What comes after cooing? Babbling! By 4-6 months of age, baby will begin to use consonant sounds in babbling (e.g. “da, da, da”). Encourage baby to babble by babbling to them! Make sounds they can repeat during play or feeding sessions, such as “ma, ma, ma” or simply copy the sounds they make and add in a new babble sound to see how they react! You can even add words to the sound, such as “bah, bah, ball.” #MilestoneMonday See the rest of baby’s 4-6 milestones here: https://pathways.org/growth-d

Here’s one of the most fascinating child development videos I’ve ever shared. As your baby learns language, they begin by approximating the examples you set. After a period of early experimentation with sound (including cries, coos and gurgles), infants begin babbling - making speech-like sounds (which often include components of conventional speech) that are - nonetheless - not yet conventionally meaningful. This babbling phase is a precursor to the use of formal words. And it happens in all la