It is thought that by the age of 18 months a child can say about 50 words, but their understanding is likely to be four or even five times more.
Babbling begins at about the age of six months and continues developing until about 18 months, well after the child says their first words.
Babbles like 'mama' or 'dada' are, rather than baby's first words, in fact vocal signs that baby is ready to communicate meaning. Soon after, many babies utter their 'real' first words.
From about 12 months, parents notice that babies start to use rhythm and tone to suggest a question, a need or merely a greeting. From 16 months, vocabulary begins to develop more rapidly and toddlers soon reach their first 50 words. From 19 months there is often an explosion into speaking.
Psychologists at Lancaster University report that at 21 months, children are learning new words at a faster rate than at any other stage of their life.
New words
Picking up words takes time and help from adults. Adults using 'parentese'
(Nursery World, 1 March 2007) tend to emphasise important words and repeat words naturally, which helps understanding. Adults may then scaffold to further describe an object or some new aspect.
Babies begins to point at objects at around eight to ten months. Adults respond by naming clearly, often with some repetition, which gives an opportunity for repeated listening and, if the adult's face is sufficiently close, seeing how the adult uses their lips.
Getting meaning
Babies get meaning initially from first-hand experiences. First they get involved so that they can find out what is happening, and then they are ready to listen and decode the language and body language of the adult's explanation. A dialogue (mostly non-verbal in the case of the child) then starts.
Making family books of photographs of faces is a useful step in understanding picture books, especially if a baby has enjoyed sessions in front of a mirror.
Understanding printed coloured pictures is more difficult, as the child needs to understand that the picture is a symbol of what they know and may have experienced. Through the language adults use in explaining and recalling shared experiences, children can gradually develop and build up an understanding of symbols.
Books should be selected carefully for children in the first 18 months, if their contents are to be understood. Where the contents are too far removed from a very young child's experiences, adults need to give added support for the book to have meaning.
Recommended core titles
A selection of books following developmental levels from babble to first 50 words
Clap Hands by Helen Oxenbury (Walker Books board book)
* Rhyming short text about routine and fun activities. Full colour illustrations of different babies.
Ring-a-Ring o'Roses by Annie Kubler (Child's Play board book)
* Traditional rhyme/song with adapted fun ending. Colour illustrations of groups of babies, plus music.
Clever Colour! Amazing Baby series (Templar hand-sized board book)
* Introduces eight colours with objects in the same colour. Text limited to colour names.
Baby Says Bye-Bye by Opal Dunn and Angie Sage (Hodder Children's novelty board book)
* Aimed to encourage natural signing to say bye-bye. Colour illustrations of four scenes of a car, train, boat and plane disappearing as mother and baby wave and say bye-bye.
Louie's Busy Day - Louie's World by Yves Got (Zero to Ten, four boxed small board books)
* Louie's daily life introduced in four first-word books. Brightly coloured, black outlined pictures.
On the Farm (Pitchall and Gunzi novelty board book)
* Photographs of five farm animals and their young with animal name text.
Babies can touch the baby animals by feeling a patch of their 'fur'.
Yum, Yum Baby! Amazing Baby series (Templar board book)
* Photographs and illustrations take babies through the main meals. Rhyming text makes it easy for older babies to join in.
Peekaboo Baby! by Kate Merritt (Ladybird novelty board book)
* Rhyming text introduces different babies hiding behind flaps. Final flap reveals a mirror to peekaboo baby.
Busy Airport by Rebecca Finn (Campbell Books board book)
* Things to pull and push that bring alive rhyming text that's easy to join in. Lively colour illustrations with plenty to talk about.
Where are they all going? by Emile Jadoul (Zero to Ten long board book)
* Introduces Daddy, Mummy and Princess Penelope through the eye-level of a crawler. Coloured fun outlined pictures.