During the first weeks of life, the baby communicates mainly through crying and screaming. Then comes the day when the baby makes his first real sound. From then on, he won’t stop exploring the sound of her voice. The baby hums, coos, chirps… Zoom in on this so-called “pre-linguistic” phase of the language of toddlers.

The first tweets

The first tweets appear around the age of 2 months. The baby discovers his voice, he hears it, explores it, plays by varying the intonations and vocalizations. This exploration plays an important role in the gradual and continuous development of future language skills. By training regularly, the baby strengthens his phonatory functions and gradually gains access to new skills (pronunciation of consonants, formation of first syllables) which occur over the following months.

The tweets: kesako?

If before the age of 2 months, cries are more of a reflex, chirping are more conscious and voluntary movements. Babies chirp most often while lying down when their body is at rest. He may chirp in the presence of familiar faces, joy, or to express the need for contact. But babies also chirp when they are alone to have fun and explore the possibilities of their voice. Very attentive to the sound of the voice of its main attachment figures (mother, father, nurse, etc.), the baby also reacts strongly to the twittering of other babies, as demonstrated Linda Polka, researcher at McGill University. By observing the reactions and behaviors of those around him, the baby gradually becomes aware that his language is also used to communicate and come into contact with others.

Since sound production requires a whole host of organs to function simultaneously, chirping is one indicator that a baby is developing normally. Although each baby is different and follows their own pace, there are, however, markers of optimal language development in the first few months of life. Behaviors and language skills appear in a very precise chronological order.

Around 2 months: the appearance of tweets

Thus, the onset of the tweeting phase is usually around 2 months of age. After the first sounds, vocalizations diversify, their number and duration increase. For most babies, the acquisition of the first vowels (a, o, e, or) takes place around 2-3 months. More and more happy and curious to explore this new tool that is his voice and to play with the different organs of his vocalic apparatus (tongue, lips, larynx), the baby is learning his scales. He chirps and communicates voluntarily and no longer by reflex, as during the first weeks of life.

Around 5-6 months: the onset of consonants and associations

It is generally around 5-6 months that the baby will begin to pronounce the consonants, to associate them with the vowels and to form the first syllables “a-reuh”, “pa-a”, “ba-a”, c ‘ is the babbling phase.

Then comes the stage of syllabic chains during which the baby repeatedly pronounces sequences of syllables “ba-ba-ba”, “ma-ma-ma”. And finally, the 12-month period marks the appearance of the first words.

When the baby chirps, he’s okay. If screaming and crying are used to signal hunger, thirst, discomfort (an uncomfortable position, a feeling of cold or hot or difficulty falling asleep) or even pain, chirping allows express pleasurable emotions such as joy, excitement or impatience. To be able to chirp, the baby must feel good and be comfortable physically and mentally.

Here are the main tips to help baby develop language:

• Favor a calm and soft voice to put the baby in confidence and create an emotional context conducive to communication with a toddler;
• Name everyday objects, people and actions in order to enrich baby’s vocabulary and help him create associations;
• Call the baby by his first name to facilitate recognition;
• Avoid using baby language, distorting words or atrophying sentences to promote the establishment of good reflexes;
• Speak slowly, articulating well and separating syllables;
• Talk to the baby using the first person “I’m here” rather than the third “Mom is here”;
• Telling stories, playing, showing picture books, singing nursery rhymes that will amuse the baby and help him identify the words of his daily life.

Although each baby follows their own pace of development, the absence of twittering combined with other signs can sometimes indicate a deeper problem, such as hearing loss, developmental delay, or autism spectrum disorder. (TSA). Among these signs, one can quote the abnormal movements of the hands or the eyes, a fleeting or extinct gaze (the baby does not try to make contact or does not respond to stimulation).

Other behaviors can also alert, for example, when the baby seems indifferent to familiar voices, especially that of his mother, or does not respond to loud noises. Indeed, if all babies chirp, the ability to produce sounds disappears around 3-4 months in deaf or hard of hearing babies, due to a lack of auditory stimuli. If in doubt, do not hesitate to consult a pediatrician or a child psychiatrist who will be able to indicate a procedure to be followed to eliminate the sources of concern or to make an appropriate diagnosis.