Babies are known for their inability to talk. This has been the general understanding for centuries—babies cry because they can't communicate their needs verbally. But what if some babies could talk, and we simply haven't encountered them due to the vastness of the world?
Thanks to social media, the world has become much smaller, offering us glimpses into moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. Mekeia, a mom of two, recently shared a video of her 3-month-old son seemingly talking. Not just the typical baby babble, but actual short sentences.
In the video, Mekeia was filming her daughter playing with the baby when the unexpected happened. The older sister held the baby’s face and said, “say I am two months,” to which Mekeia corrected her: “say I am three months.” To everyone's surprise, the baby appeared to repeat the phrase.
Both Mekeia and her daughter were visibly stunned, unsure if they’d actually heard the baby repeat the words. Mekeia was on the phone with a friend when it happened, and after a moment of disbelief, she put the phone up to the baby's mouth. The baby babbled, so she prompted him to say, “say hey Bam.” No response—just more babbling.
But then, when Mekeia instructed the baby to say, “hey Quintin,” the baby repeated the sounds, mimicking the cadence of the words so closely that it sounded like he was saying them clearly. His older sister was overcome with emotion and began to cry, while Mekeia laughed in shock. Meanwhile, the person on the phone was left in stunned confusion.
https://www.tiktok.com/@foxondemandfam/video/7404216084305415454
Viewers flooded the comments, expressing disbelief and excitement. One person jokingly suggested, “he’s a baby genius, start showing him math problems.” Another quipped, “next thing he’s writing emails and making appointments.” Others were amazed, with one person saying, “Talking so clear would scare me sooo bad, he’s so intelligent.”
Some commenters offered an explanation, pointing to echolalia—a normal part of child development. “Echolalia is when children imitate or echo sounds and words they hear while learning to speak,” explained Speech and Language Advisor Claire Smith in an interview with the BBC. While echolalia can sometimes be associated with autism, it’s not always the case. Many children outgrow it by the age of three and continue developing typically.
Whether it’s echolalia or something else, it’s clear that this baby’s “talking” moment was a stunning and heartwarming surprise!