Hi all!

Sarah from Days Ahead Speech Pathology here. Today I wanted to chat about communication development in babies, as well as an amazing group in my local suburb of Bardon.

Bardon Bubs was started in 2023 by locals Amy and Louise when they identified that local parents with little babies were feeling isolated. As the group quickly grew, another volunteer, Sue, jumped on board to help facilitate the group. Louise and Sue are child health nurses and lactation consultants, and Amy is a Bardon-local who is passionate about fostering community within our suburb. Best of all, the group is open to parents from suburbs across Brisbane.

During our presentation we spoke to the typical development of communication skills in the first year of a baby's life.

Communication skills you will typically see in the first year of your baby’s life are SO exciting! Every first is magical but I also acknowledge that if your child is not hitting these milestones, it can be fraught with anxiety and worry. I can admit that as a new parent I frantically googled gross motor milestones, YouTube videos from occupational therapists about sleep and rolling, and even communication milestones! In this post, we use the word 'usually', as every child's development is their own. That being said, here is some information we have curated on what to expect in your baby's first year of life.

By 3 months, your baby will usually smile at you.

By 3-4 months, your baby will usually:

• Make eye contact
• Coo or say ‘ah goo’ or another combination of sounds

At 5-7 months, your baby will usually:

• Use canonical babbling like ‘bababa’ or ‘gagaga’
• Copy some of the sounds you make like laughing or making ‘raspberries’
• Play with creating different sounds, such as "aaieee," and "ahh," at varied pitches and volumes (normally really loudly when you least want them to!). 
• Mimic some of your actions, such as waving, pointing, or clapping.

At 8-9 months, your baby will usually:

• Use variegated babbling like ‘ba-di-ga’
• Combine sounds in a rhythmic and tonal manner to create the impression of natural speech - this is frequently referred to as the "jargon phase" 

At 10-11 months, your baby will usually:

• Continue the jargon phase until first words, such as "mama" or "dada," are said, even though the child is still learning the meaning of these terms.
• Become more ‘intentional’ in their communication by using gestures or noises to request, protest, greet or persist with something.

At 12 months of age, speech pathologists are looking for the following communication milestones to have been met by your baby.

In terms of understanding, your baby will usually:

• Recognise around ten words.
• Show you they know their name by turning their head to their name.
• Recognise greetings and gestures like "hi" and "bye-bye."
• Point to a few familiar faces and items (such as your mother, your blankie, or your teddy) when you name them.
• Make eye contact.

In terms of expression, your baby will usually:

• Continue to babble!
• Mimic different sounds and noises.
• Start to say a few words.

If your baby is not babbling, making eye contact, gesturing, recognising their own name or understanding ten words by 12 months of age, the advice is don’t wait and see. Talk to your family doctor or speech pathologist immediately, so that you can get some tools in your toolkit to support your baby's communication skills.

Having said all this, how do you as a parent help your baby meet their communication milestones? Be responsive to your child, get face-to-face and PLAY! 

Play is by far the most powerful tool in your arsenal when it comes to your child’s development. You may be screaming at your screen, “But how do I play with a four month old?!” This is a really fantastic question and something we will touch on in future blog posts (we need to leave you wanting more!). 

If a blog post isn’t cutting it, you can come see us in person for a 1:1 consultation. Alternatively, we will be running communication and play workshops in 2024 for parents, grandparents or caregivers and you can register your interest at our Play Skills EOI link in bio @daysaheadspeech or via email admin@daysaheadspeechpathology.com.au.

If you are a new parent yourself and want to connect with other parents in your area, you can book in to Bardon Bubs on Instagram @bardonbubs or contact them via email bardonbubs@gmail.com.

Thanks,

Sarah

Director & Speech Pathologist

Days Ahead Speech Pathology

References:

Raising Children Network. (2021). Language development: 3-12 months. [online] Available at: https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/development/language-development/language-3-12-months.

Speech Pathology Australia. (n.d.). At 12 months. [online] Available at: https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Public/Comm-swallow/Speech-development/At-12-months.aspx [Accessed 7 Nov. 2023].