the number of words that counts, but also the fact that new ones keep arriving.
When do children start speaking in sentences?
The first two-word combinations usually appear towards the end of the second year, and short sentences during the third. The CDC lists saying at least two words together, such as “more milk”, by the second birthday, and ASHA, for 19–24 months, putting two or more words together, like “more water” or “go outside”. By 30 months, according to the CDC, a child says two or more words together, one of them an action word, such as “doggie run”.
At 2–3 years, as ASHA describes, a child often combines words into short phrases, though they may sometimes repeat words or whole phrases. They start using plurals, talk about past events, explain reasons for things, ask “why?” and “how?” and answer simple questions about everyday situations. They also call out “Look at me!” to get attention.
By the third birthday, according to the CDC, a child talks with you in a conversation with at least two back-and-forth exchanges, asks “who”, “what”, “where” or “why” questions, says what is happening in a picture, says their first name and talks well enough for others to understand most of the time. ASHA adds that a three-year-old’s speech is getting clearer, but people who do not know the child may still have trouble understanding some of it. If your three-year-old understands everything but says very little, read the article on when to wait and when to act if a 3-year-old is not talking.
Understanding comes before talking
A child understands far more than they can say, right from the start. At 7–9 months ASHA lists looking at you when you call their name, stopping for a moment when you say “no” and recognising the names of some people and objects — all before the first word. At 10–12 months a child responds to simple words and phrases.
In the following months understanding grows even faster. By 15 months the CDC lists looking at a familiar object when you name it and following directions given with both a gesture and words. By 18 months a child follows one-step directions without gestures, such as giving you the toy when you say “give it to me”. For 19–24 months ASHA describes following two-step directions, like “get the spoon and put it on the table”.
This matters for two reasons. First, it is worth talking to your child a lot and naturally before they start talking themselves — they are processing all of it. Second, understanding is one of the most important things to watch: ASHA’s review of research on late language emergence notes that children who later caught up with their peers were less likely to have difficulties with comprehension and more likely to use gestures.
Why children start talking at different times
Parents often compare their child with siblings, cousins or friends’ children, and rarely does anything good come of it. Variation is natural: the CDC lists describe what at least 75% of children can do at a given age, so by definition some healthy children reach a skill later, and many much earlier. ASHA advises also looking at the age ranges just below and above your child’s age.
Some children start talking later than their peers but otherwise develop without concerns. Specialists call this late language emergence. According to ASHA’s review it affects 10 to 20% of two-year-olds, and is more common in boys and in children with a family history of late talking. ASHA also gives a criterion used in research: fewer than 50 words and no two-word combinations at 24 months.
Many of these children catch up over time, but not all, and early on it is hard to predict which ones will. That is why ASHA recommends reviewing a child’s progress regularly, for example every six months, and not putting off a consultation if something worries you. A parent guide prepared with ASHA’s expertise stresses that you do not have to “wait and see” before turning to a speech and language therapist.
How to talk with a child who is learning to speak
Everyday conversation does the most for speech development. The CDC’s advice for parents repeats the same idea at each stage: children learn by talking, playing and interacting with others. The CDC’s concrete tips for different ages work well at home:
- Respond to sounds. Repeat your baby’s babbling and add a simple word to it; play “my turn, your turn”, for example by passing a toy back and forth (CDC, 9 months).
- Describe what your child is looking at. “Red, round ball” — name what catches their attention (CDC, 9 months).
- Read, even if it is only looking at pictures. Name what you point to in a book or magazine (CDC, 9 and 18 months).
- Talk at eye level. Your child “sees” what you are saying through your face, not just your words (CDC, 18 months).
- Add to what your child says. When they say “dog”, answer “Yes, that’s a dog. Dogs say woof, woof” (CDC, 18 months).
- Ask simple questions. “What is that?” encourages your child to look for the word (CDC, 18 months).
- Limit screens. The CDC does not recommend screen time for children under two, except video calls with loved ones; for a two-year-old, no more than one hour a day of a children’s programme with an adult present. The CDC also suggests limiting your own screen time when you are with your child, so that you can respond to their words.
There is no need to correct pronunciation or make your child repeat words. It is enough to say, naturally, “yes, that’s the ball” after their “ba”. The child hears the correct form without feeling they did something wrong. If your toddler is still learning mostly through everyday activities, the article on what a 2-year-old typically does shows how speech fits with movement, play and independence.
The sensitive period for language in Montessori
This part is an extra: you do not need to know Montessori education to support your child’s speech. Maria Montessori wrote about sensitive periods, times when a child is especially responsive to a particular kind of experience. The glossary of the Association Montessori Internationale describes them as periods that occur in every child, give them a strong capacity to acquire a specific skill and fade once that skill is acquired. Montessori identified the development of language as one of them.
In practice this approach leads to a few habits that fit well with the CDC’s advice: plenty of face-to-face conversation, naming things with real, specific words, reading and talking about what you are doing together, and listening patiently without finishing your child’s sentences. You can read more about how Montessori described the sensitive period for language and the other sensitive periods in the article on sensitive periods in the first six years.
When to talk to a doctor or speech therapist?
The CDC advises not to wait, but to talk with your child’s doctor if your child is not meeting one or more milestones for their age, has lost skills they once had, or if you have other concerns. During that conversation it is worth asking about developmental screening. ASHA advises seeing a speech-language pathologist (in Poland, a “logopeda”) if a child does not meet many of the milestones in their age range, and an audiologist or doctor if you have concerns about hearing.
The signs worth discussing follow directly from the lists in this article, for example:
- your baby does not react to loud sounds or turn towards voices,
- at around nine months they do not babble or make many different sounds,
- they do not respond to their name, point or wave,
- at two they do not put two words together and say few words,
- a three-year-old cannot hold a simple conversation, or others can hardly understand them,
- your child loses words or skills they already had — at any age.
An assessment of speech usually includes checking hearing. ASHA recommends a hearing screening as part of assessing a child with late language emergence, to rule out hearing loss as a contributing factor. In Poland the usual first step is the child’s paediatrician. Public psychological and educational counselling centres (poradnie psychologiczno-pedagogiczne) help children from birth; according to the Polish Ministry of Education their help is voluntary and free of charge, and an assessment is carried out at a parent’s request.
FAQ — parents’ questions about early speech
When do babies start babbling? ASHA places babbling in long strings of syllables (“mamama”, “bababa”) at 7–9 months, and the CDC lists it among the skills at least three in four children have by 9 months. Earlier, at 4–6 months, a baby combines vowels with consonants and plays with their voice.
Is “mama” at eight months a first word? Usually not yet. At this age “mamama” is most often babbling, that is, play with syllables. It becomes a word when the child uses it consistently for their mum. The CDC lists calling a parent “mama” or “dada” among the skills of a one-year-old.
How many words should a one-year-old say? ASHA mentions one or two words at 10–12 months, and the CDC one or two words besides “mama” and “dada” by 15 months. Gestures and understanding matter too: pointing, waving, responding to their name and to simple words.
When do children start speaking in sentences? The first two-word combinations usually appear by the second birthday (CDC, ASHA). During the third year a child combines words into short phrases, asks questions and uses plurals, and by the third birthday holds a simple conversation.
Do boys start talking later than girls? ASHA’s research review reports that late language emergence is more common in boys. That does not mean late talking in a boy can be ignored — the same milestones apply to every child.
Do cartoons on a tablet help a child learn to talk? The CDC does not recommend screen time for children under two, except video calls with loved ones, and stresses that children learn by talking, playing and interacting with others. For a two-year-old the CDC recommends no more than one hour a day of a children’s programme with an adult present.
Final thoughts
A child starts talking gradually: from cooing in the first weeks, through babbling in the second half of the first year, first words around the first birthday and two-word combinations before the second, to first conversations in the third year. The CDC and ASHA map shows where your child is now, but every child moves along it at their own pace. If something worries you, a conversation with a paediatrician or speech therapist is better than waiting.
Stan’s “ba” is already a word: it always means the ball, and the pointing finger and the look at his mum show that he wants to communicate. What will help him most now is someone who answers “yes, that’s the ball, the red ball” and waits for his reply. If you are wondering what everyday conversation with the youngest children looks like in a nursery group, see the page on the Montessori nursery.