What counts as a "first word"?

Hearing your baby’s first word is such a fun milestone! Their first word does not need to be said perfectly, with all of the right sounds. A baby’s “first word” counts if:

⭐️ It has a meaning (e.g. “ma” to request milk)

⭐️ It is used consistently (sounds the same each time)

⭐️ It is not repeating what you said (must say independently)

⭐️ It is unique to the person, place, thing, request (if everything is “ba”, this likely does not count)

Some families tell me that they are worried their child is behind on their expressive language milestones. When we talk about how animal sounds, environmental sounds (“choo choo!”), and signs count, they realize their word count is much higher than they initially thought! 🤗