Skill· 6mo–18mo· 2 min

Babble Back

Parent engages in back-and-forth vocalisations with infant/toddler and observes early communication milestones — babbling, responding to name, looking at named objects, and using gestures. Covers six communication primitives at 12-17mo. Three phases: name recognition, babble exchange, and gesture observation.

Start voice activity

Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.

What you'll need

Normal interaction. No special setup. Works during play, feeding, or any quiet moment. Parent should be engaged and face-to-face.

How it works

1~15s
Move so your child can't see you — around the corner or behind their back. Say their name clearly once: 'your child!' Wait 3 seconds. Does your child turn or look toward you? Does they seem to know that sound is directed at them? Tell me.
Watch for: Child orients to own name
2~40s
Face your child and start a back-and-forth: you say 'ba-ba-ba', wait for any response, then copy whatever your child makes and add one element. Listen for multi-syllable strings ('ma-ma-ma', 'da-da', 'ba-di-ba'). Does your child take turns vocalising? Use varied syllables? Tell me what you hear.
Watch for: Child produces multi-syllable babble strings
3~60s
Watch your child for the next minute during normal interaction. Does they use any gestures to communicate — reaching, pointing, waving, extending arms to be picked up, pushing things away? When they does, does it seem intentional — directed AT you — or just random movement? Also: hold up a familiar object and name it. Does your child look at the object? Tell me.
Watch for: Child uses intentional gestures to communicate

What this develops

Visual example

Coming soon