What will baby’s first words be?

If around the age of 12 months your baby has already practiced making sounds while babbling, he has also learned to understand certain words such as “yes” or “no”, or “give” for example. He gradually begins to explore his environment more and more, so this is the age when you can talk to him about his discoveries.

The classic “dad” or “mom”

In most cases, the words “dad” or “mom” are the first words that baby says to refer to you. However, he can also choose a word that he hears repeated often and associates with a positive emotion of love and care. This can be the name of his pet, or even “hug” or “kiss” for example.

Initially, he tends to pronounce the words that interest him: naming objects, people, or interacting with others. He will still need time to use more complex words that name actions, for example. The first 50 words are often learned slowly while the pace of learning accelerates thereafter.

How to help him learn new words?

The main thing for a child is to hear as often as possible the words that are associated with an object or a person. Repetition remains the best way to encourage him to learn them by imitation.

However, it is not necessary to force him to say one word more than another, it is up to him to choose what interests him the most. On the contrary, let yourself be guided by his gaze or the context: show him a flower, ask him if he wants milk, water…

Don’t worry if your child is a little late, the pace of learning is different from one child to another. If, on the other hand, after 16 months he still says nothing, do not hesitate to consult your doctor or your pediatrician to assess what is happening and detect any delay.

Some children have memorized the words very well but just don’t feel like saying them. In this case it is preferable to encourage them to express themselves by avoiding expressing yourself for them.

Find out more: “My first 100 words”, by Emiri Hayash, Nathan editions.