Last Updated - July 3, 2025
We know that every child’s communication journey is unique, and as a parent or carer, you may have questions along the way. This page is here to offer you clear, reassuring answers about early communication development — from first words to getting extra support. Whether you’re just starting to explore or looking for specific guidance, we’re here to help you feel informed and confident.
Before children learn to talk they need to develop their early communication skills. These include: looking, joint attention, taking turns and listening. These skills are key building blocks for developing understanding and communication. A lot of important communication skills develop before first words appear.
Children need you! They need opportunities to communicate with familiar adults. Children communicate more when adults respond to their communication attempts, however and whatever they have communicated. It may be by smiles, gestures, showing and giving objects, pointing and making sounds. During everyday activities, the way you communicate and interact with your child can help them practice these early communication skills.
Look for opportunities to communicate with your child; everything can be an opportunity for talking and playing with them. This will help them to learn about communication and start building those communication skills.
Here are some of the of the questions we are asked frequently and there answers. If you have a questions, please download our Torbay family hub App and you can chat to one of our health visiting team members.
Talking and interacting with your baby helps you form a strong, loving bond, which is crucial for their development and well-being, it helps them to understand and learn language and they will begin to use first sounds and then first words at around 9-12months. The Family Hub can give you some tips to encourage this.
Talk to your baby, encourage songs and nursery rhymes and going to music groups with the children, tiny happy people is a great resource for showing how to talk to baby.
Babies are learning from the world around them from the minute they are born (and beforehand in the womb). Communication with a baby can be as simple as copying their facial expressions when they are newborn as they work out that they are their own being in the world around them. Talking to them allows them to put meaning to the world around them and supports the development of their language as they go from babbling to forming their own sounds and words.
If you are at all concerned about your child’s speech development ask to speak to your health visitor about your concerns. Furthermore you can attend one of the groups at the Family Hub where a support worker will be able to offer advice.
Children develop at their own speed. For information about typical stage of speech development you can access the Family Hub Website – Typical speech and language development – Family Hub
Children’s development will be assessed at age two by the Health visitor, who will be able to advice where you can go for further support.
Dummies offer a soothing and comforting transformation to wean babies off breastfeeding, as well as helping children learn to fall asleep by themselves. But dummies can get in the way of a child learning to talk and weaning children off the dummy can be challenging. There is also some evidence linking them to speech impediments.
Children develop at different speeds and it is exciting that he is now saying 10 words. There are lots of strategies and websites that you can access which will show you how you can support your child on their communication journey. At 2 years your child will be approaching their two year health check and the health visitor will be able to offer advice.
2 year olds can be saying up to 50 words it is important to explore there whole development especially social development that can be contributing to communication skills, including family holistic assessment.
It is ok for the 10 words but lets work on it! Signpost to the above and consider a tap referral, consider the learning, the hearing, the setting, the talking together booklet.
Speaking more than one language is a wonderful gift for your child — it can actually support their learning and help them develop strong skills in English too. If you’re more comfortable speaking in your first language, that’s absolutely fine — in fact, it’s encouraged. Children learn best when communication feels natural and loving.
It’s also perfectly okay if one parent or carer speaks one language and another speaks a different one. This is common in many families and can help your child become confident in both languages over time.
If your goal is for your child to be bilingual, try to use both languages regularly at home. You might notice that their speech develops a little differently, and that’s normal. Learning two languages at once is a big task — and it shows just how clever they are! With time and support, they’ll catch up and thrive.
Play and everyday routines are powerful tools for language learning. Singing, reading, and playing together in any language helps build strong communication skills. If you’d like more ideas or support, we can point you to helpful resources and activities.
