The baby’s attempts at speech were unclear, prompting the mother to chuckle and playfully inquire, “Aww, did you say ‘I love you’?” Despite the infant’s limited ability to articulate words, a video capturing the moment sparked discussions about the significance of babies’ early vocalizations. An article from The Atlantic sheds light on the matter:
“Such early utterances serve a social function, prioritizing interaction over specific reference. It appears that the baby’s sounds, like ‘ka,’ are more of an initiation for shared experiences rather than a straightforward act of naming.”
Regardless of whether one interprets the baby’s sounds as an attempt to express love, the fact that she is attempting communication signifies a crucial stage in her cognitive development. Shortly after the video was recorded, the baby girl would likely progress to verbal communication, posing “why” questions and exploring the world, guided by her parents.
An article from Very Well Family provides additional insights for parents regarding babies’ developmental milestones. In the initial year of an infant’s life, cooing and gurgling sounds emerge around 3 months, followed by babbling and sing-song sounds at 6 months. Around the 12-month mark, infants start babbling with inflection, resembling early attempts at talking, and may utter their first words.
During the second year of life, babies typically acquire the ability to say two to five or more words by 16 months. By 18 months, they demonstrate further language development, including the ability to articulate eight to 10 words that others can understand, repeat words heard in conversation, possess a vocabulary of approximately five to 40 words (primarily nouns), and use common expressions like “please,” “hi,” and “bye” when prompted
