What counts as a first word? and *poll*

[Calliope84]

DD has been trying to say dog for awhile now (I think!) She doesn't make it really short. It was coming out "aaawg", for awhile and she has done "daaa", "baaawg", and "gawg". Today she sounded like she managed a muddled "dog", twice. She doesn't always say it, though. Sometimes only when she first sees the dog or when the dog is doing something interesting.

I know she understands at least some words because she will sometimes reach out and touch my eyes, nose, and mouth when I say the words. I was trying to get to her touch my nose yesterday and she gave me the impression that I was boring her. She wasn't looking at me and finally looked at me and just grabbed it, let go, and then continued looking at whatever it was she was looking at. Haha.

Should I count "dog" as a first word, or wait until she says it correctly, consistently and more clearly? If this was her first word, it was rather anti-climatic lol.

[Parker'smommy]

yes, count it.! She said a word for an object for the first time :) 

[crunchy_mommy]

LOL I kept waiting for the "real" first words, first steps, etc. and realized when he turned a year old that he was walking & talking and I still had no clue WHEN he did either for the first time!

I think he started taking steps around 7mos but I cannot pinpoint any time when it moved from 'taking steps' to 'taking a first real step'.... and it's the same with talking, sometime around that age he was saying "ki-eee" (kitty), "mama", etc. but I was waiting for it to be more clear and obvious. I also didn't expect him to be doing things like that so young so I just thought I was imagining it LOL!!!

So yeah, I would count dog as her first word... and pay close attention because she may be talking more than you think!!!

[Calliope84]

Yay I will! My friend said I should wait until someone else hears it without me telling them, but a lot of kids need their parents to translate even when they are way older. My SIL still translates for her son and he is 3. I don't know what else DD might be saying, although she definitely has certain vocalizations now that mean certain things. She doesn't just cry to get our attention anymore. Those aren't really "words", though they are her words for what she is trying to convey. 

[crunchy_mommy]

It all counts!!! Sounds like she is talking!!

For the longest time, DS would call a stick "gnacht" and dogs "puppups" and later would go back & forth between his words & the 'right' words. It's super cute and almost sad when they start using the 'real' words...

[ProtoLawyer]

I've been documenting them without regard to whether they're "real."

We got "hi" at 2 months, "eggnog" around four months. A very distinct "hi da dee" and "ten tu" (to which my husband and I both replied "you're welcome") by 8 months. Now, he likes to shout DIE DIE DIE at the grocery store. I don't think any of this is with intent or context, but whatever works, right?

[Knitting Mama]

I count it as a word when intent is clearly there. Like when she was 6.5 months old, I came into the room and she went, "Eeeeeeee, MAMA!" all excitedly. That, to me, was her first word, because she clearly was using it in reference to me.

[tzs]

Originally Posted by ProtoLawyer 

I've been documenting them without regard to whether they're "real."

We got "hi" at 2 months, "eggnog" around four months. A very distinct "hi da dee" and "ten tu" (to which my husband and I both replied "you're welcome") by 8 months. Now, he likes to shout DIE DIE DIE at the grocery store. I don't think any of this is with intent or context, but whatever works, right?

ha ha ha! we did this too!

i don't remember them all.....damn i should have recorded them! i know we got "knit hat" at around 3 months and i remember "egg" around 7 months b/c since then our friends' 4 y/o who witnessed it has been trying to teach it to their baby and still asks if ada says "egg."

she's 18 months now and i still translate!

in any case, i agree, any word with intent counts. to me babbling doesn't always make the grade though.....mamamamamama and dadadadada.....don't mean mama or dada until they say it with intent and when they do you know it. i mean, my kiddo was "dadada-ing" even though her father is called her "tatty" so in our case 100% sure the babbling wasn't a real word. "mamama" also didn't make the cut because i knew i hadn't used the word "mama" around her enough for her to learn it, and when she did start calling me by name it was "mommy." (and even at 18 months, "mommy" is used more for the general state of needing something than to call me by name. "tatty" is tatty but "mommy" means "go get it." :( 

[waiting2bemommy]

dd will be 1 on the 21st and so far we've got: mama, dada, dog, took (our dog's name), dooooo-RAH!!! (dora, which she gets very excited about; even though she does not watch TV, she loves dora), hi, bye, ba, for bubbles and ball, and na-na which she uses for both no and night night.

She knows about no, too; she will walk to the dvd player (which she knows she is not supposed to touch), look at me, look at the DVD player and wave her finger and say, "na, na, na!" and then sit down on the floor and cry. LOL

I always thought girls were more verbal, but ds was saying more words than this at dd's age. However he wasn't walking nearly as well...dd was walking at 10 months.

[Knitting Mama]

I don't know what's "normal" for Cecilia's age (1), but she says: mama, dada, kitty, all done, arms down (for going into her Woombie, it's pretty cute), yay, more, milk, hi, I did it, I want that, and I want more. She signs all done, but that's the only sign she does consistently. I've heard her say other random words and phrases, but those above are the ones she uses daily.