Baby's First Words and Other Speech Development Milestones

2. Communication Milestones

Developmental milestones for communication occur before a child acquires the skills necessary to carry on a conversation. By the age of four months, infants coo, laugh out loud, recognize their parents’ voices, and learn to fuss to get their caretaker’s attention. Most babies start babbling at this age, making sounds like “puh puh,” “buh buh,” or “muh muh.” Research indicates that babies understand the words for everyday objects as early as six months and begin to intentionally speak by this age. By the end of their sixth month, they generally make gurgling sounds when alone, pay attention to music, and begin to use their voice to express pleasure and displeasure. They also continue to build their repertoire of various speech-like sounds.