A 6-month-old asks why they can say 'dada' but not 'mama' despite the caregiver's time spent with the child. How should this be explained?

• A. Most sounds made by babies at this age are accidental.
• B. This may mean that your baby doesn't hear well.
• C. Babies at this age cannot make the 'ma' sound.
• D. At this age, your baby does not understand the meaning of sounds.

Answer: (D)

At six months, babies are exploring speech sounds and practicing articulation. They babble and can produce repetitive syllables like “da” or “ba” simply as a step in learning how to use their mouths, not because they understand what those sounds mean. The fact that you hear “dada” doesn’t mean the baby understands that it refers to a person; they’re just making sounds they can pronounce, often repeated because caregivers respond to them. Understanding the meaning of sounds—that is, linking a sound to a person or object—comes later, while receptive language develops before expressive language. So the best explanation is that the baby does not yet understand the meaning of sounds.