Hearing a baby's first words is a magical milestone for every parent. The journey to these words, however, is filled with babbling, cooing, and endless anticipation. While each child is unique, there are fascinating insights into when and how babies start saying "Mama" and "Dada." Here's an in-depth look at this heartwarming stage of development, with expert advice to help parents support their little ones on this linguistic journey.

Babies develop at their own pace, reaching milestones on unique timelines. That said, most babies start experimenting with sounds around seven months of age. These early sounds often include repetitive syllables such as "mamamama" and "dadadada." At this stage, these are more babbling experiments than intentional words.

By nine months, many babies start babbling "Mama" or "Dada" on purpose, even if they don't really understand what those words mean. For instance, your little one might say "Mama" while looking at you-or even at the family pet or a favorite toy!

It is usually around the one-year mark that babies start using "Mama" or "Dada" correctly in context and use each parent's name specifically. This is an important milestone in their language development and social connection.

Why Are "Mama" and "Dada" Often the First Words?

Several factors make "Mama" and "Dada" prime candidates for a baby's first words:

1. Frequency of Use

Babies tend to repeat the words they are most exposed to. As a result, parents repeat these words in interaction with their child, and therefore become some of the first sounds a baby attempts to repeat.

2. Phonetics: Easy to pronounce

The "m" and "d" sounds are the easiest sounds for babies to pronounce. Since "Mama" and "Dada" are two syllables with the same sounds, it's easy for the little one just learning how to control the vocal cords to repeat.

3. Emotional Connection

Babies are instinctively attracted to words that elicit strong emotional reactions. The enthusiastic response of the parents to "Mama" and "Dada" motivates the babies to repeat the words, thus reinforcing the association.

Who Wins the First Word Race: Mama or Dada?

The debate over whether a baby says "Mama" or "Dada" first is a playful debate in many households. Research indicates that "Dada" is often said first, mainly because the "d" sound is easier for babies to pronounce than the "m" sound.

However, this is not a rule that is always set in stone. Sometimes, babies prefer "Mama" more, especially when they spend more time with mom or find the "m" sound easier to reproduce. More importantly, this order of the first words uttered does not signify a baby's preference for one parent over the other; it is just a matter of phonetic ease and exposure.

Tips to Encourage Your Baby to Say Mama and Dada

While your baby will speak on their own schedule, there are gentle ways to encourage their linguistic development:

1. Repeat and Reinforce: Frequently say "Mama" and "Dada" while pointing to yourself or your partner. Repetition helps babies associate the sounds with specific people.

2. Tactual Method Hold the baby's hand against your mouth and say "Mama" or "Dada." The feedback by touching can also facilitate understanding how the sounds are formed.

3. Photobook: Create a Simple Photo Album with pictures of "Mama" and "Dada." Sit next to your baby, show the picture one at a time, and say the names out loud. Ask such questions as, "Who is this?".

4. Read to Your Baby: Use books with simple, repetitive language that contains "Mama" and "Dada." Reading not only is beneficial for language development, but it also helps cement the bond between parent and child.

5. Respond to Babbling: Interact with your baby whenever they babble by matching sounds and encouraging dialogue. Positive reinforcement of their attempts at communicating encourages them to continue the effort.

What if your Baby isn't Saying Mama or Dada?

While it's normal to be concerned if your baby hasn't achieved this milestone, remember that every child develops differently. However, if your baby hasn't started saying any words by 12 to 15 months, it is a good idea to see a pediatrician. They might check for hearing or speech issues and provide guidance tailored to your child's needs.

Are Boys More Likely to Say Mama or Dada First?

Interestingly, there is no scientific evidence to indicate that boys or girls are more likely to say "Mama" or "Dada" first. The timing and choice of first words depend entirely on the individual baby and their unique experiences, not their gender.

Tips for Building Language Skills in Babies

Once your baby masters “Mama” and “Dada,” they’ll soon begin adding new words to their vocabulary. Support this growth by:

• Naming Objects: Consistently name objects during play or daily routines to help your baby associate words with their meanings.
• Encouraging Imitation: Use simple sentences and encourage your baby to repeat them.
• Celebrate milestones: Cheer enthusiastically when your baby learns a new word, as positive reinforcement strengthens their motivation.

Hearing your baby say “Mama” or “Dada” for the first time is a moment you’ll treasure forever. While waiting for this milestone can be a test of patience, the journey is just as rewarding as the destination. By engaging with your baby, encouraging communication, and celebrating their efforts, you’re laying the foundation for a lifetime of meaningful conversations.

The first word of every baby is a testimony to the child's growth and the love and support he or she gets from the parents. Therefore, whether it is "Mama" or "Dada," your baby will surely become a confident little communicator in no time.

Important Milestones: Your Child By One Year. CDC

Language Development: 8 to 12 Months. American Academy of Pediatrics.

Many people mistake picky eaters for kids who are just being difficult and do not wish to eat certain foods. While that could be the case, many kids who are picky eaters have sensory issues that cause them to physically dislike certain textures or tastes.

Many parents try to force their children to eat foods they do not like, thinking that by being strict they can ensure their child gets the proper nutrition they need. However, not only does this not work, but it can also discourage the kid from eating as they will quickly associate eating as an unpleasant experience. So, how does a parent ensure their kid gets the proper nutrition they need, while also making sure they feel safe?

There are many ways to help your child expand their food preferences, but one must know the causes and different ways you can encourage them to eat better.

What Causes Picky Eating In Kids?

According to a 2018 study published in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, picky eating is a very common challenge many parents face during their child's early years. There isn't one clear way to define or pinpoint it, and experts don't fully agree on the best method to identify a picky eater.

Early Feeding Problems

If a child experienced significant difficulties with feeding during their infancy, such as trouble latching or swallowing, it can sometimes set the stage for picky eating habits later in childhood. These early struggles can create negative associations with food.

Late Introduction of Lumpy Foods

Delaying the introduction of chunky or textured solid foods during the weaning period, when infants transition from milk to solids, can hinder their acceptance of different food consistencies. This might lead to a preference for smoother purees only.

Pressure to Eat

When parents try to force or excessively coax a child to eat, it often backfires. This pressure can make mealtime stressful and create resistance in the child, turning eating into a power struggle rather than an enjoyable experience.

Early Pickiness

If a child displays early signs of being particular about food choices, especially if their mother expresses worry or anxiety about these behaviors, it can sometimes escalate. Parental concern can inadvertently reinforce the picky eating.

What Can Help Prevent Picky Eating?

The study also gave some simple strategies can help in preventing or reducing picky eating behaviors:

Fresh Foods

Regularly offering a wide variety of fresh, wholesome foods exposes children to diverse tastes and textures from an early age. This consistent exposure helps them develop a broader palate and acceptance of different ingredients over time.

Family Meals

Eating the same meal as your child encourages them to try new foods by seeing you enjoy them. It creates a positive and shared mealtime experience, fostering a sense of belonging and making food exploration feel more natural and inviting.

Tips To Help Kids Overcome Their Picky Eating

Try it First

Children are great imitators! When you visibly enjoy a new food yourself, showing them how much you like it, your child is far more likely to feel curious and brave enough to give it a taste. Lead by example.

Make Food Fun

Transform mealtime into a playful experience by arranging fruits and vegetables into silly shapes or funny faces on their plate. This simple trick makes eating an engaging game, shifting focus from "having to eat" to enjoyable discovery.

Let Them Choose

Empower your child by offering a limited selection of healthy food options and letting them make the final decision. This sense of control often reduces resistance and increases their willingness to explore and try what they've picked.

Serve with Favorites

Always pair a new or less-preferred food with a comforting dish your child already adores. This familiar favorite acts as a safety net, making the new food seem less intimidating and more approachable when presented together.

Don't Waste Food

When you have small amounts of uneaten healthy food, instead of discarding them, freeze tiny portions. This clever strategy allows you to reintroduce the food later, reducing waste and providing more opportunities for exposure.

Be Patient

Remember that acceptance takes time; it's completely normal for a child to reject a new food multiple times before liking it, sometimes over ten attempts. Simply reintroduce it after a few days without pressure.

Nowadays, it is very common to see kids as young as 1st or 2nd graders having phones. While having phones on their person helps parents keep a closer eye on them, but is this much exposure to electronic devices, ok?

A survey reveals that many parents feel pushed to buy smartphones for their kids, even when they have doubts. Researchers studied 500 parents with children aged 8 to 13 found that almost half felt pressured into buying a phone. Another 44% worried their child would feel "left out" without one, showing how big this decision is for families.

Worries and Few Rules

Even though most parents (74%) had concerns at first, a quarter gave their child a smartphone without talking about if they were ready emotionally. The study also showed that a small number of parents (13%) put very few or no limits on phone use. Most of these parents felt their kids would just find ways around any rules anyway.

This study was requested by Motorola to highlight helpful online tools and advice from a UK children's charity. It aims to show the tough choices parents face when getting their child's first phone.

Is There a "Right" Age?

An expert noted that there's no "right" age to give a child their first phone. It really depends on each child and what that family needs. They stressed that parents should think about why their child needs a phone. If it's just for calls and texts, a simpler phone might be better than a smartphone. The expert also highlighted how important it is for parents and kids to talk openly about staying safe online.

Another survey, which included 500 children aged 8 to 13, found that 44% of kids were going online or using apps without their parents knowing. What's more concerning, during this unsupervised time, 31% saw things they felt were not appropriate for their age.

Why Smartphones Are Still Popular

Even with these concerns, most parents are still choosing smartphones over simpler devices for their kids. The main reasons are safety features and GPS tracking, with over half of parents (56%) seeing these as key benefits. A representative from the phone company said, "It's important to ensure children are equipped with the right guidance and boundaries when it comes to smartphone use and internet access." The company is actively working with charities to give parents the tools and information to make smart choices about their children's smartphone use.

Do Smartphones Affects Children’s Health

A 2022 study done by European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, states that more and more kids and teens are using cell phones and other wireless gadgets. The study found some evidence suggesting that a lot of general phone and device use might be linked to more outward behavior problems like being hyper or aggressive in younger kids and teens. However, the results were less clear for inward problems like anxiety or depression.

Another 2023 study published in the Journal of Therapies & Rehabilitation Sciences, detailed the physical as well as mental aspects of smartphone usage in kids.

Physical Health

Spending too much time looking down at smartphones is really impacting kids' bodies. This often leads to poor posture, where their necks are bent forward for long periods, causing stiffness and pain. It can also limit how much they can move their neck and put extra strain on their spine. Plus, this constant bent-neck position can even affect their breathing, making their lungs work less well and weakening the muscles they use to breathe. These problems are also connected to kids being less fit and sometimes gaining too much weight.

Mental Health and Well-being

Beyond just physical issues, using smartphones too much can also hurt kids' minds and feelings. It can make real-life friendships weaker, leading to kids feeling more lonely and shy around others. Emotionally, a lot of screen time might make them act immature, have unstable moods, struggle to pay attention, and have less self-control. Another big problem is that using phones a lot is linked to more sleep problems, meaning kids aren't getting the rest they need to be healthy and happy.

If a 3-year-old winces every time she bites an apple, parents think she is a picky eater but what happens months later, she develops a severe tooth decay that spreads to several teeth—an experience that can be avoided if she undergoes a simple dental check-up at an earlier time. This may all ring familiar and true to many parents and across the globe, thousands of kids quietly endure avoidable oral health problems, all because of delayed visits to the dentist. And although the symptoms may initially appear insignificant, the long-term effects of ignoring early dental care are immense—affecting all the way from sleep to speech to self-esteem.

Routine dental visits and early treatment are the foundation of proper oral health during childhood. Pediatric dentists emphasize that instilling healthy habits of oral hygiene at an early age not only wards off tooth decay and gum disease but also aids in the detection and treatment of conditions such as crooked teeth or irregular growth patterns. These initial treatments encourage proper dental growth and lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy, confident smiles.

"Oral health is directly related to overall health, development, and growth," maintains Dr. Manasi Shimpi, an expert pediatric and preventive dentist. She wholeheartedly recommends that the first dental visit occur by a child's first birthday or whenever their first tooth erupts. "We are observing more cavities in toddlers than ever before," she cautions. The main culprits? Snacking throughout the day, high levels of processed and sugar intake, and poor oral hygiene habits.

Contrary to popular belief, cavities don't necessarily hurt in the beginning. That quiet march towards destruction typically means by the time they're detected, the damage is widespread—often necessitating intricate procedures with general anesthesia. These not only become physically draining for young children but emotionally traumatic for families, not to mention the cost involved.

Perhaps the most direct danger of delayed dental treatment is the onset of pain and infection. Painful cavities or gum problems can be very distressing, can cause discomfort while eating, and can even contribute to other oral diseases. In extreme instances, children can be treated under general anesthesia—a process not only psychologically draining for the child but also stressful and expensive for families.

Dentist visits aren't all about cavities. The anatomy of a child's mouth can tell us a lot about their health, development, and growth. Missed appointments mean important indications such as tongue-ties, incorrect bite formation, and constricted jaws usually go unseen until they appear as major problems—anything from feeding issues to speech disorders.

But the effect is not just in the mouth. Dr. Shimpi stresses, "Oral health is closely related to general health, growth, and development. When we take care of kids' teeth early, we are taking care of their future." Creating a good rapport with the dentist at an early age can also reduce fear and anxiety, fostering a lifetime of oral care.

The tongue molds the jaw, and the top of the mouth serves as the floor of the nose," says Dr. Shimpi. "Abnormalities in the structure of the jaw can cut off nasal breathing and push kids into mouth-breathing—a habit that's associated with sleep disturbance, snoring, even behavioral issues.

Factors such as tongue-ties—when the tissue underneath the tongue inhibits movement—can disrupt breastfeeding, followed by speech problems and the formation of a weak jaw. Early examination gives way to interventions like oral myotherapy, habit correction, or small procedures that can salvage these issues before they become entrenched.

Can Missing Dentist Visit Predispose Your Child to Developmental Defects?

The relationship between children's oral health and their capacity to develop and flourish is more profound than most of us appreciate. Impaired dental development can result in speech difficulties, difficulty chewing healthy foods, and sleep disturbances—all contributing factors in learning, behavior, and emotional balance.

Neglected, these issues tend to necessitate expensive and elaborate treatments—orthodontic work, operations, or speech therapy—that might have been prevented with early dental examination.

Additionally, early visits encourage a good rapport with dental health providers, eliminating fear and apprehension that might arise if a child's initial visit is already connected to pain or discomfort. Establishing trust during these formative years ensures children are more inclined to have good oral hygiene and keep regular dental check-ups in their lives.

Misconceptions About Baby Teeth

One of the most popular myths among parents is that baby teeth do not matter because they will fall out anyway. This myth is not only false but can also be detrimental. Baby teeth, or primary teeth, are essential in several ways: they enable children to chew food effectively, assist in the formation of speech, and preserve space for the incoming permanent teeth. Neglecting their upkeep can lay the groundwork for lifelong dental and developmental issues.

Dr. Shimpi says, "Tiny teeth are a big deal. They help with chewing, speech, and jaw formation, and hold space for permanent teeth. Ignoring delay or irregularity in milk teeth can influence these functions later on."

Dental care abandoned in early childhood can have a ripple effect: excruciating infections, eating problems, sleep disturbances, impaired speech development, and behavioral problems due to pain and malnutrition.

Dr. Shimpi stresses that hygiene needs to start even prior to teeth coming in. Gently wiping the baby's gums with a clean gauze after meals can set the stage for good habits. When teeth arrive, a soft-bristled toothbrush and a rice-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste are a must. "It's not really about brushing—about creating consistency," she says.

Is Delayed Teething Normal Or A Red Flag?

Teething typically begins between 6 and 10 months of age, but a slight delay—especially if there is a family history—is usually not a cause for concern. However, if no teeth have erupted by 12-14 months, it’s wise to consult a pediatric dentist. Dr. Shimpi notes, “Sometimes, delayed teething is simply a variation of normal growth, but occasionally it can indicate underlying issues like nutritional deficiencies, endocrine disorders, or genetic conditions.”

What is most important is not so much when the teeth come in, but how. Are they swollen or colored? Is there undue drooling or irritability without eruption signs? Early dental visits aid in monitoring teething patterns within the overall scheme of growth and development, preventing concerns from arising.

Early dental visits enable teething patterns to be evaluated in relation to overall development, so nothing essential is overlooked during these formative years.

Role of Parents and Dentists

Brushing the teeth twice a day, consuming nutritious foods, avoiding excessive snacks between meals, and minimizing sugary foods are habits that form the basis of maintaining oral health. Forming these habits at an early age not only avoids dental issues but also makes the children responsible for their own health.

Dr. Shimpi puts it in perspective: "Parents should consider baby teeth not as temporary fashion accessories, but as introductory instruments for life-long oral wellness. What is visible in the mouth tends to mirror what is occurring within the body. Baby teeth care is the gateway to a healthy mouth and lifetime smile confidence."

Prevention Is Easier Than Cure

Prevention is always better than cure—particularly when it comes to children's teeth. Beginning with simple measures such as wiping gums after feeding, brushing teeth twice daily, limiting sugary snacks, and planning for frequent dental visits can be the key.

Dr. Shimpi sums it up: "Tiny teeth are building blocks. They're not merely temporary add-ons—they shape speech, nutrition, sleep, and even future confidence. Neglecting delays or issues can have lasting effects well into adulthood."

Prolonged delays in visiting the dentist could be considered inconsequential, but the effects are far-reaching. Preventing dental cavities is just the tip of the iceberg of what early dental visits are all about—supporting a child's development, growth, and overall health. The price of postponed dental care is not merely financial. It's paid in pain, anxiety, lost developmental signals, and long-term health consequences.

Dr. Manasi Shimpi, a leading Pediatric and Preventive Dentist at HNM Dental Centre, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi in India