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Is My 6-to-9-Month-Old Talking as Expected?
At 6 to 9 months, expected "talking" is babbling, cooing and playful sounds like "ba-ba" and "da-da" — not real words, which usually come around 12 months. Babies should also respond to your voice, turn to sounds and begin reacting to their name. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
In this answer 5 sections
At six to nine months, your baby is just beginning to find their voice — and those gurgles and babbles are exactly the right kind of early talking.
In short
Yes — at this age "talking" looks like babbling, cooing and playful sounds, not real words. Between 6 and 9 months, most babies string sounds together like "ba-ba", "da-da" or "ma-ma" (without yet meaning them), respond to their name, turn to your voice and enjoy back-and-forth sound games. First true words usually arrive a little later, around 12 months. So if your baby is making lots of varied sounds and reacting to your voice, they are right on track.
What's expected from 6 to 9 months
- Babbling with consonants — strings like "ba-ba", "ga-ga", "da-da", and changing pitch and volume to "chat".
- Responding to sound and voice — turning towards you when you speak, quietening or brightening at a familiar voice, reacting to their own name beginning around 7–9 months.
- Back-and-forth "conversations" — making a sound, pausing, and waiting for you to reply; enjoying peek-a-boo and sound games.
- Expressing feelings with sound — different cries, squeals, laughs and grumbles for different needs.
- Watching faces and mouths — looking at you closely as you talk and sometimes trying to copy.
Every baby has their own rhythm, so a quiet day or a burst of new sounds one week and fewer the next is perfectly normal.
When a gentle check helps
Most variation at this age is normal, but it is worth a friendly word with your paediatrician if, by around 9 months, your baby isn't babbling at all, makes very few or no sounds, doesn't react to loud noises or your voice, doesn't turn towards sounds, or seems to have stopped making sounds they once made. Early hearing is the foundation of talking, so any worry about how your baby responds to sound deserves a prompt hearing check first — this is reassurance, not alarm.
The Pinnacle way
This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care. If you'd like peace of mind, our team can gently map your baby's early communication and hearing-readiness through a structured developmental check and, where helpful, early speech and language support. Explore more about your baby's first sounds and milestones.
Trusted sources
American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) guidance on early communication milestones; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association developmental norms for infant babbling and hearing; CDC milestone guidance for 6–9 months.
Next step — Want gentle reassurance about your baby's sounds and hearing? Book a developmental check with a Pinnacle clinician.
CONNECT THE ANSWER TO YOUR CHILD’S DAY
Something to notice. Something to discuss.
What to notice
By around 9 months, watch for no babbling at all, very few or no sounds, no reaction to loud noises or your voice, not turning towards sounds, or stopping sounds your baby once made — any of these is worth a friendly check, starting with hearing.
In everyday life
Have little "conversations" all day — make a sound, pause, and wait for your baby to babble back, then respond warmly. This turn-taking is how early talking grows.
Bring your observations and questions to your child’s professional. Choose activities that suit your child’s comfort, abilities and agreed plan.
Bring your questions to a first visitQuestions families ask
Should my 6-to-9-month-old be saying real words yet?
Not usually. At this age, babbling sounds like "ba-ba" or "da-da" without meaning are exactly right. First true words typically arrive around 12 months, so babbling now is a healthy sign your baby is on track.
My baby says "mama" — does it count as a word?
It's wonderful babbling, but at 6-9 months "mama" or "dada" usually isn't yet used to mean a specific person. That meaningful use develops closer to a year. Enjoy it as great early practice.
When should I be concerned about my baby's sounds?
By around 9 months, speak to your paediatrician if your baby isn't babbling at all, makes very few sounds, doesn't react to your voice or loud noises, or has stopped making sounds they once made. A hearing check is a sensible first step.
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
References behind this answer.
- Organisation website · further readingAAP HealthyChildren — early communication milestones
- Organisation website · further readingASHA — infant babbling and hearing development
- Organisation website · further readingCDC — developmental milestones 6-9 months
References are supplied with this answer. An organisation homepage offers further reading; it does not establish an independent review of this page.
Content attribution: SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network.
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