From 8 to 12 Months - Hearing and Speech

By 8 months of age your baby will be repeating many sounds that he hears. The babbling will begin to sound like real speech. By one year of age, 2-3 words are used, but these words may not be clear.

The following checklist is a guide to normal hearing and speech development for an 8 to 12 month old baby. As time goes by, check to see if your baby does most of the things listed below:

• When sleeping in a quiet room, begins to move, wakes up or cries when someone talks or when there is a noise.
• Listens to people talking.
• Searches or looks around when hearing a new sound, even when the sound is not loud.
• Turns or looks up when you call.
• Uses his voice to get attention and imitates sounds.
• Makes babbling noises that may sound like real speech.

If you think your baby cannot hear, ask your health care provider to refer you to a licensed audiologist who has experience in testing for hearing loss in babies.