Babies' first words are often seen as a important and precious moment in their development, marking the beginning of their journey into verbal communication. For instance, when the baby looks at his or her parent and says "mama" for the first time, it brightens up the parent's face with joy but it is a meaningful connection in their bond that is growing. For parents, these are some sources of pride and joy. But how do you determine whether your child's speech and language are progressing?

Understanding the communication milestones will help monitor a child's development and spot potential issues before they become more serious. The milestones serve as benchmarks to guide health care providers on whether a child needs further assistance.

Importance of Communication Development in Early Years

The first five years of a child's life are the time of massive growth and brain development at an incredible speed. All domains of development find their roots within this period, including communication. From the day they were born, babies start crying to communicate, and within weeks or months, they begin to babble, imitate sounds, and eventually words. Communication is not only important to express needs but also for understanding the world and building relationships. It is an important tool that supports cognitive, emotional, and social development.

Speech Milestones by Age

Babies learn communication skills at their own pace. General milestones can, however serve as a guideline for typical development. Let's go through these milestones by age:

Newborn (0-3 Months)

At this point, the babies communicate mostly through crying. They give cues as to their needs by responding with actions like smacking the lips when hungry or arching the back when they feel overstimulated. At the end of three months, you may also observe:

• Smiles in response to your appearance.
• Cooing sounds.
• Quiets or smiles when spoken to.
• Your voice.
• Different cries for specific needs.

Upto 6 Months

By six months, babies start experimenting with sounds and use their voice to play. Major developments include:

• Making gurgling sounds during play.
• Babbling with different sounds.
• Vocalizing likes and dislikes.
• Responding to the change in tone of voice.
• Turning eyes toward sounds.
• Showing interest in music and sound-making toys.

Till 12 Months

By the first birthday, there are some significant communication milestones that have been achieved:

• Trying to imitate speech sounds.
• Speaking basic words like "mama," "dada," or "uh-oh."
• Responding to simple commands, such as "Come here."
• Recognizing common items by name, like "shoe."
• Turning toward sounds and voices.

Upto 18 Months

In this stage, children learn to understand and use words in a consistent manner. Some of the important milestones are:

• Knows the names of people, objects, and body parts.
• Responds to simple commands with gestures.
• The child says up to 10 words.

End of 24 Months

By two years of age, children usually have more developed communication skills:

• Using simple sentences, like "more milk."
• Asking one- to two-word questions, such as "Go bye-bye?"
• Following simple directions and answering simple questions.
• Saying 50 or more words.
• Being understood by family members at least half the time.

Ways Parents Can Support Development

Parents can be very supportive in developing the communication skills of their child. Here are some effective strategies:

1. Pay Attention to Hearing: Ensure your child responds to sounds and voices. Notice if they react to noise or look at you when spoken to. If you suspect hearing issues, consult your pediatrician promptly.

2. Engage in Conversation: Respond to your baby’s coos and babbles. Talk to them frequently about daily activities, like “Mommy is making breakfast,” or “We’re going to the park.”

3. Imitation Training: Teach your baby to imitate actions and gestures of others, such as clapping, waving, or peek-a-boo. These activities encourage her to understand turn-taking and even nonverbal communication.

4. Animals Sound: Learning time must be fun. Train your baby to imitate an animal's sound, "A cow says 'moo.'". This encourages sound production along with word association.

5. Read and Sing Together: Reading stories and singing songs expose your child to language patterns and rhythm. Make it a daily habit to promote vocabulary growth.

6. Use Your Native Language: Speak to your child in the language you’re most comfortable with. Early exposure to rich language environments helps babies learn effectively.

7. Strengthen Their Attempts: Cheer every time your child tries to speak. Repeat the words and sounds and gently correct as needed. A little "baby talk" is okay but clearly say simple words for them to imitate.

When to Seek Medical Attention

Though every child develops at his own rate, there are some delays that point toward professional intervention. Talk with your child's health care provider if:

- Doesn't turn toward sounds or his name.

- By 12 months, he isn't babbling, and by 18 months, he has not spoken a single word.

- Uses speech in a peculiar manner or shows delayed speech.

Your pediatrician can refer you to some specialist who could be an audiologist or speech-language pathologist for more extensive testing. In the case of a bilingual child, he will also be evaluated by a bilingual speech-language pathologist.

Communication milestones form a kind of roadmap in understanding how your baby develops. This means through conversation, play, and learning activities, you could be able to enhance language skills while promoting your child's development. When concerned about delay, consult professional help, as this might make all the difference by having communication skills set up to meet a great future for your child.

Communication Milestones: Birth to 1 Year. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Nearly 76,805 children and adolescents in India are estimated to develop cancer each year. At the same time, childhood cancer can be highly treatable when diagnosed early and managed appropriately, with survival exceeding 80% in settings where timely diagnosis and comprehensive treatment are available.

When people think about preventive healthcare for children, the conversation usually centers on vaccinations, good nutrition, physical activity, sleep and regular health check-ups. These are important for a child’s overall health. But prevention also involves something that is often overlooked: recognizing when a child’s health is changing and seeking medical advice at the right time.

Childhood cancer is different from many cancers seen in adults. In most cases, there is no clear lifestyle-related cause that parents could have avoided. A child developing cancer is therefore not usually linked to something the parents did or did not do. This is important because there is no particular diet, exercise routine or supplement that can guarantee protection against childhood cancer.

The Importance of Recognizing a Pattern

For doctors, one of the more practical ways to improve outcomes is to recognize when a seemingly common symptom is not following its usual course. Fever, tiredness, headaches, loss of appetite or body pain are frequent childhood complaints. But when they persist, keep returning or occur alongside other changes, they should not simply be treated repeatedly without evaluation.

• Unexplained weight loss

• Unusual bruising or bleeding

• Persistent bone or abdominal pain

• A growing lump or swelling

• Repeated headaches

• Changes in vision

These are some signs that may require further assessment. These symptoms are not specific to cancer, but their persistence warrants attention.

Why Early Diagnosis Matters

Most childhood cancers do not have a routine screening test for healthy children. Diagnosis therefore often depends on noticing an unusual pattern and investigating it appropriately.

A delay does not necessarily mean that cancer has been missed, but prolonged delays can allow some cancers to progress before treatment begins. For this reason, awareness among parents and healthcare providers, timely evaluation and appropriate referral are important parts of childhood cancer care.

Prevention Is Not Just About Avoiding Cancer

Vaccination still has a place in the broader cancer-prevention conversation. Hepatitis B vaccination helps reduce the risk of liver cancer linked to chronic hepatitis B infection, while HPV vaccination can help prevent HPV-related cancers later in life. However, these vaccines do not prevent most cancers that occur during childhood.

Similarly, nutrition should be viewed in the right context. A balanced diet supports growth and recovery, including during cancer treatment, but there is no specific food or diet that can prevent a cancer.

The Cost of Childhood Cancer

Childhood cancer can place a significant financial and practical burden on families. Treatment costs may be accompanied by expenses related to travel, accommodation, food and time away from work.

At the same time, families today have more avenues of support than before. Government health schemes, public healthcare facilities and non-government organizations can help with treatment costs and other practical needs. The challenge is ensuring that families are aware of these resources and can access them early enough.

Looking Beyond Treatment

Children who survive cancer may need long-term monitoring for possible effects of treatment on growth, development and other aspects of health.

For childhood cancer, therefore, prevention is less about finding a way to eliminate risk and more about reducing what can be changed: delayed diagnosis, interruptions in treatment and avoidable long-term complications..

(Dr Amita Mahajan, Senior Consultant, Pediatric Oncology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi)

Globally, one in six people of reproductive age experiences infertility at some point in their lifetime. Smoking is one of the key reasons for infertility among men and women worldwide, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) knowledge summary.

The report, the 12th in a series of Tobacco Knowledge Summaries, highlights evidence linking tobacco use to infertility in women, harmful effects on sperm and sexual function in men, and potentially lower chances of success with some fertility treatments. It also warns that second-hand smoke may affect reproductive health.

Infertility is defined as the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sex.

What Does the WHO Report Say?

Infertility can have multiple causes. However, cigarette smoking and exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke are associated with infertility in women.

The harmful effects of cigarette smoking on women’s reproductive health are well documented, while evidence on other tobacco products, including waterpipe and smokeless tobacco, as well as nicotine products such as e-cigarettes, is still emerging.

Current data suggest potential risks to fertility, but further research is needed to fully understand these effects. Among

men, cigarette smoking is associated with harmful effects on semen and sperm, as well as sexual function, which can contribute to infertility.

On the other hand, women who quit smoking may have a lower risk of infertility compared with women who continue to smoke.

WHO recommends that healthcare providers inform individuals and couples planning pregnancy about the reproductive risks of tobacco use and offer evidence-based support to help them quit.

How Smoking Affects Fertility?

“Smoking is an important fertility consideration for both men and women. It can affect the quality of both eggs and sperm, and the concern is not limited to people who smoke themselves,” Dr Neelam Suri, Senior Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi, told HealthandMe.

Smoking also accelerates follicular depletion, which may contribute to an earlier onset of menopause compared with women who do not smoke.

Second-hand smoke can expose individuals to harmful substances that may affect reproductive health. Eggs and sperm are rapidly developing cells, and exposure to tobacco smoke can increase the risk of DNA damage and other cellular changes that may affect fertility and reproductive outcomes.

Dr Shalu , Senior Clinical Director, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Gurugram, told HealthandMe that while passive smoking may not directly cause infertility in every individual, regular exposure to tobacco smoke can affect reproductive health and have significant implications during pregnancy.

These include ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, low birth weight, stillbirth, placental complications and neonatal complications.

Regular exposure to second-hand smoke may also potentially influence the chances of success with fertility treatments such as IVF.

“This is particularly relevant for couples undergoing IVF, where egg and sperm quality can influence the chances of successful treatment,” Dr Suri said.

What Should Couples Planning Pregnancy Do?

For couples planning a pregnancy or undergoing fertility treatment, avoiding tobacco smoke is an important step towards protecting reproductive health.

This means quitting smoking and maintaining a smoke-free environment at home to reduce regular exposure to cigarette smoke.

At the same time, fertility depends on multiple factors. Exposure to second-hand smoke does not necessarily mean a couple will experience infertility or IVF failure. However, reducing preventable risk factors can be beneficial when trying to conceive.

Ideally, couples should create a smoke-free environment before conception rather than waiting until fertility difficulties emerge.

Tylenol is one of the most commonly used pain killers. That’s why a study on the drug’s long-term effect on reproductive health of unborn girl children is concerning.

Researchers in Denmark found that girls exposed to paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen or Tylenol in the US, during fetal development had smaller ovaries, fewer ovarian follicles and smaller uteruses in infancy compared to girls who were not exposed to the component.

It’s essential to understand that study does not show that girls exposed to the drug will certainly have fertility problems later in life.

The researchers say it is still too early to know whether the changes observed during infancy and adolescence will translate into reduced fertility or earlier menopause.

What Did The Study Find?

Published in Human Reproduction Open, the study involved 302 girls from the Copenhagen Analgesic Study, or COPANA.

The researchers tracked mothers' paracetamol use during pregnancy through repeated questionnaires and also measured the drug in urine samples.

The girls were examined at around three months of age, during a period known as minipuberty, when the reproductive hormone system becomes temporarily active.

Of the 302 girls, 92 had first been exposed to paracetamol before 17 weeks of pregnancy; 67 were first exposed from 17 weeks onward and 143 had no reported prenatal exposure.

The researchers found that girls exposed during early fetal development had an approximately 40% smaller ovarian volume and a 13% smaller uterine volume compared to girls who were not exposed.

Girls exposed during mid-to-late fetal development stage had about 23% fewer ovarian follicles. These follicles contain immature eggs that can potentially develop and mature over a woman's reproductive life.

Additionally, girls exposed exclusively during early pregnancy also had lower levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a hormone produced by ovarian follicles that is commonly used as a marker of ovarian reserve.

Also read: Tylenol, Other Medications Linked To 400% Rise In Liver Injuries In US

Changes From Infancy To Adolescence

Researchers also examined an independent group of 1,210 girls who had been followed from infancy through adolescence.

In this group, prenatal paracetamol exposure was associated with a smaller uterus at puberty and smaller ovaries during adolescence.

Study leader Margit Bistrup Fischer of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen stressed that the long-term implications remain unknown. Whether these early reproductive differences affect fertility or the timing of menopause will require long-term follow-up.

Also read: Lower Doses Of CBD Could Also Cause Liver Damage: FDA Study Finds

Tylenol And Infertility

This was an observational study, which means that researchers looked at an association between prenatal exposure to paracetamol and changes in future reproductive health.

They did not randomly assign pregnant women to take paracetamol, so the study cannot establish that the drug itself caused the changes.

The authors also say that external factors cannot be completely excluded. Women who took paracetamol because they must have been pain and discomfort due to headaches, fever or other illnesses. These underlying conditions could also influence fetal development.

Also, the women used relatively low to moderate amounts of paracetamol. According to COPANA cohort, the most common reasons were headaches or migraines, musculoskeletal pain, illness or cold and fever.

The study also found that increased reported paracetamol exposure, meaning high dose, was too associated with lower ovarian and uterine volumes.

Also read: Paracetamol Is Not Safe For Older People, Finds Study

Earlier Studies That Raised Similar Concerns About Tylenol

It's not the first time that Tylenol has sparked safety concerns. In 2025, new studies by Mount Sinai and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health raised an concerning question: is prenatal exposure to acetaminophen associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children?

A study led by Andrea Baccarelli, dean of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s faculty of environmental health in BMC Environmental Health, systematically reviewed 46 previous studies encompassing data from more than 100,000 participants.

The aim was to investigate whether acetaminophen use during pregnancy correlates with neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

Applying the Navigation Guide Systematic Review method—a strict, gold-standard approach to assessing environmental health evidence—the study team evaluated the quality, risk of bias, and strength of evidence of all included research.

By doing so, it was possible to conduct a solid synthesis of available scientific literature, and what emerged was a pattern: better-quality studies showed a more pronounced association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and offspring increased risk of ADHD and autism.

Another recent study observed that liver injuries reported to US poison centres increased by nearly 400% between 2000 and 2024, due to acetaminophen, sold under brand names like Tylenol.

The study also found that exposures involving acetaminophen-containing combination drugs decreased by 60%-85% after the US Food and Drug Administration capped the amount of acetaminophen allowed in combination prescription products.

However, harmful exposures to acetaminophen alone increased steadily over the 24 years. The findings suggest that regulatory action reduced liver injuries linked to combination products, while acetaminophen alone remained a leading contributor to poison-centre-reported liver injuries.