Genetic_disorders

Newborn

Reflexive communication

Cries, movements, facial expressions.

A newborn baby sleeps on a white blanket.

Inna Astakhova/ ShutterStock

2 months

A range of meaningful noises

Cooing, fussing, crying, laughing

3–6 months

New sounds

Including squeals, growls, croons, trills, vowel sounds

A mother lifts her baby with two hands and they smile at each other.

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6–10 months

Babbling

Including both consonant and vowel sounds repeated in syllables. Examples: ma-ma-ma, da-da-da, ba-ba-ba

An Asian baby boy with his hands behind his head.

Xiaojiao Wang / Shutterstock

10–12 months

Comprehension of simple words

Speech-like intonations; specific vocalizations that have meaning to those who know the infant well. Deaf babies express their first signs; hearing babies also use specific gestures (e.g., pointing) to communicate

A baby girl in a red floral dress smiles with her hands raised up.

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FATHER: Pick you up? Pick you up? I'll pick you up. How's that? Had enough? Yeah.

BABY: Daddy.

FATHER: Yeah. When he gets excited, he often says that.

FATHER: Ready, ready? Pick you up? Yeah. OK, scrape you off. Get off the barnacles. Get off the barnacles. Get off the barnacles.

BABY: I do.

FATHER: That's right, you do. You do. Ring the bell.

13–18 months

Slow growth of vocabulary

Up to about 50 words. Can learn names of caregivers, siblings, pets, and favorite foods, as well as refer to elimination. Examples: mama, nana; pee-pee, doo-doo

Father with baby sitting in the livingroom and having fun together

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CHILD: Pasta.

WOMAN: Mhm. You want pasta?

CHILD: Pasta.

WOMAN: [INAUDIBLE]. You know what we may do for these chairs? I don't know.

CHILD: Mama. Mama.

WOMAN: Mhm. What is that?

CHILD: Thank you.

WOMAN: You're welcome.

CHILD: Mommy.

WOMAN: Yeah?

18 months

Naming explosion

Three or more words learned per day.
Much variation: Some toddlers do not yet speak

21 months

First two-word sentence

Examples: More juice. Baby cry.

ELEANOR: May I have this one? This is not your food, Hillary. This is my food.
MOTHER: I just have to go move the car.
ELEANOR: No, I don't-- I want to go, too. Can I come with you to move the car?
MOTHER: Well, it's going to take awhile and it's cold out if you come.
ELEANOR: Can I?
MOTHER: It's just going to take me three minutes just to move it right across the street.
ELEANOR: No.
MOTHER: OK, now it's my turn.
ELEANOR: No, it's my turn again.
MOTHER: Eleanor, I said you would get one turn and then Mommy would get a turn.
ELEANOR: I'm gonna get a turn.
MOTHER: That's not very nice of you.
CHILD: Yeah, we're missing that one.
MOTHER: We're missing a piece?
CHILD: Give you. OK, OK, OK, Mommy?
MOTHER: Yeah.
CHILD: OK.
MOTHER: What's going on? What's happening? What are you doing?
ELEANOR: Ah.
MAN: Ah.
ELEANOR: Refreshing.
[LAUGHTER]

24 months

Multiword sentences

Half the toddler’s utterances are two or more words long. Example: Mommy read book

A toddler holds a flower and stands next to his father in a green meadow.

pavla / Shutterstock