Real Moms Share: Baby’s First Word

First Words

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True story: When my daughter was a baby, we were making one of our daily trips to Starbucks, and she pointed at the logo and said "mama." (Poor thing probably thought that mermaid had given birth to her since she saw her so much.) I'm not sure if "mama" was her actual first word, but here are some moms who remember their baby's first words like they were yesterday.

Ball

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"My very un-sporty son: 'ball'—probably as in, 'Get that ball away from me.'"

— Lisa C.

Dada

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Jaelithe J. says her son pronounced it more like, 'Daddy-Da.' "Still not sure why the extra syllable, but the kid sure was committed to it. He said it like that for a long time."

Hi

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"She used to say it over and over … then at 11 months she actually started saying 'Hi baby' to her dolls."

— Beth A.

MORE: 10 Things All New Moms Should Know

Mailman

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"'Mailman.' Really, it was. Though it sounded more like 'may man.'"

— Lorraine W.

Mama

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Kids 1 and 2 uttered "juice" and "kitty" as their first words, but Stephanie H. says baby No. 3 endeared her with "mama." "He's my favorite. Lol!"

Bottle (Or Is It Grandma?)

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"Our daughter blurted out 'baba' one day, and we thought she meant 'bottle.' Then one day she pointed at my mom and said 'baba.' After that we weren't sure what she was talking about."

— Kristy M.

No

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"'No' was the first word I remember her saying for real. Let's hope she uses that in her teens."

— Amy A.

MORE: 11 Baby Milestones the Books Don't Mention

Pet Names

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"'No Max!' Max was our dog."

— Allegra

Poop

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"Figures, since we said this word 24/7. So, so many of our conversations revolved around poop."

— Chris M.

School

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"Which he hates now as a fourth grader, so that was a waste of parental bragging rights."

— Kristen H.

Someone Else's Name

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"'Jenny.' This really pretty woman at church."

— Eunice C.

MORE: Potty Training Tips From Expert Moms

Uh-Oh

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"She would say 'uh oh' … then she would drop something."

— Suzanne E.

Up

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Michelle W. says her sweet little thing said, "'Up' as in, 'Carry me now, suckas.'"