Waving bye-bye
Most babies start waving bye-bye somewhere around 9 to 11 months, and nearly all by 16 months. Babies in very different countries start at similar ages.
How sure are we?
Fairly sure. Large studies in five countries agree, but they all relied on what parents reported. How we know this
What it’s a sign of
Your baby is starting to use a gesture to communicate, often in response to what someone says, like "bye-bye".
The CDC lists waving bye-bye at 12 months, later than the ages above, because it uses the age by which about 3 in 4 children do it, rounded up to the next check-up. In the United States, parents reported half of babies waving by 9 months. In a study in Argentina, India, South Africa and Turkey, half did by about 11 months. That study also counted other gestures babies make when asked, which may explain the small difference.
We can't say how early the earliest wavers start: the word lists parents fill in begin at 8 months, and about 1 in 3 babies already wave then. All the ages come from parents' reports; we haven't yet read a study where researchers watched babies wave.
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
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.
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.
If you’re worried about your child, talk to your child and family health nurse or GP.
Last checked 2 November 2026