Most children will:

• Respond to his/ her name.
• Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door.
• Understand being told "no".
• Get what he/ she wants through gestures e.g., reaching to be picked up.
• Play social games with you e.g., peek-a-boo.
• Enjoy being around people.
• Babble and repeat sounds - babababa, duhduhduh.

Babies like it when you:

• Get down on their level so they can see your face. This tells them that you're interested in what they're doing and saying. It makes it easier to interact with you.
• Repeat the sounds they make. Babies enjoy making noises, and like it when you imitate them over and over.
• Sing and laugh, especially when you are feeding, bathing, and changing them. Remember to talk to your baby throughout the day about things you do and see - "Mommy's putting on her coat", "That's a big truck".
• Tell them the names of the objects they are looking at and playing with. Babies are interested in exploring and learning about new things, and like to hear what things are called.

Source: Your baby's speech and language skills from birth to 30 months. Government of Ontario, 2007.