Infant (0-12 Months)
Feeding, Early Communication & Oral-Motor Development Support
Your baby is learning and communicating long before their first word. From feeding and swallowing to cooing and babbling, infants build the foundation for all future speech and language. If feeding feels hard, your baby isn’t babbling yet, or something just doesn’t seem right, early support can help your baby thrive — and give you peace of mind.
What Your Baby Is Learning in the First Year
Your baby’s first year brings rapid growth, and even small changes in feeding, sound-making, and interaction can be meaningful. These month-by-month milestones show what typically develops at each stage and help you understand what to look for.
Monthly Milestones
0-3
Feeding & Oral Motor Development
Your baby is learning to:
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Coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing
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Respond to touch around their cheeks and mouth
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Bring hands to mouth and suck on fingers
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Maintain a stable mouth posture during feeding
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Use early reflexes like rooting and sucking
Early Communication Skills​
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Makes cooing noises
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Smiles socially
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Turns toward voices
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Enjoys “face-to-face” time
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Starts basic back-and-forth interaction
Red Flags
Consider an evaluation if your baby:
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Struggles to latch or stay latched
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Frequently coughs or chokes during feeding
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Makes very few sounds
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Rarely looks at your face
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Seems excessively sleepy or disinterested in feeding
3-6
Feeding & Oral Motor Development
Your baby begins to:
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Show early “munching” movement
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Move the jaw side-to-side
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Reach for and mouth toys
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Open mouth when spoon approaches lips
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Explore early solid textures (doctor-approved)
Communication Skills​
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Laughs, squeals, and experiments with pitch
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Plays with sounds (“aaa,” “ooo”)
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Imitates facial expressions
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Enjoys sound imitation games
Red Flags
Consider an evaluation if your baby:
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Little to no babbling
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Trouble managing thicker milk or early purees
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Gagging on spoon introduction
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Limited eye contact or social smiles
6-8
Feeding & Oral Motor Development
Your baby may now:
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Move food from the center of the tongue to the sides
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Begin coordinated chewing
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Accept purees easily
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Open mouth consistently for spoon feeding
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Attempt early cup drinking
Communication Skills​
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Babble with consonants (“ba,” “ma,” “da”)
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Combine sounds (“bababa,” “dadada”)
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Recognize their name
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Show excitement through vocal play
Red Flags
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No consonant sounds
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Difficulty clearing food from spoon
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Frequent coughing or gagging
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Not responding to sound or name
8-10
Feeding & Oral Motor Development
Babies this age often:
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Chew soft solids
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Self-feed finger foods
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Drink from a straw or sippy cup
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Manage thicker textures
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Show interest in table foods
Early Communication Skills​
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Make longer babble strings with varied intonation
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Use gestures like pointing or reaching
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Understand simple words (“no,” “bye-bye”)
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Engage in more complex back-and-forth interaction
Red Flags
Consider an evaluation if your baby:
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Difficulty chewing soft solids
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Gagging on small pieces
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No gestures (pointing, waving)
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Minimal vocal play
10-12
Feeding & Oral Motor Development
Typically babies can:
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Chew soft and some firmer table foods
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Take controlled bites
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Drink from open or straw cup
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Use pincer grasp to self-feed
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Eat mashed and chopped foods
Communication Skills​
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Say 1–3 meaningful words (like “mama,” “dada,” “ball”)
Use pointing to communicate
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Imitate sounds and actions
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Follow simple routines (“give me,” “come here”)
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Enjoy turn-taking games
Red Flags
Consider an evaluation if your baby:
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No meaningful words by 12 months
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Not using gestures
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Limited sound imitation
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Difficulty transitioning to table foods
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Persistent gagging or choking
Common Reasons Parents Seek Infant Therapy
These concerns are VERY common — and highly treatable:
Feeding Concerns
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Difficulty breast or bottle feeding
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Coughing/choking during feeds
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Trouble transitioning to solids
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Gagging on textures
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Suspected tongue tie
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Poor weight gain
Communication Concerns
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Not babbling
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Limited social engagement
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Not responding to name
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No gestures by 10–12 months
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Very quiet baby
General Concerns
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You’re unsure what’s typical
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Feeding feels stressful or exhausting
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Something “feels off”
How Infant Therapy Helps
Feeding & Oral-Motor Therapy
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Breastfeeding/bottle support
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Safer swallowing strategies
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Improving tongue, jaw, and lip movement
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Introducing solid foods
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Texture progression
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Reducing stress during mealtimes
Early Communication Support
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Encouraging babbling
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Strengthening joint attention
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Building early imitation skills
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Supporting gestures (pointing, waving)
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Increasing social engagement
Parent
Coaching
You’ll learn simple, positive strategies for:
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Language modeling
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Play routines
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Feeding techniques
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Reducing frustration
Social Communication in Pre-Verbal Babies & Toddlers
Social development begins at birth. Babies communicate long before they speak—through eye contact, facial expressions, body movement, and early sounds. As infants grow, they begin to startle at loud sounds, look toward voices, watch faces closely, and smile. These early social skills are important building blocks for language.
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As babies become toddlers, they typically begin to babble, laugh, copy simple actions like waving or clapping, respond to routines, and use gestures to get attention or make requests. Learning to imitate actions comes before imitating sounds or words. When children learn that their actions communicate meaning, it opens the door to early language
Simple Ways to Build Social Communication at Home
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Play back-and-forth games like peek-a-boo or pat-a-cake
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Use cause-and-effect toys to teach turn-taking
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Sing songs and pause to see if your child makes a sound, moves, or looks at you to keep it going
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Use a mirror to make faces together
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Model clapping, waving, or simple actions and celebrate when they copy you
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Say your child’s name and praise them when they look at you
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Create fun opportunities for your child to reach, point, or gesture for something they want
These simple interactions build the foundation for imitation, gestures, and eventually spoken language.​
Infant FAQs
Infants develop feeding and communication skills quickly, and even small challenges can feel overwhelming. Our team specializes in evaluating and treating early feeding and communication concerns. Below are answers to common questions we hear from families during the first year.
Why would a newborn need a speech therapist?
SLPs support feeding, swallowing, and early communication — not just speech.
Is feeding therapy the same as speech therapy?
Yes. Feeding and swallowing fall under an SLP’s specialized training.
When should a baby start speech therapy?
Any time feeding is difficult or social/communication milestones are delayed.
My baby is not babbling — is this a delay?
Babbling should begin around 6 months. If not, an evaluation can help.
Can a baby have tongue tie issues?
Yes. We help evaluate tongue movement and feeding impact.
Is infant feeding or early communication therapy covered by insurance or Medicaid?
Many insurance plans cover infant feeding and communication therapy. Visit our Insurance & Payment page for details.
You Don’t Have to Navigate Feeding or Early Communication Concerns Alone
If feeding feels stressful, your baby isn’t babbling yet, or something just doesn’t seem typical, trust your instincts — and know that you have support. Our specialists are highly trained in infant feeding and early communication development, and we’ll help you understand what’s happening and what to do next. Early guidance brings clarity, confidence, and comfort for both you and your baby.
