Why Is Your Baby Blowing Raspberries? - Healthline

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Parenthood

Why Is Your Baby Blowing Raspberries?

Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M.D. — Written by Kimberly Zapata — Updated on December 11, 2025

When it happens
Why it happens
Why it's important
What to do
Concerns
Takeaway

Blowing raspberries is not just a funny thing babies do. It’s a precursor to language development.

From pointing and poking to touching, crawling, walking, and babbling, babies do a lot of fun and interesting things. After all, trying said behaviors is how they learn. It’s imperative to their physical, emotional, and cognitive development.

But why do babies blow raspberries? Well, the spit-filled behavior is actually tied to language development. Experts say the drooly noisemaking is related to learning about conversations.

“Babies blow raspberries as they begin to understand that their lips can come together to make sounds,” according to Jocelyn M. Wood — a speech-language pathologist and the owner of Jocelyn M. Wood Speech Language Pathology.

Read on for more information about why babies blow raspberries and what they mean for their development.

When do babies start blowing raspberries?

Babies usually start blowing raspberries around 4 or 5 months. However, your little one may begin sooner. Some children engage in this behavior as early as 3 months. That said, raspberries aren’t the only linguistic development at this age.

Children begin cooing around 3 months and blowing bubbles around 6 months. Babbling begins around 9 months, as do gurgling sounds. At this age, babies begin to understand and express tone, recognizing and responding to whether voices are soothing or sharp. By their first birthday, your baby may be uttering a few, basic words.

Why do babies blow raspberries?

While the reason behind this behavior is rooted in language development, babies actually blow raspberries for numerous reasons.

“Babies are experimenting with their mouths, voices, and volume,” Allie Gallinger, a speech-language pathologist and the owner at Express Yourself Speech, explains.

Blowing raspberries is “your baby’s opportunity to experiment with intonation (the sing-songy quality of speech),” agrees Wood, “and with turning their voice on and off in a deliberate way.”

“Babies start to communicate by learning to play around with the movements they can make with their faces and mouths,” Gallinger notes. “They start to do things that result in a reaction from their caregivers and other adults.”

That reaction is key, according to Gallinger. “They start to think, ‘Oh! This sound is making my mom laugh and play with me! I am going to do it again!’”

Babies also blow raspberries because it’s just plain fun. They laugh and giggle because the action feels funny. As Wood points out, “They receive the positive reinforcement of the tickling feeling that happens when their lips start vibrating, and this makes them want to continue.”

Why is it important when babies blow raspberries?

Blowing raspberries helps teach a baby skills that prepare them for speech later. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), blowing raspberries is a crucial developmental stage and a valuable tool for communication development, helping them learn early foundations of speech and conversation like:

maintaining eye contact
oral motor skills
breath control
reflective listening
responsive communications

Blowing raspberries strengthens a baby’s facial muscles, which is imperative to speech. Gallinger also points out that “raspberries are the building blocks for first sounds and babbling (like baba, dada, etc.).”

What should you do when your baby begins blowing raspberries?

The best thing you can do when your baby begins blowing raspberries is to blow them right back. “Blowing raspberries will encourage interaction with your baby and can be the first opportunity for back and forth communication, which is the foundation for conversation,” Gallinger says.

The action can elicit giggles and will encourage fun, and blowing raspberries will help your little one learn that they can manipulate their environment using sound.

“It is also a great opportunity for eye contact and engagement with your child,” Gallinger adds.

That said, blowing raspberries isn’t the only way to engage your child and encourage interaction, vocalization, and fun.

Repeating sounds back to your baby stimulates their linguistic development and simulates conversation.
Singing songs will help you bond with your baby. It also helps them learn new words and hear new sounds.
Reading to your baby teaches them about communication and introduces concepts such as numbers, letters, colors, and shapes.

“You can also make other sounds to your baby, like tongue clicking, and see if they start to imitate. Not only will this help with engagement and interaction, but it will also lead to a lot of giggles and fun,” Gallinger says.

Are raspberries ever a cause for concern?

While blowing raspberries is very typical, the absence of the behavior, along with other signs of delayed communication development, may be problematic in that it may imply your baby is struggling linguistically.

That said, experts say you shouldn’t stress — at least not yet. Like those little ones who skip over crawling in favor of walking, some babies skip the raspberry stage altogether.

If you have any concerns about your little one’s development, consult your healthcare professional.

Takeaway

Blowing raspberries is a delightful developmental milestone — one most children will reach — however, it’s not necessary for language development.

Children can (and do) begin babbling without this spit-filled behavior. That said, if your baby begins blowing raspberries, applaud them, encourage them, and interact with them. Love, laughter, smiles, and support are key.

Parenthood
Baby
06 Months

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Communication milestones: Birth to 1 year. (n.d.).https://www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones-birth-to-1-year/
Gallinger A. (2020). Personal interview.
What are the benefits of reading to my baby? (2019).https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/reading-babies.html
Wood J. (2020). Personal interview.

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Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M.D. — Written by Kimberly Zapata — Updated on December 11, 2025

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