One of the most memorable milestones in your baby’s development: their first word. It may be the sweet sound of “Mama” or “Dada,” or it may be the not-so-sweet sound of “NO!” Either way, these first words are a BIG deal. New parents are peppered with questions such as, “Is he saying any words?”, “Is she reciting Shakespeare yet?” from pediatricians, grandparents, and friends alike. While inquiring minds want to know, these questions can cause a great deal of anxiety for parents who are concerned about or unfamiliar with typical speech and language development. To ease these anxieties and increase understanding of typical development, let us examine the “first words” developmental milestone more carefully.

After a babbling stage, infants begin to “talk” around 10-18 months. The chaotic strings of sound that compose babbling whittle down to speech sounds that are found in the infant’s native language(s). The strings of babbling begin to sound more and more like “adult speech.” Then, the first “protowords” emerge. Protowords are vocal approximations of words that are consistently used by the child to represent a familiar object, person, or action. “Dada'' is a commonly recognized first word AND protoword. The adult version of the word “Dad” is simplified and approximated by the child as “Dada.” Less common, and more difficult to identify, protowords may be unique to your child. For example, a child may refer to their pacifier as “mimi.” When the child points to their pacifier and consistently states “mimi,” it is clear to the caregiver that the child is using a protoword, or “made up” word, to request their pacifier. The caregiver is able to understand exactly what the child desires.

With that being said, what exactly counts as a “first word?” Within the speech language pathology profession, it is commonly accepted that a number of communicative attempts are considered to be the coveted “first word.” These include, but are not limited to, sign language (approximated or exact), animal sounds (“moo”, “woof”, etc.), exclamatory words (“uh oh”, “wee”), as well as parts of words (“mo” for more, “ba” for ball, or some of those protowords discussed earlier). In children who are non-speaking or who use an augmentative or assistive communication device, these first words may be seen as an intentional, consistent activation of a button on a device or selection of a symbol in a low-tech communication option. The key to recognizing a communication attempt as a “first word” has three parts; the child is producing the sign, symbol, or vocalization intentionally, consistently, and in the correct context.

As a parent and professional, I have witnessed many parents of young children become very anxious about the number of words their child is saying between 12-18 months. Through anecdotal evidence and observation, I believe that some of this anxiety stems from the idea that to count as a word, a child must produce all speech sounds in a word, in an “adult form.” Many parents of young children could benefit from remembering that speech is complex. Learning to move your tongue, teeth, lips, and jaws in a manner that produces clear speech is a complex task. Our expectations of first words are sometimes held too high, expecting perfect speech when the motoric ability is simply not present yet. We expect our children to say “more” when we should be recognizing “mo” as their first spoken word!

In conclusion, a child’s first words can be an exciting, nerve-wracking time in development. As parents and professionals, adopting a more developmentally appropriate view of the milestone will allow us to recognize more of the child’s communicative attempts and their progress towards “adult-sounding” speech. This recognition will encourage them to continue building their language in every task they participate in.

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You can find Laurabeth online at her Instagram account, @little.language.learning.

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