When do babies generally start to say their first word?

[sweetums89]

Just curious, but when is the average age a baby usually says mama or dada?

[Merla]

My DD was 11 months when she started saying "mumma" and "dadda". She picked up "yep" and "up" at around 13 months but really didn't say much until 18 months. She turned 2 last week and has well over a hundred words and makes 4-5 word sentences.

I don't know what the average is, but all bubs are different, some will babble and say mumma etc at 6 months, others not until much later. Its kinda like walking, some walk at 10 months (like my DD) others don't walk until closer to 18 months.

[Hollywood]

DS started all the sounds at around 4 or 5 months and was always very vocal, but it wasn't until 11 months that he said his first word, "bird" (as he pointed to a spotted dove). From then his vocabulary increased as the months went on.

[NeilR]

Huge variation and there seems to be a genetic link to how soon and how much, but from 9 months is within my experience. Things that will encourage talking are the obvious environmental factors: reducing competing noise - especially that with 'voice' in it. So turn the radio/TV off when you want to play and talk to bub. Also lots of shared attention and pay attenion to your child when they want to interact with you. All easy to say I know, esp in a busy life!

[Just*Ace]

My DD starting saying mama at 7 months but has no idea what it means, it's just her putting sounds together. Now she is 9 months she also says dada, bub and nan but I still don't think she knows what any of them mean.

[AndrewTheEmu]

i have no idea what age is the 'norm'

DD said alot of things very young.

At 10 months she can now say ; mum, dad, nuk (dummy), nan, pop, yeah, nah/no/Uh, whoo whoo (dog next door), Weee (when playing a game) & bum.

She also waves hello/goodbye, give kisses/cuddles & shakes her head (insted of saying no)

how old is your LO?

[Tam-I-Am]

Around 12 months is average, but there is obviously huge variation in that, as all babies are individuals. Babbling is different from first words, and babbling can appear as early as 4 - 5 months, where babies make repetitive, meaningless sounds. Sometimes their parents will attribute meaning to that babble, because babies tend to babble 'mumumumumum' and 'dadadadadadada' first. We'd all like to THINK that our bubs are calling for us, but the truth is that's often just a normal developmental stage, and babies say those sounds indiscriminately - ie it doesn't matter who's holding them they'll 'call' that person by one of those sounds.

Meaningful sounds/words are different from babble, in that they *are* meaningful. They're said in reference to a situation or person, and are replicated with accuracy over time. So a baby will start to refer to their actual mum as 'mama' and nobody else - at that stage, you can say that they have said their first word.

As I said that generally occurs around 12 months, but there is a huge amount of variance in it.

[BiggerNotSmarter]

In my oh-so-naive, pre-child days, I used to have this romantic notion of the "first word" and the significance it would hold. I envisaged (inspired by popular culture I suspect) that my child would spend his early life in stuborn muteness until one day he would pause, adopt a contemplative look, hold my eye and proclaim "daddy!" clear and direct.

I really couldn't say what DS's first word was - he spewed forth so many interesting sounds that could have been meaningful or not, depending on what he had in mind.

ps I realise this isnt quite what the OP was about. Cant remember when mama and dada-like sounds first came out but would have been before 9 months.

[khris]

At the age of 9 months (and sometimes before this age) he will amaze you by saying dada & mama! but not necessarily to the right persons! At the age of 1 year he will be able to identify the real parents and call them dada and mama! and of course he can identify himself and understand that you are talking to him.

From now on, he will begin building his own dictionary and can say a few words up to 10 words by the age of 18 months. Some children may be even able to say about 50 words at 20-24 months and learn a few new words every day and just imitates people. It just different from one kid to another. You better watch your words at this stage because he will be learning alot of new words (and actions) from his parents!

http://hubpages.com/hub/when-do-babies-talk

Hope this helps

[~BEXTER~]

My son said Mum at 11 weeks!! It spun everyone out!

Now at 10 months he can say Mum, Dad, Bub, Nan, Ara (for his sister Keiara) we are working on Grandma.

But all babies are different!