difference between babbling and cooing? 8mo

[Babyaug2020x]

My little boy is 8 months old and I’m really not sure if what he’s doing counts as babbling, or whether to be concerned he hasn’t started yet?

He makes baaaa and buh noises a lot, also gaa or maa but doesn’t really repeat them like bababa or mamama very often at all. He has started making these noises more and more since around 4-5 months.

Does this count as babbling? I’m a first time mum so worried he will be behind, he did crawl early (5 months) and is desperate to stand/walk now so I’m not sure if he’s just more focussed on these things.

I'd say the single 'baa' and 'gaa' and the like are the early stages of babbling, since they involve consonant sounds, and at 8 months, I wouldn't worry if he's not repeating them much yet. The ASQ questionnaires the health visitors use suggest that some babies are doing 'bababa' and 'dadada' at 8 months, but lots aren't. It becomes much more common over the next month or two, potentially quite suddenly –I remember commenting to my husband that our wee one didn't do the repetitive sounds yet, and then the next day she was all 'bababa' all the time!