Learning to talk begins in the womb

Your baby could hear your voice and other sounds from about 23 weeks of pregnancy. So although she won't say her first word until she's about a year old, she's learning about language right from the start.

Your voice is your baby's favorite sound, and he/she'll love to hear you talk and sing to her. It's never too early to start reading to your baby, and the more words she hears now, the better her language skills are likely to be later on.

When your baby does start using his first words generally by his first birthday you might not immediately understand what he/she is trying to say. Repetition helps a lot of children.

For example:

If your baby says 'ba-ul', then you need to repeat what he/she said, and he/she should say it better, like 'bot-tle,'

It is recommended to elaborate what your child says to keep the conversation moving. For example, if he/she says "bottle," you could respond with, "Oh, you want the bottle with the milk in it that's on the counter."

Reading to your baby will also boost language development, even if she can't understand a word. Babies are hearing the rhythm of language, and they love the sound of your voice, so they're getting comfort and attention. In fact, a 2006 study in the journal Child Development showed that babies who are ready to have greater language comprehension, more expressive vocabularies, and higher cognition scores by age 2 than those who are not read to.

With their first words, babies are trying to satisfy a need. That's why "more," "up," and, of course, "Mama" are among the first to be uttered.

First words are also used to label objects such as "dog" or "book," to be social with a "hi" or "bye," and to express discontent with an all-too-quickly learned "no." At this stage, there is a disconnect between the number of words a child understands and the number he can utter. "By the time they say their first word, they may understand 25," says Michelle Macias, M.D., director of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. "By the time they're a year and a half, they understand 50 words but may use only 8 to 10."

By age 2, children are combining action and subject to create two-word phrases such as "want juice," "no more," and "Mommy shoe." But parents will still need to do some deciphering. For example, "Mommy shoe" could mean "That's Mommy's shoe" or "Mommy, get my shoe."

By 3, kids should be using three-word combinations that typically include a subject, a verb, and a location. At this point, though, words like "the" and pronouns are beyond them. For example, your child might say "baby sit car" instead of "I am sitting in the car,".

At this age, children also learn the difference between contrasting words such as "tall" and "short" and start adding adjectives as they describe a "big" ball or "blue" shirt.

Spotting a Delay in Speech

When it comes to language development, "there is a very broad range of normal,". So while one 3 year old is telling detailed stories about his day, another might still be using only simple three word sentences.

Another way to judge how your child is progressing: the extent to which other people can follow what's he's saying. Parents often understand much of what their children are trying to say, but it may sound like gibberish to outsiders.

As a rule, strangers should be able to understand half of what the child is trying to say by age 2, three quarters by age 3, and by age 4, there should be no confusion speech should be pretty clear.

As long as your child's language development is progressing and he's hitting the age-related targets, there's usually no cause for alarm. But if he's not hitting the typical milestones for his age, or you suspect a delay for some other reason, talk to your pediatrician. "The earlier we catch it, the better the outcome,".

Starting with her first cries, your baby yearns to communicate. Sure, he/she wants you to know that he/she'd like a dry bottom and a full belly. But what he/she wants most of all is a stronger bond with you something you'll feel every time you hear a sweetly cooed "Mama" or the heart-melting "I love you." Value these kinds of exchanges, and pat yourself on the back for having helped your baby learn to express herself.