Baby’s Babbles: What Is Babbling and When Will It Start?

• Babbling is an early stage of communication development where Baby practices making sounds before speaking real words.

• Babies typically start babbling between 4–6 months, with babbling evolving into more complex sounds and speech patterns leading up to their first birthday.

• Responding to Baby’s babbles helps them connect sounds to meaning and prepares them for their first words.

After the early days of newborn coos and cries, it might seem like Baby has so much to say—but you can’t understand any of it! Those adorable little sounds filling your home are known as Baby’s babbling.

It may sound like cute nonsense now, but it’s an important part of Baby’s communication development. Read more to get answers to all your babbling questions!

What is babbling?

When you think of classic baby sounds, does it sound something like, “goo-goo ga-ga”? Well, that’s an example of babbling!

Babbling is an exciting stage of early language development that comes before Baby says actual words. It’s when Baby experiments with new mouth movements and sounds, trying to mimic what they see and hear from you so they can begin talking!

What does babbling sound like?

At first, Baby’s babbles will be simple, one-syllable consonant and vowel sounds, like “ba” or “da.” As Baby gets better at babbling, they will make longer strings of sounds. These strings may sound like “up-up-up” or “mi-mi-mi.” Sometimes you might swear you just heard a real word (“Did you just say ‘mama’?!”), while other times it’s still pure, delightful baby gibberish. (See what counts as Baby’s first word—and when to expect it—here!)

Know that not every babbling baby will sound the same! Baby’s babbling may actually differ depending upon the language(s) they are exposed to.

When do babies start babbling?

Every baby is different, so there is some variation in when babbling will start. Babbling may emerge as early as 4 months, but most babies will babble by 6 months.

Is babbling a milestone?

Yes, babbling is a 4-6 month communication milestone. By 6 months, Baby will use babbling to get your attention. And by 9 months, Baby should use more defined consonant sounds in babbling, like “da-da-da.” Once they reach 10-12 months, Baby’s babbling should have sounds and rhythms of speech, and you may start to hear their first words.

Stages of Babbling in Infants

These are the different stages Baby’s babbling will go through:

• Marginal Babbling (4-6 Months): Baby starts with single syllable consonant-vowel sounds (like “ma”, “ba”, “ga”) and vowel-consonant sounds (like “um”).

• Reduplicated Babbling (6-9 Months): Baby begins repeating the same consonant-vowel or vowel-consonant syllables over and over, such as “ma-ma-ma”, “um-um-um”, “ba-ba-ba”.

• Variegated Babbling (9-10 Months): Baby mixes it up by stringing together different consonant and vowel combos: “a-ya-ba-ga”, “do-ba-da”.

• Conversational Babbling/Jargoning (10-12 Months): Baby’s babbling starts sounding like an actual conversation! For example: Baby says, “Ma-baaa ga!” and pauses for a response. After you talk back, Baby responds with “Ga-ga ba-ba.”

Do Baby’s babbles mean anything?

As Baby babbles more, they will begin to imitate the sounds they hear around them—which means they are trying to say words! If you hear them make a babble that sounds like part of a word (also known as a word approximation!), try finishing it for them. For example, if they look at the dog and say “do”, respond “Yes! That’s the dog!”

They may also start using gestures like pointing to show you what they want. Baby understands many of the words you say, even if they can’t say them yet. Be sure to keep communicating with them throughout the day!

Do cries or squeals count as babbles?

Crying, cooing, and other sounds like squealing are not babbling, but they are all methods of communication that Baby uses before they can talk. Coos are most frequently heard in the 0-4 month period. These sound like drawn-out vowels, such as “oooo” or “aaaa”. Think of them as Baby’s pre-babbling warm-up!

What if Baby is not babbling?

If Baby is not babbling by 6 months, talk with a healthcare provider. They may recommend working with a speech-language pathologist to help Baby communicate.