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Our daughter started babbling a lot. She used to throw gu and ga around once in a while, but now she seems to be babbling all the time. She talks to us, to all the chandeliers, her toys, she also fusses babbling instead of soft crying.

So how talkative should a three month old be? Is her behavior normal? Should it be discouraged (and how) or should we encourage it?

// almost 3 years later her mouth still doesn't seem to close at all...

// an update another 3 years later: she did stop chattering around her 6th birthday //

Dariusz
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5 Answers5

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It's normal, but don't freak out when it goes away! Babies go through an early babbling stage which then stops, and then takes up again in earnest later on.

I don't know the exact average timeline, but with my son it was around three months old as well. My parents told me to film him because we'll be sorry when it stops, and indeed, a month or two later he went silent for a few months. He would also chat with any available object, but he would especially begin to blabber to me when I would come back from work. It was incredibly sweet :)

Ana
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That's early compared to my children - both of mine were more like 6 months old before they were really babbling a lot. But it's not unusual, and it's certainly nothing to discourage. She's developing her verbal skills, and learning to express herself. Encourage away - babble back at her, make conversation, and start paying attention to the different babbles that begin to have meaning. Eventually the babble she does when she wants milk/formula will be discernible.

Joe
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I would never discourage babbling, it's how she learns to communicate. My (now 4 month old) daughter is the same about babbling to everything, and babbling sadly instead of crying, etc.

Also: Talk back to her! Babies love that!

Angela
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  • Yes! And use your normal speaking voice. Not singsongy baby talk. Also a great time to introduce sign language which can help with speech. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-9507 – Jess Oct 02 '16 at 03:08
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Babbling is good! Don't discourage it! :)

With my daughter, my wife told me to babble back but always make it a point to slide to normal words. This way the baby eventually 'babbles with sense'. She hated baby talk as it dumbs down the baby. Basically, we encouraged babbling but tried to substitute real words when we have a chance, ie. Da becomes dada becomes daddy, etc.

The effects paid off wonderfully: the first word she completely comprehends was 'mik' at 3 months, and she was well into the whole daddy-mommy-ate(elder sister) vocab by around 4 months. Our angel is turning 2 years old next week and already knows how to sing, read, and write the alphabet and numbers, and she can sing a LOT of nursery rhymes, and even sing Let It Go! :)

Every influence counts, I think, even if seemingly irritating or inconsequential in the beginning. Though I must admit: the patience needed during early morning babbling with her mobile and pillows at 3-4 months is absolutely titanic!

WGS
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  • The Dr. Sears book also recommends as early as possible to mimic normal conversation 'back and forth' when talking, e.g. listening to her babble, when she stops, talking back, and then waiting for her to babble again. – Pete Feb 05 '14 at 23:32
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My daughter started her babbling full throttle about a week ago! I’ve been recording because I just can’t believe how much she can go on its amazing! She won’t make 3 months until April 27th.

Theresa Meadows
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