Baby Blowing Raspberries But Not Saying Words
The short answer
Blowing raspberries is a positive developmental sign that typically appears around 4-6 months. It shows your baby is experimenting with oral motor control - learning to use their lips, tongue, and breath in coordinated ways. This is actually a precursor to speech. Babies often go through phases of intense raspberry-blowing because it is fun and feels interesting. If your baby is blowing raspberries, making eye contact, and engaged socially, their communication development is on track. Babbling with consonants (ba, da, ma) should begin emerging by 6-9 months.
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By Age
What to expect by age
3-6 months
Raspberry blowing typically starts around 4-6 months and is a milestone to celebrate. Your baby is learning to control their mouth, lips, and airflow - skills they will need for producing speech sounds later. Babies at this age also coo, squeal, laugh, and make vowel sounds. Raspberry blowing does not replace these sounds - it adds to the repertoire. If your baby is blowing raspberries AND cooing/making vowel sounds, they are right on track. The raspberry phase usually peaks and fades within a few weeks to months.
6-9 months
By this age, babbling with consonant sounds should be emerging alongside any remaining raspberry-blowing. You should start hearing "ba-ba," "da-da," "ma-ma" (without meaning at first). If your baby is only blowing raspberries and has not started any consonant babbling by 9 months, mention it at your next well-visit. Hearing should also be evaluated, as babies need to hear speech sounds clearly to reproduce them. Continue talking to your baby constantly - narrate your day, read books, and respond to all their sounds.
9-12 months
By 9-12 months, babbling should be well-established with varied consonant-vowel combinations and jargon (babble that sounds like speech with intonation patterns). If your baby at 10-12 months is still primarily blowing raspberries without much consonant babbling, a hearing evaluation and speech screening are recommended. Some babies focus intensely on one sound pattern before moving on, so this may be a temporary fixation that resolves on its own.
12-18 months
First words should be appearing alongside babbling. If your toddler at 12 months has no words and limited babbling (still primarily making raspberries or other non-speech sounds), do not wait - request a hearing test and speech evaluation. Early intervention for speech and language delays is most effective when started before 18 months. Even if the outcome is simply reassurance that your child is a late bloomer, the evaluation provides valuable information.
What Should You Do?
When to take action
- Your baby is 4-7 months and going through an intense raspberry-blowing phase - this is a healthy milestone
- Your baby blows raspberries AND makes other sounds like cooing, squealing, and vowel sounds
- The raspberry phase is gradually being replaced by consonant babbling
- Your baby is socially engaged - makes eye contact, smiles, and responds to your voice despite the raspberry obsession
- Your baby at 9 months has not started any consonant babbling (ba, da, ma sounds)
- Raspberry blowing is the only sound your baby makes with no variety of other vocalizations
- Your baby over 10 months does not seem to respond to their name or turn toward sounds
- You are concerned that speech development seems stalled
- Your baby has stopped making sounds they previously made (vocal regression)
- Your baby over 12 months has no consonant babbling and no words
- Your baby does not respond to sounds at all alongside limited vocalizations
Sources
Related Resources
Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, reach out to your pediatrician.
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Related Speech Concerns
Toddler Not Talking at Age 2 - Nonverbal
A child with no words at age 2 should be evaluated by their pediatrician and referred for a hearing test and speech-language evaluation. While some late talkers do catch up on their own, a child with no words at 24 months needs assessment to determine the cause - which could range from a simple language delay to hearing loss, autism, or another developmental condition. Early intervention is remarkably effective, and the sooner it begins, the better the outcomes. You do not need a diagnosis to start receiving speech therapy services through Early Intervention.
Toddler Making Up Words - Jargon and Invented Language
Toddler jargon - strings of sounds that have the rhythm and intonation of real speech but contain no recognizable words - is a normal stage of language development. It typically peaks between 12-18 months and gradually gives way to real words. Your toddler sounds like they are speaking a foreign language because they have learned the "music" of speech (rhythm, intonation, turn-taking) before mastering the actual words. Jargon mixed with real words is a positive sign. Jargon with no real words by 18 months warrants a speech evaluation.
Baby Not Responding to Music or Sounds
Babies should respond to sounds from birth - startling to loud noises, calming to soothing voices, and turning toward sounds by 4-6 months. If your baby does not respond to music, voices, or loud sounds, the most important step is a hearing evaluation. About 1-3 per 1,000 babies are born with hearing loss, and early identification (by 3 months) and intervention (by 6 months) leads to significantly better language outcomes. Even if your baby passed the newborn hearing screening, hearing loss can develop later.
Accent vs Speech Disorder in Bilingual Toddlers
When toddlers grow up hearing more than one language, they naturally blend sounds, patterns, and accents from both languages. This is normal and healthy, not a speech disorder. A bilingual child may pronounce some sounds differently than monolingual peers because they are learning the sound systems of two languages simultaneously. True speech disorders affect both languages equally, while accent influence appears only in specific sounds borrowed from one language to another.
Ear Fluid Affecting Baby's Speech Development
Chronic or recurrent middle ear fluid (otitis media with effusion) can temporarily reduce hearing by 15 to 40 decibels, which is like hearing through water. During critical periods of language learning, this muffled hearing can impact speech and language development. If your baby has frequent ear infections or persistent fluid, discuss the potential speech impact with your pediatrician.
Will Ear Tubes Help My Child's Speech?
Ear tubes (tympanostomy tubes) can restore normal hearing by draining persistent fluid from the middle ear. Many children show speech and language improvement within weeks to months after tube placement, particularly if hearing loss from fluid was contributing to their speech delay. However, ear tubes alone may not resolve all speech delays, and some children benefit from speech therapy alongside tube placement.