Communicating with Babies: Tips and Milestones from Birth to Age Five

ByUtkarsha Gupta
Updated:21 Feb 2025, 8:00 pm
Medically reviewed byDr Amit P Ghawade

Effective communication with newborns begins at birth, with critical developmental milestones in hearing, listening, and speaking occurring between the ages of 0 and 5 years. Parents may help their children develop by having everyday chats, reading, singing, and playing. Early intervention is critical for any communication difficulties.

Pregatips
Babies begin communicating the day they are born. Before formal schooling begins, there are critical periods of rapid development in which the brain is most adapted to learning speech (sound production) and language (understanding and using words). As young toddlers develop, their communication abilities become increasingly complicated. They learn how to comprehend and utilise language to communicate their ideas and emotions and interact with others.
In this article:

Parents, family members, and carers are children's primary teachers and communication models. However, it does not need applications, films, or other specialised tools to make the most of this critical time. Your daily encounters with your children help them grow their brains and improve their communication skills.

Communication Milestones

Children grow at varied speeds, but the majority follow a normal schedule for acquiring speech and language. Communication milestones are abilities that children are supposed to acquire by a certain age. These milestones build on each other and help us determine if a child's growth is on track. It is crucial for parents to identify typical developmental stages in their children's communication so they can support their growth and get help early if necessary. The following are general milestones for hearing, listening, speech, language, and cognitive development in children aged birth to five. Keep in mind that growth differs, and a child may develop faster in one area than another. Your child may not have acquired all of the above abilities until the end of the age range.Here are several communicative milestones often predicted by 3 months of age:

Hearing & Understanding

  • Startles at loud noises
  • When you converse, they either remain quiet or smile
  • Babies seem to recognise your voice and calm down while crying

Talking

  • Makes cooing noises
  • Smiles at people
  • Has many calls for varied requirements
As you can see, communication begins long before babies say their first words (typically about 12 months). Skills continue to improve from 4 to 6 months, 7 to 12 months, 1 to 2 years, 2 to 3 years, 3 to 4 years, 4 to 5 years, and so on.If you discover your child isn't hitting these milestones, consult with your paediatrician, who may consider seeing a trained audiologist (for hearing) or speech/language pathologist (for speech and language). Friends, neighbours, and other experts may advise parents to "wait and see" whether their child's communication issues are resolved. While it is true that some children are late bloomers, getting examinations sooner rather than later is critical if you or your doctor observe any delays in your child's development. It is more beneficial to address communication issues early.

Tips for parents and families

What can you do for your child? Here are a few tips
  • TALK, TALK, AND TALK SOME MORE: Discuss your everyday activities with your youngster. Ask and answer questions. Your child will begin to correlate the words you use with the people, acts, things, and emotions you describe.
  • Encourage your budding communicator: Listen and react to your child's noises and words, such as cooing and babbling. Imitate her noises or phrases and expand upon them. Introducing vocabulary terms with new routines and trips. You are teaching back-and-forth communication skills.
  • READ every day, beginning from birth: Choose books with rhymes, vibrant colours, varying textures, and photographs. Read with emotion and point to words as you pronounce them; point out genuine copies of visuals from the books you've read when you encounter them in daily situations (traffic signs, business logos). Create everyday rituals that include reading, such as bedtime or lunch.
  • Sing and repeat nursery rhymes: Adjust the pitch and loudness of your voice.
  • Demonstrate excellent speaking: Speak clearly and naturally, and employ the proper speech sounds.
  • Describe things of varying sizes, colours, and textures: Use contrast terms like firm and soft.
  • PLAY activities that help your youngster follow instructions, such as Simon Says. Encourage pretend play by pretending to chat on a toy phone or having a "picnic." Continue the talk (this is good for older toddlers).
  • Ask why enquiries, such as "Why do we need to eat breakfast?" And be prepared to respond (this is good for older toddlers).
Fostering appropriate communication in your child from birth to age five is critical for cognitive and emotional development as per Dr Amit P Ghawade. You may create a solid foundation for language abilities by engaging in meaningful discussions, reading on a regular basis, and participating in fun activities. Remember that each child grows at their own speed, so keep track of their growth. If you detect any delays, requesting early assistance may have a substantial impact. Accept this exciting communication trip with your child, and see them grow into confident speakers and active participants in their surroundings.

Speaking And Communication: When To Be Concerned In The Early Years?

Children develop communication abilities at various stages.Many babies, for example, develop eye contact and sounds at a young age, while others may not begin until approximately three months. If your child does not do something at the same age as others, this does not necessarily indicate a cause for concern.However, deficits in communication abilities might be indicative of developmental delay, language delay, or developmental illnesses such as deafness and hearing loss, intellectual disability, and autism.

FAQs on Communicating with Baby: Tips and Milestones from Birth to Age Five:

  1. When can I communicate with my baby?Infants start communicating the moment they are born. Before formal education starts, there are important phases of fast growth during which the brain is best suited to learn speech (sound production) and language (understanding and utilising words).
  2. How do you teach a newborn to talk?Hold your infant close and stare at them while speaking to them. Babies adore faces and will look and react as you speak. Chat about what you're doing when feeding, changing, and bathing them. Sing to your baby - this helps them understand the rhythm of words.
Disclaimer: Medically approved by Dr Amit P Ghawade, Consultant, Pediatrician and Neonatologist, Mumbai