When will my baby recognize his name?

Your baby's own name is likely to be one of the first words she learns to recognize. A young baby isn't yet self-aware enough to fully understand the concept of names, but she will learn early in life to associate the sound of her name with a need for her attention. It's a good idea to keep your eye out for this milestone. Although the exact age when your baby learns her name won't matter in the long run, a failure to recognize her own name could signal a problem that needs to be addressed.

Here are some facts that you need to know regarding your baby's ability to recognize her name.

1. It usually happens at around five months. According to BabyCenter, most babies start recognizing their names at around five months of age. However, some completely normal babies may recognize their names far sooner or later. Moms have anecdotally reported that their healthy babies have recognized their names as early as three months or as late as ten months. While five months is a reasonable, average age to look for this milestone, there is plenty of variation even within the spectrum of normal development.

2. You can encourage him to respond to his name. If you use your baby's name as frequently as possible when talking to him, he's more likely to respond to it at the expected age. Use your baby's name throughout the day-- when changing his diaper, burping him, nursing him, dressing him, bathing him, and singing him to sleep. Try to avoid saying your baby's name exclusively when you're upset or angry. If his name is always followed by "No!" or "Stop!" he is less likely to respond to it positively.

3. There are other, related milestones to look for. Your child's response to his name isn't the only indicator of his ability to comprehend and respond to speech. Your baby's ability to respond to speech and language in general are far more important than her ability to recognize her name. On average, a baby will begin turning toward a familiar voice at around four months of age-- but any time between three and six months is perfectly acceptable. If your baby frequently turns toward your voice when you talk to him, odds are slim that there's any major problem in his development.

4. Don't sweat it. If your baby's development is generally "normal," don't worry too much about whether or not she responds to her name. Odds are very high that she'll catch up on this milestone sooner or later. No kid has ever gone to kindergarten without recognizing his own name. Remember that there are thousands of healthy kids who don't begin responding to their names until far later than average. Nevertheless...

5. Talk to your baby's pediatrician if you're concerned. It never hurts to bring up a topic with your baby's primary health care provider. If your baby seems to tune (or fail to hear) most of what you say, he have a developmental delay, hearing disorder, sensory integration disorder, or other problem requiring professional help. Talk to your baby's pediatrician about testing his hearing. Depending on the underlying cause, your baby may benefit from treatment for hearing disorders-- or, in the long run, from speech therapy.