Only babbles to self

[HeyJupiter]

My DS is 10.5 months and although has never been the most vocal baby he does babble much more frequently than he did and with a variety of consonant-vowel combinations and lots of strings of sounds.

However my concern is that all this babbling is only to himself. He doesn’t engage in back and forth exchanges of sounds with me and if he makes a sound and I copy it he rarely repeats it back (this is one of the milestone questions on the 9 month ASQ evaluation that the health visitor uses.) He communicates in other ways (eye contact, gestures like giving, showing, lifting arms to be picked up and sort of vague pointing) and will make noises to get my attention but it stops there. Is this typical at this age? I struggle with PNA and sometimes find it hard to know what’s okay and what isn’t. Thanks so much.

I think it's fairly typical, he's still practising the fine motor control involved in deliberately making a sound. It's also worth noting that the back and forth is less obvious than you might think. With my eldest the HV pointed out that he was copying me but just wasn't able to articulate the noises that well. She also said she was much more concerned with receptive language - i.e. does he respond when you say "where's daddy?" etc.

It's great that he communicates well in general sounds like you have nothing to worry about.

Does he copy other gestures that you do? Raspberries or smiles?

Thanks both!

User definitely some receptive language emerging. If I say where’s daddy/cup/light he will either look in that direction or sometimes point. I see your point about the copying of noises but he rarely makes any noise in response to me talking. He will make a lot of noises other times though and will sometimes squark to get my attention.

MyOther he copies gestures like if I point to him and smile he will point back at me and smile. Or if I bang a toy on the table he will do the same. He also engages in back and forth play so if I flick a toy across the table he will collect it and give it back to me to do again. If I smile at him when I come in the room he will smile back. It’s just vocal stuff he won’t do back and forth with.

*squawk :)

He seems keen to communicate. Presumably he passed his new born hearing screening test? Does his babble contain consonants as well as vowel sounds?

ToDuk yes he passed his screening check. He seems very engaged with sounds - responds to his name, finds funny sounds I make hilarious. Will hear a pin drop in the room next door :) He also babbles with a full range of consonants and vowels (strings of sounds eg dadadada but also more recently combinations like ba-da-ga). He does ‘chat’ to himself in the mirror and to the cat, just not to us.

Best to just keep an eye on it and give it time then. And keep chatting to him and giving him eye contact.

Hiya, I know it’s been a few years now but I’m having the same problem with my son!
loves to “chat” to himself in the mirror but won’t babble to anyone else.
fid everything end up being okay?