From that first coo to the full play-by-play of their day at school, children's language skills usually develop in an orderly fashion. Here's an idea of what to expect when – but it's perfectly normal for a child to hit these milestones a little early or a little late.
Baby
Birth to 3 months
Makes quiet cooing sounds when pleased. These are typically a single vowel, like ahhhh.
2 to 3 months
Cries differently in different situations. As you get to know your baby, you may be able to distinguish a hunger cry from the cry he makes when he's tired, for example.
3 to 4 months
Vocalizes mostly vowels, but cooing becomes a little more sophisticated, with more varied sounds.
5 to 6 months
Practices intonation by making her voice rise and fall, often in response to baby talk and your facial expressions.
Red flag: If your child isn't making vocal sounds by the time she's 6 months old, talk with her doctor.
7 to 12 months
Begins to babble with greater diversity, making new sound combinations and intonations. Tries to imitate your speech, putting consonants and vowels together (like "bah-BAH-bah" or "dee-dee-dah"). Has pretend conversations with you, taking turns "talking."
Toddler
12 months
Has said his first word. Knows one to five words well enough to use them.
14 months
Uses inflection (for example, raises her voice at the end of a question, like, "more?") and makes hand gestures to complement her speech.
Red flag: If your child isn't saying any words by the time she's 15 months old, bring it up with her doctor.
16 months
Talks to someone much of the time as opposed to just babbling out loud. Calls you to get your attention ("Mommy!"), nods and shakes head for yes and no. Makes many common consonant sounds, like t, d, n, w, and h.
18 months
Has a vocabulary of five to 20 words, including names ("Mama"), verbs ("eat"), and adjectives ("cold"). Uses common phrases ("want doll") to make requests.
18 to 24 months
Starts putting two-word phrases together for more novel purposes ("Daddy go," "milk mess").
Preschooler
24 months
Knows 150 to 300 words. Uses short, two- or three-word sentences with lots of pauses ("Baby ... fall down!" "Me go ... school?").
2 to 3 years
Can carry on a simple conversation about something in the immediate environment. Asks simple questions frequently. Expands phrases from three- to six-word sentences and develops a vocabulary of 450 words, including lots of verbs. Uses past tense by tacking on a "d" sound to verbs ("runned") and plurals by adding an "s" sound to nouns ("mans"). Uses pronouns (I, she, we) correctly.
Red flag: If your 2- or 3-year-old echoes your questions rather than answering them, tell her doctor. This could be an early sign of a language delay.
3 to 4 years
Is able to talk and play at the same time. Knows about 800 to 1,000 words. Favorite words often include "why," "what," and "who." Can be understood most of the time. Can tell you what happened if you were out of the room.
Red flag: Your child may sound as though he's stuttering if he gets tripped up on his words in his excitement to communicate. This is perfectly normal. If it continues for more than six months, though, or if he tenses his jaw or grimaces while trying to get the words out, ask your child's doctor for a referral to a speech pathologist.
Big Kid
4 to 5 years
6 to 7 years
Can describe how two items are the same or different, retell a story or event without the help of pictures, and recount past conversations and events. Uses some irregular plural nouns ("men," "teeth").
8 years
Has mastered all speech sounds as well as the rate, pitch, and volume of speech. Uses complex and compound sentences correctly and is capable of carrying on a conversation with an adult.
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