From those first adorable coos to hearing your toddler say “I love you”, watching your child’s communication develop is amazing!

But if you’ve ever wondered “Is my baby talking enough?” or “Should my toddler be saying more words?”, you’re not alone.

Every child develops at their own pace, but understanding typical speech, language and communication milestones can help you recognise their progress and know when they might need support.

Birth to 3 Months: Crying and Connecting

Your baby’s first conversations begin long before their first words!

At this age, babies typically:

• Communicate through crying, facial expressions and body movements.
• React to familiar voices and loud sounds.
• Begin making cooing sounds like “ooo” and “ahh”.
• Start smiling socially and enjoying face-to-face interactions.

Try this: Talk to your baby throughout the day. Smile, copy their sounds and pause to give them an opportunity to respond.

4 to 6 Months: Discovering Their Voice

Things are getting noisy!

Your baby is discovering that their voice can make all sorts of interesting sounds.

You might notice them:

• Laughing, squealing and experimenting with sounds.
• Beginning to babble with sounds like “ba” and “ma”.
• Responding to changes in your tone of voice.
• Enjoying back-and-forth vocal play.

Try this: Copy your baby’s sounds and wait for them to respond. This is also a great time to introduce baby signing with your little one to support language development further.

7 to 12 Months: Gestures and First Words

This is an exciting stage because babies begin communicating more intentionally.

They may:

• Babble using repeated sounds like “bababa”.
• Recognise familiar words and their name.
• Wave, reach, point, and use gestures and signs
• Begin understanding simple instructions.
• Say their first meaningful words around their first birthday.

Try this: Introduce baby sign language or key word sign, using simple Auslan signs alongside spoken words like MORE, MILK, EAT and FINISHED.

Signing gives babies another way to communicate before their speech is fully developed.

12 to 18 Months: Words with Meaning

Your toddler is beginning to understand that words have power!

At this age, children often:

• Use a growing number of meaningful words.
• Understand many more words than they can say.
• Follow familiar one-step instructions.
• Point to objects they want.
• Combine gestures, signs and sounds to communicate.

Try this: Name objects during everyday activities and expand on what your toddler communicates. Using lots of signs at this age is powerful and promotes effective communication when speech is still unclear.

18 to 24 Months: The Language Explosion

Between 18 months and 2 years, many toddlers experience rapid vocabulary growth.

By around 2 years, most children are:

• Using at least 50 spoken words, often many more.
• Combining two words, such as “more juice”.
• Following simple instructions.
• Identifying familiar objects and body parts.
• Using words, gestures and signs to express their needs.

Try this: Offer choices, read books together and continue using Key Word Sign to support understanding and expression.

2 to 3 Years: Little Conversations

Your toddler is becoming quite the conversationalist!

During this stage, children typically:

• Learn new words often and quickly.
• Begin using three-word or longer sentences.
• Ask simple questions like “What’s that?”
• Follow two-step instructions.
• Talk about their experiences and interests.
• Become easier for familiar adults to understand.

Try this: Follow your child’s interests during play. Ask simple questions, give them time to respond and model slightly longer sentences.

How Can Baby Sign Language Help?

One of the most wonderful things about Key Word Sign is that it supports communication throughout these early years.

By pairing spoken words with meaningful signs, children receive both visual and auditory information.

For babies and toddlers who aren’t yet talking, signs can provide a practical way to express their needs, potentially reducing communication-related frustration.

And importantly, using signs alongside speech doesn’t prevent children from learning to talk.

Remember, Every Child is Different

Communication development isn’t a race. Children reach milestones at different times, and some need additional support.

If your child isn’t meeting expected milestones, loses previously acquired skills or you’re concerned about their communication, speak with your Maternal and Child Health Nurse, GP or get in touch.

In the meantime, keep talking, reading, singing, signing and playing together.

Every little interaction is an opportunity to build language, connection and confidence!