Your baby's first words mark a triumphant milestone. At birth, he seems to be just a tiny bundle of reflexes, communicating by simple cries. Twelve months later, he understands single words, controls his speech musculature and knows just how to tell you what he wants.
Speech Anatomy
Your baby leans to use speech for verbal communication with you. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association points out that her speech includes the articulation and vocalization of sounds. She manages tiny changes in the shape of her lips, tongue, cheek and vocal cords, as well as differences in breath pressure, to make speech sounds. She links the sounds together in words, then joins them all in the right sequences and rhythm to deliver fluent speech.
Time Frame
Your baby's newborn cry soon changes subtly, and you recognize whether he wants a feeding or a fresh diaper. By his third month, he turns to your voice and coos. He copies some of your vocalizations, rapidly learning to use his voice to show pleasure or to protest, and he babbles chains of nonsense sounds. As he approaches toddlerhood, he understands and begins to use several meaningful words, including "no" and "da-da."
Brain Development
Your baby's speech depends on her brain developing rapidly during her first months. Her brain cells build connections that support the intellectual and motor skills she needs for speech. Good hearing allows her to perceive more than 40 speech sounds, or phonemes, from her native language so she can build them into words. She learns the rules that govern word meanings and how to structure phrases and sentences. This knowledge transforms jumbles of sounds into meaningful speech.
Parents' Roles
You are the best speech teacher for your baby. He knows your voice, and it becomes a calming source of comfort for him in his early days. Talk and sing to him to soothe him, and look at books together every day, naming the things he sees. When he babbles, repeat his sounds to him. Speak slowly to him, in short, simple phrases. Encourage him to blow bubbles, make faces and chew different types of food, exercising the muscles he needs for clear speech.
Speech Delays
Delayed speech development may make it hard for your child to learn when she starts school. Fewer than half of children with developmental problems are identified before they start school, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Watch your child's progress, and consult your health care provider if she doesn't understand or say any words by the end of her first year.
