Words and wordlike sounds are now spilling out of your baby, and he or she is able to use them meaningfully. As your baby's brain continues to develop, so does the ability to reason and speak.
Encourage your baby's interest in language and understanding of two-way communication by being an avid listener and responding to his or her sounds. To polish your baby's memory skills, play games like patty-cake and peekaboo.
At this age, your baby can probably imitate word sounds and inflections. He or she may be able to follow simple one-step directions, such as "Please bring me the ball" or "Pick up the spoon." Help your baby learn by separating multistep commands into easy-to-follow single steps, reinforcing them with gestures.