An infant who cannot talk but can play with her food is in the sensorimotor stage.
According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, this stage lasts until a child is 2 years old and it is characterized by an considerable improvement of the baby's skills and abilities such as sucking and grasping. In that way, children are able to develop their motor movements, which allow them to play with their food; however, they do not learn to talk during this period. Language development starts during the preoperational stage, which extends from age 2 to age 7.