As your little one approaches their first birthday, you’re starting to see more of their personality and voice emerge! At 10-12 months old, your baby is moving from absorbing language to actively applying it. They’re using listening and language to make sense of the world around them.

Highlights

• At 10–12 months, your baby is moving from absorbing language to actively using it, even if they’re not using words yet.
• When your baby points, shows you objects, or looks back and forth between you and something interesting, that’s joint attention — and it’s a big deal for language development.
• First words may be arriving soon thanks to all the hard work you’ve been doing in this first year to help your baby reach their milestones.
• Talking, reading, singing, and playing together every day supports listening, language, and so much more.
• If something feels off about your baby’s hearing, trust your instincts and talk to your pediatrician right away.

From Listener to Communicator

It’s exciting to see your baby start to communicate and engage at this age. They’re beginning to understand that words mean something specific, and they’re using that understanding to navigate their day.

They may now respond to their name from across the room, look toward a familiar object when you name it, or follow a simple direction without a visual cue, like waving when you say “wave bye-bye”.

This is also when your baby actively participates in something called joint attention. You might notice your baby pointing to something across the room, holding up an object to show you, or looking back and forth between you and something that’s caught their interest. They’re inviting you to share your knowledge and talk about what you’re sharing together!

Joint attention supports language, cognitive, and social skill development, and your baby’s listening skills help open the door to a whole new level of learning and conversation.

Babbling Is Becoming Language

Around 10-12 months old, your baby’s babbling starts to sound less random and more deliberate. They may be using consistent sounds for a person or object — the same “ba” every time they want their bottle, or a particular sound they reserve for one caregiver. Congratulations, your baby may be saying their first word!
Around this age, many babies say their first recognizable word. If you haven’t heard their first word yet, remember that all babies develop on their own timeline. They’ll get there, especially with your support as you continue to narrate your day, engage in serve-and-return, read aloud, and sing to them.

Hearing Milestones for 10-12-Month Olds

Intentional babbling, joint attention, and back-and-forth communication are all signs that language is developing right on track.

There are some other key listening and talking milestones at this age. Your baby may:

• Recognize and attempt to sing along and do more actions with familiar songs and games, like the Itsy Bitsy Spider or Pat-a-Cake.
• Begin to move or dance when they hear music.
• Recognize familiar sounds that represent everyday objects and animals, like “moo” for cow or “choo choo” for train.
• Locate the source of a sound from a distance or another room.
• Understands simple words, like hot, all gone, more, up, bye-bye, no-no, mama or daddy.
• Begin to understand and show interest in pictures in books or family photos.

What to Do if Baby Isn’t Meeting Milestones

Talk to your pediatrician if you notice they’re not responding to their name, their babbling has stopped or decreased, or if they don’t react to loud sounds, point to things, or understand simple, familiar words.

You don’t need to be certain that something is wrong to ask the question. When it comes to your child’s hearing, early action is always better. Hearing lays the foundation for your child’s brain development, unlocking language, literacy, social skills, and more.

Supporting Listening and Talking

Everything you’ve been doing to support your baby’s hearing and language development is paying off. Don’t stop now! Your baby is becoming a more active listener and participant which makes these interactions even more fun.

Talk, Read, Sing, and Play

When you talk, read, sing, and play together, you’re not just bonding with your baby — you’re also helping their brain make crucial connections for a future of learning and success.

Talk with your baby throughout your day. Narrate routines and describe everything you’re doing. Create a back-and-forth by pausing after you say something.
Read aloud every day, even just 15 minutes. Your baby is starting to show real interest in pictures and may point, vocalize, or react to familiar images.

Sing songs with repetition and movement, like Itsy Bitsy Spider or Pat-a-Cake. Your baby is connecting sound to meaning as they anticipate words or actions.

Play in ways that involve listening and responding. Simple games reinforce the back-and-forth of communication, and your baby will love it. Play “where did it go?” and use a blanket or box to hide and reveal toys.

Keep the conversation flowing with your 10- to 12-month-old! You are your child’s favorite person to communicate with, and you’re teaching them the importance of sounds and words. Before you know it, those sounds will become words, the words will turn into phrases, and phrases will evolve into full sentences.

Hearing First helps families who have a child with hearing loss so they can learn to listen, talk, read, and thrive —  just like kids with typical hearing. A parent’s dreams for their little one with hearing loss are possible with Listening and Spoken Language (LSL). Hearing First offers free resources, learning, community, and more for families, caregivers, and professionals supporting a child with hearing loss.

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