Why do babies often say dada first?

Speech researchers note the d sound is often easier to produce early than the m sound. Our data cannot say why, only what families recorded: dada tends to come first by a few weeks.

Real family data

Do babies say mama or dada first?

Q: Do babies say mama or dada first?

Dada, more often. Among babies whose families recorded both words, dada came first for 45.6%, mama for 29.7%, and 24.7% were recorded at the same age. On average dada arrived at 8.2 months and mama at 8.6 months.

Among babies whose families recorded both words

Dada, for 45.6%

A finished Baby Notebook photo book, a white cover titled The Story of Oliver, held flat in two hands — The finished book, printed as a hardcover.

QR code to download the Baby Notebook app on your phone — The finished book, printed as a hardcover.

Get the free app

First 3 chapters free · iOS & Android

Mama came first for 29.7%; the rest logged both at the same age. On average, dada arrived at 8.2 months and mama at 8.6 months.

45.6%

Dada first

29.7%

Mama first

24.7%

Same age

When each word arrives

Full age distributions: saying dada and saying mama.

A toddler holding up their own Baby Notebook photo book, open on a printed first-birthday spread of photos labelled by age — Their milestones, printed in a book they can hold.

The Baby Notebook app

Whenever it happens, it is worth keeping.

Every age on this page is a parent writing down what their own baby did, whenever they did it. Baby Notebook makes it easy to keep each one as it comes, from bump to first birthday. Free to download, and the first three chapters of every book are free.

“I have loved going back on my camera roll and looking at all those amazing milestones... and putting them in my baby book.”

Five-star App Store review

★★★★★ 4.8 average · 300,000+ downloads

Scan to download