How to Help My Baby Say Their First Words

Has your baby started cooing and babbling? That is good news! These early sounds are exciting signs that your baby may be getting ready to talk and say their first words. Just like learning to walk, talking is an exciting milestone! So, you might be asking yourself: “How can I help my baby talk and start saying their first words?”

And if your baby is deaf or hard of hearing, you may also be wondering about this important milestone. With Listening and Spoken Language (sometimes called L-S-L), your child will be listening and talking just like other kids. And your early intervention professional can help you reach your goals!

Prefer to watch a video? Click here to watch Dr. Teresa Caraway, SLP, LSLS Cert AVT share how to turn baby babble into first words!

Why Babies Babble and Make Sounds Before Their First Words

Babbling happens when your baby repeats the same sounds over and over, like “ma ma ma,” “ba ba ba,” or “muh-muh.”

They’re also listening to and practicing the rhythms and patterns of speech – babbling is one of the first ways babies learn to talk, before they say their first words.

The Feedback Loop: How Listening Helps Babies Learn to Talk 

When a baby babbles, they’re building their own feedback loop – which means they’re listening to the sounds they make and practicing them. Hearing their own voice helps babies connect the sounds they make with the movements of their mouth so they can keep practicing. And this is the foundation for their future words and spoken language skills! 

For babies with hearing loss, they’ll need to wear their hearing devices all waking hours so that they can hear themselves babble and learn to say their first words.

Tips to Encourage First Words 

Every time you talk, read, sing, and play with your baby, you build their vocabulary and help them learn. 

Here are a few easy ideas to try as you talk, read, sing, and play with your little one each day! 

Try Using “Parentese” 

And it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. You’ll want to use what’s known as “parentese.” That simply means using a higher pitched tone and sing-song voice with stretched out vowels.  

Parentese supports early speech development and helps babies understand the rhythm and patterns of spoken language. 

Think of it this way – when adults speak to each other, they might say: “It’s a gorgeous day outside. The sky is blue and the sun is shining.”  

To translate that into parentese for your baby, use a sing-song voice and say something like, “Ohhhh, it’s a beautiful day. I see the sky! Look at the sky. It’s soooo blue! The sun is shining bright and it’s soooo warm!” 

Try Using LSL Strategies

One great way to help your baby talk is to start with the Play-By-Play LSL Strategy and give a “play-by-play" of everything your baby is doing, thinking, and feeling – much like a sports announcer.

You could say “Oh I see your smile! You’re so happy. You hear daddy’s voice! Look, here’s daddy! You’re such a smiley baby!”

You can also try the It’s Your Turn LSL Strategy. When your baby is babbling, they’re talking to you! Say something back to them to keep the conversation going.

So, if your baby starts to say “muh-muh” and you know they want more food, this is a conversation moment.

You can take a turn by responding to what your baby just said to you. “Oh you want more?” Then pause, wait, and lean in to see how your baby replies. Do they nod, start to reach excitedly, or even vocalize? They’re serving conversation back to you so once again, you can return it by saying something like, “You’re so hungry this morning! Let me get more banana for you!”

Celebrate These Special Moments

Before you know it, your little one will be chatting away, and you may even miss these early days of quiet. You’re going to treasure these milestone moments! Learning how to help your baby say their first word and watching their speech and language develop are some of the most rewarding moments in the early days of parenthood.

Hear from Dr. Teresa Caraway, a speech-language pathologist, to learn more about why babies hearing themselves matters so much, how to talk to your baby in a way that sparks language development, and which LSL strategies make the biggest difference, especially for babies who are deaf or hard of hearing.