Babies are able to understand adults by the time they are over 6 months old, and as they grow older, children will understand more words. Typically, a 6-month-old baby will respond by looking back when he hears a parent call his name. 8-month-olds can understand simple words and respond clearly to their own names and nicknames. 10- to 11-month-olds can do some simple fingerplays when they listen to a parent’s instructions. An almost one-year-old child is able to locate where an item is when an adult says something about it. It is a gradual process for babies to understand what adults say. If your baby reaches 6 months of age and does not respond to your family’s language, be sure to check to see if there are any problems with your child’s hearing, if there is a hearing impairment or other problems.