Your baby will start communicating with you long before they say their first words. This early communication is very important to their speech development.

In fact, babies communicate from birth through coos, crying, and facial expressions. As your baby grows, they will start using more body language and gestures to express their needs. It won’t just be a joy to see—these forms of communication are laying the foundation for their language development.

Speech and expressive language

A baby needs to be able to understand and process speech sounds before developing expressive language skills. Speech is key to a child’s ability to access and use these skills. Expressive language is the ability to share one’s thoughts, feelings, and ideas through words, gestures, and other means of communication. Speech starts when babies begin to differentiate between sounds and recognise familiar voices. With time, they begin to produce their own sounds and then words, building up their vocabulary and language skills.

Speech lays the groundwork for expressive language by allowing children to make connections between the sounds they hear and the words they use. A child would find it far more difficult to develop their language skills without it.

Speech also helps children refine these skills over time. As they hear and use different words and phrases, they learn to put them together in sentences and express more nuanced thoughts and ideas.

Tips to encourage baby speech development

Responding to your baby is one of the most nurturing and important things you can do as a parent. When your baby smiles, smile back. If you hear a coo, play peekaboo with them. Babies need to know that communication is a two-way process. Encourage them and remember that you’re beginning a lifelong conversation.

And on that note, we recommend simply talking directly to your baby as often as possible. As your biggest fans and tiniest dependents, they are the cutest captive audience you’ll ever have. They may not understand a word yet, but they are listening and learning from your sounds and intonations. Speak in a warm and soothing voice. Simplify your language and repeat yourself to encourage recognition. Babies are always watching and mirroring how your jaw, lips, and tongue move when they start to speak to themselves. Try to speak often when your face is close to theirs, especially while their vision is limited and still developing.

Try baby sign language to encourage early communication. This can also be lots of fun for you. Baby signing involves teaching your baby simple hand gestures like “milk,” “all done,” and other words that express their needs. It can be especially useful for babies who get frustrated by a lack of or limited ability to express their needs verbally.

As eager as you are to have proper conversations with your child, remember that every baby develops at their own pace. Some babies say their first words at six months, others only when they are a year old or even later. There are, however, a few red flags that may indicate a speech delay. These include a failure to respond to their name, a milestone they should reach between 4 and 9 months, according to the American Speech and Hearing Association.

If you are concerned about your baby's speech development, talk to your paediatrician or GP. They can provide reassurance about your hearing and language development or refer you to a specialist if needed.

Here are a few more fun ways to encourage your baby’s speech development:

Read and sing to your baby to teach them new words and language patterns. Try to look at them as often as possible so they can observe how your mouth, jaw, and tongue form words. These are expressions of love that expose them to language at the same time.

Keep talking to your baby while you play together for the same reasons. Try to keep screens out of your interactions as much as possible. We live in a tech-driven world, and your baby will learn to live in it, in part, through educational apps, online videos, and other tools. When it comes to language development, they cannot compare to spending face-to-face time with you. Screens can’t usually provide the feedback they need to improve their communication skills, which can negatively impact their speech, language, or social interaction skills.

What is the importance of early communication with babies?

From Unii’s Baby Speech Journey, we share why early communication is so important.