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As promised, I've put together a list of language milestones for your child's first year. These are specifically about how much language your child will UNDERSTAND and how to tell. (If you're looking for my post about how much language your child will SAY in the first year, it's here.)
Check out the chart below for the major milestones in the first year of baby's life.
Here are your highlights:
From 0-3 months, you should basically see your child responding to really important sounds, such as loud sounds and parents' voices. Simply watch your child's behavior and look for changes in their physical state or in their face. If you're not seeing this by 3 months, definitely bring it up with your pediatrician and consider a hearing test as a first intervention.
For 4-6 months, the types of reactions to sounds will change from general behavior changes to more focused attention, such as turning their eyes. This is also the age where you should see a general interest in music, whether that be from toys or from parents.
For 7-12 months, receptive language (what your child understands) really gets fun! Your child will start reacting to some simple directions, such as "no", "come here". Now, that's not the exact same as your child following those same directions, but you should see that split second moment where they're thinking about it. They also start responding to their own name, recognizing familiar objects, songs, toys, games, and sounds. At this age, their response to a sound will be something like turning their head or even crawling toward the sound.
If any of these don't seem to accurately describe your child, don't be afraid to bring it up with your pediatrician! Early intervention is so important when there is a problem, so it's not going to hurt to seek out the help you might need.
As always, you can send me a DM on Instagram (@teeny_talkers) or comment on this post if you have any questions!
Cheers,
Kjirsten