Here’s how to encourage your baby’s early babbles

When your baby babbles, babble and talk back to them. At this stage, they may string together the same consonant and vowel combinations over and over—for example, “babababa.”

Responding to your baby teaches them that when they make a sound, they’re actually communicating with you ❤️ This creates a positive cycle—the more you respond, the more they try to make sounds—and the sooner you may hear recognizable words. 

Talking back to your baby: 4 tips from a speech therapist

Try these suggestions from Lovevery pediatric speech-language pathologist Abigail Berg:  

Show them you’re listening

When you hear your baby babble, squeal, or blow raspberries, try to take a moment to get face-to-face and make eye contact. Give them a big smile or open your eyes wide in surprise. This shows them you’re aware of their attempt to communicate.

Repeat and expand on their sounds

If your baby makes an “ahhhhh” sound, respond with “ahhhh,” “baaaa,” or “maaaa!” Or, if they babble “bababa,” you might answer with “baba,” “mama,” and “dada.” These playful back-and-forth exchanges can encourage your baby to keep making more new sounds. They also learn important turn-taking skills that teach them how to have a conversation.

Give them a chance to respond

After responding to your baby’s vocalization, pause for a few seconds to see how they react. They may need a moment or two to think and attempt to mimic your sounds. See how many times you can go back and forth with each other.

Copy their movements

One of the most important ways children learn language is through imitation. Gestures and movements typically come before sounds and words. Try imitating your baby when they make facial expressions or, in the coming months, start to point, wave, clap their hands, or shake their head. Take a moment to pause and see how they react. Over time, they may start to copy you.

The Play Kits

Unlock your child’s potential with our expertly designed toys from The Play Kits.

Learn more

Book Bundles for The Play Kits

Inspire an early love of reading with Lovevery Book Bundles

Learn more

Learn more about the research

Rowe, M. L., & Snow, C., E. (2020). Analyzing input quality along three dimensions: Interactive, linguistic, and conceptual. Journal of Child Language, 47(1), 5-21.

Weisleder, A., & Fernald, A. (2013). Talking to children matters: Early language experience strengthens processing and builds vocabulary. Psychological Science, 24(11), 2143-2152.