The child may start putting sounds together and saying words like “mama,” “papa,” “dada,” and so on. Soon, they’ll understand what these words really mean because of how happy you are. A baby might know two or three words that they can say out loud by the time they are one year old.

Keep in mind that most babies’ speech at this age is hard to understand. Even so, your child already understands words very well. For example, he or she knows what “time for sleep” or “let’s go to the park” mean. The child will be more open to your requests and instructions this year, and they might even be able to put together a few lines with just two or three words.