What Happens Before Babies Talk? Pre-Language Skills and Milestones Explained

Are you curious about how your baby starts learning to talk? In their first year, babies begin developing pre-language skills and reaching key language milestones that build the foundation for speech. This guide walks you through what to expect along the way, so you can support your baby’s language growth.

What’s covered in this article:

• What Are Pre-Language Skills?
• Key Language Milestones: What to Expect and When

What Are Pre-Language Skills?

First, let’s talk about the “Building Blocks” of language. This is what we call pre-language skills. Pre-language skills are the foundational steps that babies naturally develop before they begin saying their first words. These early abilities help babies connect with the world around them and begin to understand how communication works. Research shows that developing pre-language skills helps babies engage with others and learn about social cues, setting the stage for speech one day.

Here are the key pre-language skills that babies develop:

Eye Contact

Eye contact is one of the first ways your baby connects and engages with you. When your baby looks into your eyes, they’re not only building a bond but also starting to pick up on facial expressions, which helps them understand emotions and social signals over time. This focus on your face also lets them watch the way your mouth moves when you speak, which supports their understanding of sounds and speech.

For example, picture your little one gazing up at you as you sing or chat with them. This shared eye contact not only makes them feel secure and connected but also helps them learn to “read” facial cues and emotions, which are essential skills for future communication. Research shows that babies who have these early moments of eye contact often reach language milestones more easily.

 

Listening

Right from birth, babies are naturally drawn to familiar faces and voices, especially yours as their caregiver. They’re learning to focus on your voice and tune out other noises, which helps them start to recognize and understand language over time.

For instance, when you speak softly to your baby, you might notice them turning their head to find you, listening closely to your words and watching your expressions.

 

Joint Attention

Joint attention is when your baby looks at something you’re pointing to or follows your gaze to notice what you’re focused on. This skill shows they’re learning to share an experience with you, laying the groundwork for understanding language.

Imagine pointing at a puppy while on a walk and your baby follows your gaze to look too. By focusing on the same thing, you’re sharing a moment, which helps them learn how to communicate and understand shared experiences.

Learn more about how you can teach your baby to engage and show joint attention in this blog here.

 

Cause and Effect

Babies learn that their actions can lead to reactions, which is the concept of cause and effect. This understanding helps them realize they can communicate or influence others by making sounds or expressions.

If your baby drops a toy and notices you pick it up each time, they start to understand they have an impact on their environment, just as they would when making a sound to get attention.

 

Anticipation

Anticipation is when babies begin to notice patterns in everyday activities, like getting excited when they see their highchair, knowing it’s almost mealtime. This skill shows they’re starting to connect actions, sounds, and routines with what’s coming next, building early understanding that supports language development.

 

Turn-Taking

Babies start to understand the flow of communication through turn-taking, long before they can actually speak. This skill develops as you respond to your little one’s coos and babbles, showing them that conversations go back and forth.

For example, when your baby babbles, you might respond with a smile or a gentle “oh”! In return, they might make another sound, creating a small “conversation”. These simple exchanges help babies learn that communication is something shared.

 

Imitation

Babies are natural imitators, picking up on sounds, gestures, and expressions from those around them. This early imitation helps them practice controlling their sounds and movements, which is essential for learning to speak.

For instance, if you wave goodbye, your baby might try to copy the gesture by moving their hand.

If you’re noticing that your baby isn’t showing some of these pre-language skills, such as making eye contact, responding to your voice, or imitating simple sounds, then it’s a good idea to talk with a healthcare professional. In fact, pediatricians and specialists often recommend early assessment to identify any developmental differences and, if needed, to offer support or guidance that can help your baby build these foundational skills.

Key Language Milestones: What to Expect and When

Pre-language skills like eye contact, joint attention, and imitation set the stage for your baby’s language journey, helping them engage with the world and build early communication foundations. As these skills develop, your baby will begin reaching exciting language milestones in the first 12 months, moving from simple sounds and gestures to more intentional interactions.

Here’s a guide to what you can expect as they take these first steps toward talking:

Birth:

• Cries strongly when uncomfortable or hungry, using this as their primary way to communicate needs.
• Shows a natural interest in faces, especially focusing on their caregiver’s face and voice, which helps create a close bond from the start.
• Reacts to sounds by startling or calming down, already beginning to notice what’s happening around them.

 

1 Month:

• Starts making simple cooing or gurgling sounds during quiet, alert moments, showing the first signs of vocal communication.
• Begins to hold brief eye contact with their caregiver, laying the foundation for social interaction and connection.
• Responds to familiar voices, often by quieting down or becoming more alert, as they start to recognize the sounds they know best.

 

3 Months:

• Begins to smile socially, especially when seeing familiar faces or hearing familiar voices, showing early awareness of social cues.
• Uses crying as their main way to communicate needs, letting caregivers know when they’re uncomfortable or hungry.
• Starts cooing and babbling and using them to get attention.
• Watches faces closely, particularly the mouth, as they begin to link facial movements with sounds.
• Turns their head toward sounds, showing an increased curiosity and awareness of their surroundings.

 

6 Months:

• Starts to copy sounds and gestures, like clapping hands, showing more interest in the noises around them.
• Enjoys “conversations” by babbling back when you talk, practicing the back-and-forth of communication.
• Laughs or squeals to show joy and excitement.
• Begins using more varied babbles, exploring different sounds.

 

9 Months:

• Starts to engage in joint attention by looking where someone else is looking or pointing, beginning to share focus.
• Makes a wider variety of sounds and combines syllables, like “ba-ba” or “da-da”.
• Responds to their name.
• Starts to understand simple words, like “no.”
• Tries to mimic different sounds, from words to playful noises like raspberries or clicks, showing growing interest in language.

 

12 Months:

• Starts saying simple words like “mama” or “dada,” using them intentionally to refer to specific people.
• Understands basic words and instructions, like “no” or “come here,” and often responds with a gesture or action.
• Uses gestures such as pointing, waving, or reaching to communicate needs and share experiences.
• Imitates a range of sounds, expressions, and gestures, getting more involved in social interactions.
• Recognizes and responds consistently to their own name, showing a growing sense of their identity.

 

Check out this blog here on what you can do to support your baby’s language when they are under 12 months old.

Watching your baby grow and reach these early language milestones is exciting! Each coo, smile, and gesture helps them learn to communicate with you. Remember, every child develops at their own pace, and these skills are just the beginning. If you ever have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to talk to a healthcare provider. Additionally, here at Online Speechie, we can assess where your baby is at compared to typical milestones and create a personalised plan that suits their needs. So, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us here.

Enjoy these early moments—they’re special steps toward your baby’s first words.

References:

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Ginsburg KR. The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics. 2007;119(1):182-191. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-2697

Lavelli M, Fogel A. Developmental changes in mother-infant face-to-face communication: Birth to 3 months. Developmental Psychology. 2005;41(3):388-403. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.41.3.388.

Mundy P, Newell L. Attention, joint attention, and social cognition. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2007;16(5):269-274. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00518.x

Striano T, Reid VM. Social cognition in the first year. Trends Cogn Sci. 2006;10(10):471-476. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2006.08.006