Saying
Perhaps the best thing you’ll hear from your baby during this stage is a real laugh or giggle!
It’s becoming a magical time as at 4 – 6 months your baby begins to find his real voice. New sounds will pop out all the time as your baby coos and babbles.
You’ll probably start to hear a few little ‘ma’ and ‘pa’ words, but also new syllables like ‘da’, ‘ka’ and ‘ba’.
It’s lovely for mums and dads to hear these sounds, but it may be a while before your baby knows to call you ‘mama’ by name. At the moment, it’s still just a fun noise for him to make.
Perhaps the best sound you’ll hear for the first time is a real laugh or giggle. Try gently tickling your baby so you can enjoy the little laughs together. You might feel a bit daft, but chatting to your baby at this stage can help with his speech development!
Help your baby communicate
When you’re together, whether it’s at mealtimes, bath time or even when you’re changing his nappy, talk and sing to him face to face. He’ll see that you’re interested in what he has to say and will try to imitate the sounds you make, helping him to develop the basics of speech.
Your baby’s also learning to use his body to tell you what he wants.
Lifting his arms when he wants to be picked up, or grabbing at the spoon to tell you “I want more food”. Learning to read these non-verbal cues can help you both get along.
