Which phrase best represents the babbling stage, when infants make a variety of sounds including cooing?

Which phrase best represents the babbling stage, when infants make a variety of sounds including cooing?

• A. Babbling stage
• B. First words stage
• C. Two-word stage
• D. Babbling or making cooing sounds

Answer: (D)

In infancy, the early vocal play involves experimenting with sounds, starting with cooing and expanding into varied babble as the voice develops. The best phrasing for capturing this phase is “Babbling or making cooing sounds” because it explicitly includes both the nonword vocalizations (babbling) and the cooing sounds that mark this period. The other options refer to later language milestones—when actual words begin to appear, and when those words are combined into two-word phrases—so they don’t describe this early vocal stage.

In infancy, the early vocal play involves experimenting with sounds, starting with cooing and expanding into varied babble as the voice develops. The best phrasing for capturing this phase is “Babbling or making cooing sounds” because it explicitly includes both the nonword vocalizations (babbling) and the cooing sounds that mark this period. The other options refer to later language milestones—when actual words begin to appear, and when those words are combined into two-word phrases—so they don’t describe this early vocal stage.