When Did Your Baby Say Mama, Dada?

Updated on August 03, 2011
S.K. asks from Chicago, IL
16 answers

I am curious to know at what age your little one called you or dad - mama, dada ?
My son is 15 months and doesn't do it yet. He says Hi, Bye . He shows all done, these days he has been nodding yes when I ask if he is all done. But he just not interested in calling dad or me anything yet. Or repeating any other words.
I will check with his doctor next week if there is any speech delay or if this is totally normal..
I am not worried, I guess he will do it soon. But sometimes I do wonder why he is not doing it yet. Can't help! :)
What age did your little ones start calling mama, dada?

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So What Happened?

Well my son would often babble ma ma ma ma , da da etc few months ago.He used to do it a lot before but not doing that these days. I think this is something I should really discuss with his doctor. I can't beleive some babies start talking at 3 or 4 months. A talking 3 month old ! wow.

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K.M.

answers from New York on

I don't remember how old my son was but I remember he said quite a few words before he would say mama or dada. For some reason he took much longer to say those.

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W.H.

answers from Sacramento on

mine babbled until 9 months, then started saying dada. wouldnt say mama at all. would say dada and then look at M. with a little smile. then at one year old we were in the store and the kid who only babbles and says dada looks up at M. and says, "I want dat", and it was on. he hasnt been quiet since....

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R.P.

answers from Cleveland on

well my daughter is 2 1/2 and she JUST started saying ma da gramomom all of that she is also REALLY delayed in speech and we are starting speech tomorrow for her. at his well child check see how many words he SHOULD be saying and see where he is at. even animal sounds are words

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J.B.

answers from Phoenix on

My daughter began saying momma at 4 months and now says it all the time at 7 months. She started saying dadda around 5 months. We talk to her all the time and I consistantly talk to her about everything around her and her body parts, items, short sayings and etc. Don't get discouraged but talk to your doctor.

J.N.

answers from Philadelphia on

i think you're going to see wide range froma few months to years, I;d check with the doctor J. to make sure he is ok...can't hurt...my daughter did it at 3 months i thought i was crazy her dad heard it a bunch too so i googled it and apparently some kids do say it that young...who woulda thunk? anyway i'm sure he;s fine but cant hurt to check...my daughter was chatty BUT when she started working on physical things she would stop speaking as much, maybe hes J. more advaced and concentrating on the physical aspect of developing?

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S.!.

answers from Los Angeles on

About 7 months for my 3rd and I can not remember with the older 2 (I only know the baby b/c it was only a month ago when she started )

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C.W.

answers from Allentown on

My 7.5 month old whines "mamamama", "dadadada", and "babababa", and we're KIND OF sure he means it, but who really knows?

That said, my next-youngest child barely said anything until right before his 2nd birthday. Now he won't shut up. ;-)

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A.M.

answers from New York on

My son started saying Dada at about 6 mo...in fact he would say "Hi Dada" if we said it first...He started saying Mama around 8-9 months...he is now also 15 mo. He doesn't say Bye, but will wave if we say "Say Bye Bye"...he says the "C" sounds for cookie, ball, dog, and a few others...I wouldn't worry just yet...he is saying words and that is what's important! I too constantly wonder why my son does some things, but not others....we are just being good mommies!!! that's our job. :)

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J.D.

answers from Phoenix on

My oldest started talking at 9 mos and learned his letters and sounds by 12 months. No joke. He's currently 3 and reading. I'm not saying this to brag but rather show you that every kid really is different. My second born son is just 15 months and barely says "m" for M. and "p" for his dad (papa). Those are the only words or sounds he makes and he has had the same if not more examples of speech in our house. So, I personally think a parent who helps and encourages can help a child learn to speak earlier, but it is the child who determines the speed of the speech. I am not really worried about my son despite his being months behind my first born. I don't see any reason to be if he is not showing any other signs of having issues. If he says hi and bye he is communicating non-verbally in other ways..I'd just wait it out. If they are over 2 and not saying anything, then maybe look into it.

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B.P.

answers from New York on

My son was saying mama and dada before 8 months. He ended up needing speech therapy anyway at 2 years because although he was always progressing with his speech, he was not progressing fast enough. Between 20-24 months there is supposed to be an explosion of speech and for my son there was no such explosion. I called Early Intervention at 2 because he has 20 words. Honestly, he really should calling you something. It's ok if he is only saying hi and bye. If there are a couple of other things that make you wonder, I would call Early Intervention. You don't want to look back and think, maybe I shoud have called earlier.

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Well my daughter started saying these about 10-11 months. My son was probably about the same, but maybe closer to a year or so. My son however, is borderline speech delayed I think. I'm having him evaluated next week actually to see if he qualifies for free in-home therapy. I wouldn't be worried in your case but I would talk to his doctor and I would call your local Parents as Teachers b/c they can help you a lot!!! If this is your first child you will qualify for home visits (free) and you can learn a lot of good stuff! Plus, you are eligible for other state services that they can help you figure out.

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H.1.

answers from Des Moines on

There's a difference between saying "mama"/"dadda" and meaning mamma/dadda to mean you and hubby. My son starting saying mamma and dadda probably around 9 months or so, but just in the last month or so (he's 15 months old now) has he been very clear about showing he knows what those words are. Right before that, I would point to myself and say "mamma!" and then he would imitate by pointing to himself and calling himself mamma. Haha, it was cute, but he was obviously confused! Can you show him pictures of you or point in the mirror at mamma and dadda to practice? Thats what we did, and also having the other person reference us as mom and dad often ("let's go see daddy, HI daddy!") I would ask his doctor but not be too worried about it - things happen at their own rate and its not like he's not talking at all or understanding nothing. I wouldn't be worried.

G.T.

answers from Redding on

mine were both 6 mos old when they said "Dada". I think because I always made such a big production when Daddy came in from work. It took another month or two before they started saying "mama" because they just didnt hear it as much as they did "dada".

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S.F.

answers from Utica on

My daughter said Mama first and she was about 6 1/2 months and then about 2-3 weeks later she said Dada. It started out as Mamamamamama and she finally shortened it to just Mama and Dada
Good Luck

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A.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

OK, almost every answer you've gotten says that their child was saying Mama and Dad before age 1. Please keep in mind that those babies were mostly babbling....most did not use them in the context you are asking about. I'm not saying no babies talk that early, but very few know what they are saying. My son is also 15 months old and has been "saying" Mama for probably 6 months. He just recently, though, started saying Mama when I would walk into the room, so I know he now knows what he's saying. Please do not get overly concerned yet. Your son is still very young, and as long as he's saying a few words now, he is probably just fine. I was just at my son's 15-month check-up and they say kids around that age should say 3-5 words at the minimum. Just keep monitoring his progress and if he's still not saying a lot of words by age 2, then get him checked out. Just my opinion, but I believe too many parents compare their kids to other kids and freak when they're not the same. All kids are never going to progress at the same rate!!

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J.S.

answers from Bismarck on

Both my kids were diagnosed with speech delays. They first said mama once about 12 months. Then didn't repeat mama or other words until after age 2. I was slow to talk as well and because of that we got them into speech therapy early. we pushed it with our drs. who referred us to Birth to 3 (in WA, in ND its called infant development). My 4.5 year old now talks better than most kids her age and no longer needs therapy services. my 2.5 yr old has made progress- he now says 5 words and signs close to 50. Because of a move to ND he hasn't started back in speech.
Some drs won't want to refer to speech services until 18 months or older since there is a range. They may also do a CHAT quiz to check for other symptoms of autism. I took it as reassurance that my kids were normal, but just slow talkers. I think they normally did CHAT about 18 months in WA. The early development/birth to 3 programs will check for all areas of development and then work on the areas of concern...if delayed to qualifying point. You can usually self refer to these programs as well.

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