FirstWeeksYour baby at 40 weeks: point and say
Medically-informed · Sources: CDC · Updated June 2026
Communication goes gestural: pointing, arm-raising to be picked up, maybe a wave — and babble that sounds suspiciously deliberate.
What’s happening
The pointing revolution
Pointing to show you things is a massive social-cognition step — Your baby is deliberately steering YOUR attention. Answer every point like a question.
Gestures before words
Waving, arms-up, head-shaking — gestures commonly arrive before first words and predict them. A rich gesture month is a great sign.
Mama-dada, beta version
Syllable strings commonly land on mamamama/dadada — nonspecific at first, then aimed. The aimed version tends to arrive around the first-birthday season.
What to do
- Follow every point with naming: 'Dog! That's a dog'
- Add gesture games: bye-bye, so-big, clapping
- Read pointing books — 'where's the ball?' and wait
When to check in
No gestures at all (no pointing, waving, reaching to be picked up) by around 12 months — that's a specific thing to raise with your pediatrician.
This is exactly what FirstWeeks shows you — matched to your baby
Week 40 guidance, skills to watch, and answers that know your baby’s age and log.
