My friend just told me that her 7 month old said 'mama'. My baby is almost a year old and hasn't even tried to say it. :( At what age do babies usually start speaking?

In general, language skills start developing between the ages of one and two. Any form of communications, such as babbling, pointing to an object, responding to your comments, indicates that he/she is beginning to understand what is said to him/her (even though he/she is not using actual words to communicate with you). Every baby develops differently so there is no need for you to be worried as long as your baby is showing signs of comprehension. This article provides some useful tips to encourage your baby to start talking: http://www.janetlansbury.com/2012/06/ten-best-ways-to-encourage-toddlers-to-talk/ Some simple suggestions from the article include: - Using your authentic voice and speaking in first person. The more they hear language spoken properly, the sooner they will learn and try speaking it. - Slow down so that your baby can listen and understand. Don't be too worried, once your blabbering baby starts picking up new words, you will soon have a chatty baby! :)