How Babies Come to Say Mama

“Mama” begins as a sound a baby plays with in babbling and becomes a word once the baby uses it for one person. The American Academy of Pediatrics describes a parent’s excited reaction as part of that change, so answering the babble, copying it back and replying with the word are everyday habits that support it, without drills or deadlines.

What you’ll learn

• How babbling “mamamama” differs from calling for a parent
• Where babbling and a first “mama” appear on the milestone lists
• Everyday ways to answer the babble and add the word
• When it is worth asking about first words

How Do You Help Your Baby Say Mama?

The first thing to try is answering your baby’s babble with the same sounds, then with a word made from them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives the pattern in its tips for 9-month-olds: if your baby says “bababa,” repeat “bababa,” then say “book.” When the babble is “mamamama,” the word to add is your family’s name for you, said face to face.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) gives the same advice, to repeat a syllable back and then say some simple words that contain it, along with “Mama” and “Dada.” It also says that responding, repeating and adding sounds and words, through face-to-face time, conversation and reading together, boosts further speech development. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) starts its first-year advice in the same place, with responding: looking at your baby whenever they make noises, talking to them and imitating their sounds.

Group research points the same way. In a laboratory study published in Psychological Science in 2008, 9.5-month-old babies whose mothers responded right after they babbled changed their babbling to include sound patterns from their mothers’ speech, while babies whose mothers’ responses were not timed to their babbling did not. The study measured babbling during a short lab session, so it shows how a group of babies used well-timed answers, not when any baby will say a first word.

A 2014 review in Current Directions in Psychological Science adds that parents’ responsiveness to what babies explore and communicate predicts word learning early in language development. Like the lab study, it describes babies as a group, so neither one can say when a particular baby’s first word will come.

From Babbling Mamamama to Calling for Mama

Babbling and naming a parent sit on the milestone lists as separate skills. ASHA’s band for 7 to 9 months includes babbling in long strings, such as mamamama, upup and babababa, and the CDC’s 9-month checklist lists a lot of different sounds such as “mamamama” and “bababababa.” The CDC’s 1-year checklist adds something different: calling a parent “mama” or “dada” or another special name, which means using the word for a particular person.

What makes a sound into a word is consistency. The AAP defines a child’s word as any sound that consistently refers to the same person, object or event, so a “mama” aimed at one parent again and again counts, even when it comes out shortened or unclear.

The AAP also describes the bridge between babble and word. A baby may stumble on “mama” quite by accident, and when the adults nearby get excited, she realizes she has said something that matters. Before long, the AAP says, she may use “mama” to call a parent or get attention, and may also say it through the day just to practice.

From clinical practice

“Mamamama” in a run of babble is a baby playing with a sound. It becomes a word when the baby uses it again and again for the same person, and that link to someone is what turns “mama” into a name.

So the thing to listen for is who the sound is meant for. The babble deserves an answer either way. The AAP describes a parent’s excited reply as one of the ways a baby learns that a sound carries a message.

Where Mama Appears on the Milestone Lists

The AAP describes the coos, gurgles and screeches of earlier months giving way to recognizable syllables such as “ba,” “da,” “ga” and “ma.” On ASHA’s list, vowel sounds, at times paired with a consonant, come in the 4 to 6 month band, and saying one or two words, like mama, dada, hi and bye, is among the milestones for 10 to 12 months.

The CDC uses a different kind of age. A skill goes on its checklist once at least 75 percent of children can manage it by a given age, so the 1-year item on naming a parent marks a point that three in four babies or more have reached, not the month a first “mama” turns up. Its 15-month checklist then lists trying to say one or two words besides “mama” or “dada,” such as “ba” for ball.

None of this sets a date for one baby. The AAP says there is a tremendous variance in the age at which children begin to say recognizable words, and ASHA notes that children develop uniquely, brothers and sisters included. Babbling is one part of how babies communicate before words, and a first word is one early step in speech and language development.

Everyday Ways to Answer the Babble

Beyond copying sounds and adding the word, a few ordinary habits from the same health organizations give a baby more chances to hear words tied to the people and things they name.

• Name yourself when your baby says it. ASHA suggests adding on to what a baby says: when your baby says “Mama,” answer with “Here is Mama. Mama loves you.”
• Say the sounds for your baby to try. ASHA’s activities for babies include saying sounds like “ma,” “da” and “ba” and inviting your baby to say them back.
• Name people and things. The CDC’s tips for 6-month-olds include pointing out new things and naming them. The AAP advises labeling familiar toys and objects and keeping each label steady, calling the family pet a cat every time, never switching to kitty.
• Leave a turn. The AAP suggests asking questions and waiting for a response, and repeating a babble such as “Gaagaagaa” back to see what your baby does. Turn-taking games, such as passing a toy back and forth, are among the CDC’s tips for 9-month-olds.
• Talk and sing through routines. The CDC suggests talking or singing to your baby about what you are doing, such as washing hands, and ASHA suggests singing, telling stories or reading every day, along with copying games like peek-a-boo, clapping, blowing kisses and waving bye-bye.

These fit into feedings, diaper changes and bath time, and none of them needs a set practice time. Each one pairs a word with the person or thing it names, and none of them is a way to make a first word arrive by a certain date. Sharing what your baby is looking at, and talking about it, is the focus of building joint attention, and baby talk and language development takes up the question of the high, sing-song voice.

When Your Family’s Word for Mom Isn’t Mama

Mama is only one of the names a baby might first use for a parent. The CDC’s item for 1 year names “mama” and “dada” but also “another special name,” so whatever your family calls a parent, in English or in another language, is the word that counts once your baby uses it for that person.

ASHA advises talking to your child in the languages you are most comfortable using. So the word to copy back, and to use when you name yourself, is the one your family actually says, whether that is Mom, Mommy, Mama or a word from your home language.

When to Raise a Question About First Words

Because first words arrive across such a wide range of ages, the milestone lists work as a guide to what to watch for, not as a deadline. Whenever you have a question about your baby’s sounds or first words, your pediatrician is a good person to ask, and asking does not mean anything is wrong.

Two things deserve a call now, at any age. One is a baby who stops using sounds, words or gestures they used to have, because losing a skill is a sign a clinician wants to hear about by itself. The other is any doubt about hearing, because hearing and speech are closely linked. Your state’s early intervention program also takes calls straight from parents, with no referral needed, and federal law makes its evaluation free to families.

Common Questions From Parents

When Do Babies Say Mama?

There is no set date. ASHA puts saying one or two words, such as mama and dada, among its milestones for 10 to 12 months, and calling a parent by a special name is on the CDC’s 1-year checklist. The AAP stresses how widely the age of first words varies.

Does Babbling “mamamama” Count as Saying Mama?

Babbled “mamamama” is a baby exploring a sound, and it deserves an answer. It becomes a first word when your baby uses it consistently for one person, to call you or to get your attention, which is the step the CDC’s 1-year item describes.

Why Did My Baby Say Dada First?

The milestone lists from ASHA and the CDC name mama and dada together and give no order. ASHA and the CDC list mama and dada together, and the CDC also counts another special name for a parent, so whichever comes first is a first word.

What If Our Family Uses a Different Word for Mom?

That word counts. The CDC’s 1-year item includes another special name alongside mama and dada, and ASHA’s advice is to talk with your baby in whichever languages feel most comfortable. Copy back and repeat the word your family really uses.

How Can I Encourage My Baby to Say Mama?

Answer the babble. Copy your baby’s sounds, then add the word, so “mamamama” is met with “Mama. Here’s Mama.” Name people and things, pause so your baby can take a turn, and sing through daily routines, all as everyday habits, not drills or a timeline.

When Is It Worth Asking About First Words?

Any time you have a question, your pediatrician can help, and early intervention accepts calls from parents without a referral. Losing sounds or words your baby used to say, or any doubt about hearing, is worth a call now, because each deserves a look on its own.

Reviewed by Monica d’Errico-Franklin, M.S., CCC-SLP

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