Parenting

One year old vocabulary: Baby talk 101

First words checklist - how many can your child say?
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Your baby evolves during her first year of life to become a distinctive personality – she will be unique physically, mentally and emotionally.

Generally speaking, there is no set development schedule for babies. The age at which they learn to speak varies widely and has no bearing on their intelligence or ability to learn later on during school years.

“One word by one year old” is a general rule with children’s language and you are the primary teacher when it comes to language.

Encourage baby talk by speaking direct to your little one, naming things in their environment, explaining different actions and by reading books together.

As a guide, most children are able to say approximately 30 words from the below list by the age of two. If you’re concerned about your child’s speech and language development, see a health professional.

One word by one year old is a general rule when it comes to baby talk. (Image: Getty Images)

OTHER

A.B.C. etc; away; bye-bye; curse; words; here; hi, hello; in; me; meow; my; myself; night night; no; off; on; out; please; scuse me; shut up; thank you; there; under; welcome; what; where; why; woof woof; yes; yum yum; 1,2,3, etc.

PEOPLE

aunt; baby; boy; daddy; doctor; girl; grandma; grandpa; lady; man; mummy; own name; pet name; uncle

ANIMALS

bee; bird; bug; bunny; cat; chicken; cow; dog; duck; elephant; fish; frog; horse; pig; puppy; snake; tiger; turkey; turtle

MODIFIERS

all gone; alright; bad; big; black; blue; broken; clean; cold; dark; dirty; down; good; happy; heavy; hot; hungry; little; mine; more; open; pretty; red; shut; stinky; that; this; tired; up

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ACTION

bath; breakfast; bring; catch; clap; close; come; cough; cut; dance; dinner; eat; feed; finish; fix; get; give; go; have; help; hit; hug; jump; kick; kiss; knock; look; love; lunch; make; nap; outside; peekaboo; push; read; ride; run; see; show; sing; sit; sleep; stop; take; throw; tickle; walk; want; wash; wee wee

HOUSEHOLD

bed; blanket; bottle; bowl; chair; clock; cot; cup; door; floor; fork; glass; knife; light; mirror; pillow; plate; potty; radio; room; rubbish; sink; soap; spoon; stairs; table; TV

BODY PARTS

arm; belly-button; bottom; chin; ear; elbow; eye; face; finger; foot; hair; hand; head; knee; leg; mouth; neck; nose; teeth; toe; tummy

CLOTHES

boots; coat; dress; gloves; hat; jumper; nappy; pyjamas; pants; shirt; shoes; slippers; sneakers; socks

Help teach your tot new words by making eye contact when you are talking. (Image: Getty Images)

PERSONAL

brush; comb; glasses; key; money; paper; pen; purse; tissue; toothbrush; watch

TOYS

ball; blocks; book; bubble; crayons; doll; present; slide; swing; teddy bear

VEHICLES

bike; bus; boat; car; plane; tractor; train

FOOD

apple; banana; biscuit; bread; butter; cake; cereal; cheese; chips; coffee; drink; egg; food; grapes; hamburger; ice-cream; juice; lolly; meat; milk; orange; pizza; soup; spaghetti; tea; toast; water

PLACES

church; home; hospital; library; park; school; shop; zoo

OUTDOORS

flower; footpath; house; moon; rain; snow; star; street; sun; tree

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