Chapter 6- First Words

There have been many disagreements on a baby can say their first words. According to Feldman this happens between the ages of 9 to 14 months. Part of the disagreement is due to how clear the child can say the words. As an average child language develops by the time they are 24 months their vocabulary should between 50 to 400 words.
The stage I enjoy or am truly amazed with is when a baby is a couple of months old and begins to babble. All of the gurgling noises they make as they try to imitate the adults. I love talking to babies at that age. Even though their babbling is not considered as their first words I believe it begins there. One can feel their frustration or see their delight as they produce the sound. I was thinking of my daughters first words and I can honestly say it was mama and no. As they were crawling or reaching for things I guess we used the word more often. So it came as no surprise when they said the word no. But I think what amazes me the most is how a child is able to learn different languages at such a young age. According to our text if a child is exposed to it daily they will learn.

Feldman, R. (2007). Child development (4th edition). Pearson Prentice Hall.