When do babies start saying ‘mama’ or ‘dada’? Babies may be babbling ‘mama’/’dada’ as early as 6 to 9 months. My five-year-old babbled dada first and my three-year-old babbled mama first. But what really determines babies first word? A first word is when the child assigns meaning to their babble. For example, vocalizing ‘mama’ for mom or ‘dada’ for dad. First words typically arise around 12 months. My husband is currently campaigning hard for dada!!! Which word do you think Skyler will say first