Your 41-Week-Old Baby
Your baby can't talk yet, but they're already telling you plenty. Pointing and gesturing—it's all intentional communication.
In This Article
Although babies can't talk for a while, they have plenty of ways to communicate with you. Aside from the most obvious—crying—one of the biggest precursors to verbal communication is gesturing.
The pointing your baby has been doing as you walk through the house? It isn't random. Babies point to show interest, direct your attention and share a moment of focus with you. When they lift their arms to be picked up or hand you a toy, they're not just moving—they're talking.
I talked to Melissa Minney, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and founder of Raising Little Talkers, and Dr. Chris Klunk, a board-certified neonatologist at Pediatrix Medical Group to explore how your baby communicates before they can talk, why pointing is such a big developmental leap, and how you can support their language skills even before their first word appears.
🚼 Baby’s Development
Why pointing is a big deal
Pointing is an intentional, reciprocal gesture that signals your baby wants something—or wants you to notice something with them.
"Joint attention is when you and your baby are both focused on the same thing and aware that you're sharing that experience," says Melissa Minney, a speech-language pathologist and founder of Raising Little Talkers. "It sounds simple, but it's actually a foundational piece of your child's language development."
If you've ever pointed at a dog on a walk and looked back at your baby to see if they noticed it too, that's joint attention. Your baby can also initiate it by smiling, looking or pointing at something and then looking back at you to make sure you saw it too.
"Before your little one can learn the word 'dog,' they have to first understand that you're both looking at the same thing and that the sound coming out of your mouth belongs to it," Minney explains. "That shared experience is the bridge between your world and theirs."
When understanding gestures starts to click
So how can you tell the difference between random movement and actual communication?
"The biggest clue is whether or not the body movement is purposefully sending a message to another person," says Minney.
If your baby scratches their leg and moves on, that's just a scratch. If your baby scratches their leg, looks at you and whines, they're communicating that maybe their leg is itchy—and they're telling you specifically.
Here's another example: if your baby is following along with the hand motions during a song, like the "round and round" motion for "The Wheels on the Bus," that's imitation. But if a bus drives by and your child does the "round and round" hand motion while looking at you and vocalizing, they're communicating to you about the bus they just saw.
Other signs a gesture is intentional include repeating themselves if you don't respond right away, getting frustrated if you miss it or combining it with a vocalization—even if it's just "eh!"
How to support language development right now
When you see a gesture, the best thing you can do is respond to the meaning behind it.
"If they point at the cup, say 'Cup! Here's your cup!'" Minney says. "You're not just labeling an object—you're showing them that their communication worked, that you understood them, and here's the word that goes with that idea. That feedback loop is exactly what builds language."
Dr. Chris Klunk, a board-certified neonatologist at Pediatrix Medical Group, recommends continuing to narrate your baby's world. "Keep on narrating what you are doing. 'Mama is washing the dishes!' 'Dada is picking you up!' Look for signs of understanding and give them a chance to respond."
You can also ask simple questions like "Where is blanket?" and see if they start looking around or reaching for it. Use picture books as an opportunity to label common objects by pointing at each picture and saying the name clearly. Respond to your baby's sounds with words of your own and make it feel like a two-way conversation.
The beautiful thing is that you don't need special materials or structured activities. Joint attention happens in ordinary moments throughout your day—when you're changing their diaper and you look at their face and say, "I'm getting your toes!" and pause to see their reaction. When you follow their gaze to whatever has caught their eye and name it. Even sitting together and flipping through a board book, pausing to look at each other and then back at the page, builds this foundational skill.
The key is slowing down enough to share the moment together.
đź‘€ Looking Ahead
Feeding independence and the emotional rollercoaster of weaning: As your baby becomes more confident with self-feeding, you might notice shifting emotions around feeding and weaning—whether that's pride, relief, grief or all three at once.
