Six month old not babbling yet, should I be concerned?

[MarLiz2026]

My baby has just turned 6 months old. She is my first child.

She started ‘cooing’ in the right time frame, but since then she hasn’t seemed to progress to ‘babbling’ as such. She can be very vocal and will make sounds like “ah-juh” (she likes this one) and kind of does a bit of a raspy, French sounding R that she will do a lot. She shouts, squeals, makes high pitched noises etc but I am getting a bit conscious that she doesn’t make noises like ‘da da’ or ‘ma ma’ or anything like that yet (I am fully aware that at this age she wouldn’t know the meaning of these words and this is just experimenting with sounds).

She also doesn’t ‘giggle’ lots. She smiles, squeals and she can giggle but it is not very often.

She seems to be meeting all other milestones on time or early.

Is this something I should be concerned about?

This sounds like my 6 month old. I’m not concerned. Should I be? 😅

Well I hadn’t been concerned, but a family member of my husband mentioned that she doesn’t seem to make many different sounds. I thought nothing of it until today at a baby group 2 babies around the same age as my baby were making lots of ‘dada’s’ and other sounds and it made me think back to the family member and whether I should be concerned!

I’m surprised that at 6 months old your baby isn’t reciting Shakespeare 🤦🏽‍♀️ Honestly please don’t worry

Sorry, I’m just a fairly new mum asking a simple question to other mums about my baby. I thought that Mumsnet would be more supportive and non-judgemental, but even on a simple question there is still someone making me feel silly for just asking a question. Thanks!

Do you Read books to her? Books that encourage you to do Animal sounds are great.
The book shop 'The works' do some great ones, alot of them are 10 books for £10

You’re absolutely not silly for asking the question @MarLiz2026.

My DC2 had speech delay and whilst I think everything sounds absolutely normal with your LO, I’d recommended doing this progress checker from speech & language UK.

Like I said, all does seem pretty normal but of the profess checker does say that she does need support, just let us know

I think you've got another six months before you need to start worrying about baby not babbling. The books (and US forums) all seem to have high expectations for when babies should do things. I don't think any of the babies at the groups I went to were babbling before about nine months. Mine was definitely around that time and even then it was just 'da' sounds for absolutely ages.

I understand it's hard not to dwell on these things, but chances are she's absolutely fine and she'll start making more noises when she's ready.

Talk to her about everything that you're doing / is around you, read to her and she'll get there. Check the website listed above but at only 6 months, you've not got to worry quite yet :)
Could do some baby sign with her, helps language development as odd as that may seem. And enjoy her :)

Interesting… does the family member see your child enough to have heard all their sounds? My baby is very quiet around my parents but makes more noises when it’s just the two (or three) of us. In our baby groups I’d say there is one baby, who is 7 or 8 months, that is babbling a lot. The 6 month olds are mostly on a par with my dd, the occasionally shriek, groan and random vocalisations.

At another group where most babies are older, the 1 year olds are babbling but even the 10 month old is not? I’m obviously only seeing a snap shot of them.

@TinyMouseTheatre Thank you stop much for the link!

No problem. Just wish I’d known about Speech & Language UK when DC2 was younger

My baby was similar at 6 months - maybe even making fewer sounds. Is now 10 months and constantly making sounds - dada mama baba nana - none with any meaning yet, but still makes all the same squeally and growly sounds as before. Giggles when being tickled, or when I make certain funny sounds. You’ll find your baby’s triggers!
I was a bit like you and a bit worried / unsure what was normal, but it’s amazing how quickly they change!

My niece wasn’t babbling until about 10 months and now nothing keeps her quiet at age 3.

Please don’t worry, I wrote a similar thread at around 7 months. At around 9 months he started babbling really well, with varied sounds. Your baby will get there, def no need for concern at 6 months. Just continue with reading, talking etc your baby is taking it all in.

My eldest never babbled. She never made cooing sounds or many sounds at all. She barely cried. She spoke her first words.. well two words put together at 8 months, totally out of the blue ! She will not shut up now. She has been assessed to have a vocabulary 10 years older than her age. My youngest daughter also didn’t babble she was a quiet baby. She’s a quiet little girl even now. Just likes to observe and is very physically able rather than academic or social.. I was glad to be honest as I don’t think I could have coped with two like my eldest. Neither ever said mama or da da or similar. Neither had speech delay. I never stopped chatting away to them, I practically narrated my life when they were babies. Plus I love to sing, even so they followed their own path.

It sounds like your baby is exploring their voice by making sounds which is the main thing. You say she smiles and laughs so hopefully you would be aware if she had some hearing issues. Please try not to worry. I also work with children and they vary so much on when and how they develop. It’s easy to get anxiety about what they should be doing according to books and things online. Real life isn’t really like that in my experience. Even if there was something to worry about you wouldn’t know until she was much older. As long as you talk to her lots, sing to her and read to her, you are doing everything you can anyway.

Also watch the episode of the children’s tv show Bluey that’s called baby race.. it will help you. That whole show is better than any parenting book or class.

Of course it isn't a silly question @MarLiz2026 and of course this is a forum on which you should be able to ask such questions.

@Snoringdogsfarting has either forgotten what it is like to be a first time Mum, or isn't very kind.

Re your question - no, you do not need to be worried. They are absolutely developing "normally" from what you say.

Things that do encourage speech are

• repeating lots of sounds they say you hear "a" and say "Yes, there's a cat" etc etc.
• N ursery rhymes
• sharing books
• making sounds when you play "Hurray" when they knock a tower over / animal noises when see one in a book, or hold an animal toy / nee naw or vroom when you push a fire engine or toy car near them / "wheee" when they go down a slide / are lifted and swung in the air / etc.

There are lots of things you can do over the coming 12 months, suggested on I Can website, or Talking Points website
here

A Doctor actually said this to me when I asked a question about my baby’s progress. I found it reassuring and we laughed together. No idea why this would cause a negative reaction, especially as I also said “Honestly please don’t worry” 🤷🏼‍♀️

One of my twins very really babbled, the other never stopped babbling. Now they are (normal) 8yr olds, the non-babbler is still very quiet and the babbler won’t stop talking. I think it was always just her little personality!