How language and speech develop — and what 'late talking' means

Every baby is born needing to communicate. Long before words, a baby expresses hunger, tiredness, or discomfort through different cries and waits for a parent to understand. Spoken language is built on top of this in recognisable stages.

The stages

• 2–5 months: cooing and comfort sounds ('aa', 'ou')
• From 6 months: vocal play and single syllables ('ba', 'ma')
• By 12 months: first meaningful words appear
• Up to 18 months: often still focused on single syllables ('ba' for the full word)
• From 18 months: the 'word explosion' — vocabulary grows quickly and the child begins to understand instructions
• 18–36 months: meaning deepens and richer conversation develops from around age three

Stages follow the same order in all children, but the pace varies from child to child.

What can delay talking?

Late talking has many contributing factors. Repeated middle-ear infections in the first three years can affect hearing quality, so a hearing test every six months in this window is worthwhile for language. Increased screen time under age two has been linked with later talking. Environmental habits matter too — anticipating a child's every need, speaking for them, or constant background TV can all hold back communication.

Practical things that help

• Play face-to-face so your child can watch your mouth and imitate
• Repeat simple sounds and syllables during play and reading
• Read together every day, positioned so they can see you and the book
• Model words instead of forcing them: 'You'd like the ball — let's play with the ball'
• Keep it play-based; avoid drilling syllables
• Respond to your child's sounds so they learn that communication works
• Don't speak for your child — give them time and interpret their attempts