Issue 01 · Communication
Your 13-month-old understands more than he can say.
How to build communication before the words really come.
Around the first birthday, communication is already much bigger than spoken vocabulary. Your child may respond to familiar words, connect phrases with daily routines, point or gesture toward what they want, and babble back and forth with you.
Try this this week
- Keep sentences short. Try “Shoes on.” “Bath time.” “Give it to me.”
- Repeat words in the same routines. Predictable repetition helps words connect with actions.
- Add a gesture. Say “come here” while opening your arms.
- Treat attempts as communication. Respond to pointing, babbling, looking, or sounds.
- Pause. Give your child a moment to answer in their own way.
Five phrases to repeat all week
“Give it to me.”
“All done.”
“Let’s go.”
“More?”
“Where’s your ___?”
“All done.”
“Let’s go.”
“More?”
“Where’s your ___?”
When to bring up a concern
Development varies. Talk with your pediatrician if you’re worried about how your child hears, responds to sounds, interacts, uses gestures or vocalizations, or if they lose a skill they previously had.