Pointing
Most babies start pointing at things somewhere between about 9 and 16 months, often around their first birthday. Babies in very different communities around the world start at similar ages.
How sure are we?
Very sure. Studies in many countries agree, both from researchers watching babies and from thousands of parents' reports. How we know this
What it’s a sign of
Pointing is one of the first ways babies get someone else to look at the same thing they're looking at.
Also part of: Understanding other people
The CDC lists pointing to ask for something at 15 months, and pointing to show you something interesting at 18 months. These are later than the ages above, because the CDC uses the age by which about 3 in 4 children do it, rounded up to the next check-up. Parents also report pointing a little earlier than researchers see it: about 1 in 5 parents of 8-month-olds say their baby points, while the studies that watched babies saw almost no pointing with the index finger before 9 months. That may be because those studies counted only a clear point with the index finger. Many babies point with the whole hand first, from about 9 months.
The study across communities saw each baby only once and didn't compare ages month by month, so small differences between places aren't known. The large set of parents' reports comes mostly from families in the United States.
A main source for the ages
Share of children pointing, waving and responding to their name, by age: our count from Wordbank v3.4
MyHappyBub (analysis of Wordbank open data) · 2026
- Children
- About 14,000 parents' answers for children aged 8 to 18 months
- Where
- The United States (children learning English)
- Ages
- 8 to 18 months
- How
- Our own count from parents' answers on the word lists in the open Wordbank collection
- What it found
- Parents said their baby pointed by these ages: half by 11 months, 3 in 4 by 12, and nearly all (95 in 100) by 16. Waving: half by 9 months, nearly all by 16. Responding to their name: more than 9 in 10 already at 8 months.
- Limits
- Based on parents' reports, which may count earlier or looser kinds of pointing than researchers do. Each month is a different group of children. The word lists start at 8 months.
A main source for the ages
A Prelinguistic Gestural Universal of Human Communication
Ulf Liszkowski, Penny Brown, Tara Callaghan, Akira Takada, Conny de Vos · 2012 · Cognitive Science
- Children
- 96 babies
- Where
- Seven very different communities in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Japan, Peru, Mexico and Canada
- Ages
- 7 to 17 months
- How
- Researchers filmed each baby once, carried by a parent around a room full of interesting things
- What it found
- In every community, most babies started pointing with their index finger between 10 and 14 months, with no real difference between communities. About 1 in 3 babies aged 7 to 9 months pointed this way, and all 16 babies aged 15 to 17 months did.
- Limits
- Each baby was seen only once, the groups were small, and the room was set up to encourage pointing.
A main source for the ages
Ontogeny of index-finger pointing
Johanna Rüther, Ulf Liszkowski · 2024 · Journal of Child Language
- Children
- 30 babies
- Where
- The Netherlands
- Ages
- 8 to 13 months, seen every month
- How
- Researchers filmed the same babies every month in a room full of interesting things
- What it found
- Half had started pointing with their index finger by 11 months, and about 3 in 4 by 12 months. Five of the 30 hadn't started by 13 months, when the study ended. Pointing with the whole hand came earlier, from about 9 months.
- Limits
- A small group from one city, mostly better-off families speaking one language, and the study ended at 13 months.
A main source for the ages
Evidence-Informed Milestones for Developmental Surveillance Tools
Jennifer M. Zubler, Lisa D. Wiggins, Michelle M. Macias, Toni M. Whitaker, Judith S. Shaw, Jane K. Squires, Julie A. Pajek, Rebecca B. Wolf, Karnesha S. Slaughter, Amber S. Broughton, Krysta L. Gerndt, Bethany J. Mlodoch, Paul H. Lipkin · 2022 · Pediatrics
- Children
- A review of 34 studies and common checklists, not one group of children
- Where
- Studies from many countries (14 of the 24 with age data were from countries where English isn't the main language)
- Ages
- 2 months to 5 years
- How
- Experts reviewed studies and checklists, then placed each milestone at the check-up age by which about 3 in 4 children do it
- What it found
- Places calling a parent "mama" or "dada" at 12 months, and saying 1 or 2 other words at 15 months. These are ages by which about 3 in 4 children have started, rounded up to a check-up age.
- Limits
- Experts' judgement set the ages, and some milestones rest on opinion rather than measured ages. The lists haven't been tested to see whether they help.
A main source for the ages
Similarities and differences in child development from birth to age 3 years by sex and across four countries: a cross-sectional, observational study
Ilgi Ozturk Ertem, Vibha Krishnamurthy, Mphelekedzeni C. Mulaudzi, Yanina Sguassero, Hakan Balta, Ozlem Gulumser · 2018 · Lancet Global Health
- Children
- About 4,900 healthy children
- Where
- Argentina, India, South Africa and Turkey
- Ages
- Birth to 3½ years
- How
- Trained staff asked parents open questions about what their child could do, at health clinics
- What it found
- Found the age by which half of children reached more than 100 milestones. Most came at similar ages in all four countries, and for boys and girls. For example, half of children waved bye-bye by about 11 months and said a first word by about 9 months.
- Limits
- Only four countries and no rural areas, children from city clinics, and only healthy children (about half of those who came were left out for health reasons). It gives the age for half of children, not the full spread.
If you’re worried about your child, talk to your child and family health nurse or GP.
Last checked 2 November 2026