Baby's first words

How do you know when your baby is really saying his first word? 

Right from the start they make goo goo ga ga noises that at times sound like they could be words. My youngest said "mama" from about 2 weeks old. It was clear enough that when he did it whilst we were queuing at a supermarket check out the other people waiting said "wow! he can talk already!". As much as I'd like to think my son is a genius, I think it's fair to say he wasn't saying his first word. Then it would have been a bit too advanced.

His first word is "mama" though. Now he is 7 months old and shows intent when he calls "mama". Usually when he's getting tired or hungry, he will search for me and call out.

The first word my elder son said was "ball". Although he made lots of gang and ging noises at the beginning the first real word came at about 8 months old. He loved playing with his ball and we would sit opposite each other rolling it back and forth. One day I paused to do something and he started saying "ball". At first I thought I'd imagined it but it soon became clear that he was using the word in it's true sense.

The first real word is the one he uses with intent. 

Typical first words

Babies general start using words with repeated syllables like mama, dada, papa, etc... 

As he grows he will likely have attached a meaning to the word before you realise what his uttering means e.g. "bobo" for bottle. 

First words are also often nouns as we tend to label objects when talking to babies.

How to Help Baby Say His First Words

1. Talk to baby often. Narrate what you're doing.
   
2. Let baby practice conversation and answer his babbles. If you have no idea what he's saying it doesn't matter. Baby is taking in all kinds of communication skills like tone, inflections and patterns.
   
3. Read to baby everyday. While you read the story let baby point to different objects. Let baby finish your sentences. This works especially well with rhyming stories.
   
4. Sing with baby. Teach baby simple children's songs and fingerplays.
   
5. When baby becomes toddler, don't stop the talk. It's important for his development to answer all his questions. 

What was your baby's first word?