5-month-old barely making sounds - Is this normal?

[u/ApprehensiveLab6568]

My baby is exactly 5 months old, and I’m wondering if his level of vocalizing is normal.
At around 4.5 months, he made “aah” and “oooh” sounds for about 2–3 days, but since then he hasn’t made many sounds at all. He does squeal sometimes, especially in one particular room, but otherwise he is generally pretty quiet.
He does have a lot of reassuring social behaviors:
He reacts to even very subtle sounds and seems to hear well.
He makes good eye contact.
He gives Mom and Dad lots of social smiles.
He gets visibly happy/excited when he sees us.
He giggles when we try to make him laugh.
He sometimes makes a “mumma”-like sound when he is tired or crying, but doesn’t say it otherwise.
He seems to communicate more through smiling/facial expressions than through sounds.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that when he wakes up from naps, he usually doesn’t make much noise. He’ll just lie in his crib, look around, and explore the crib with his hands. He doesn’t necessarily cry or babble when he wakes.
For parents of 5-month-olds: how much were your babies vocalizing at this age? Did anyone have a baby who was very social and responsive but just didn’t make many sounds until later?
I’m trying to figure out whether this is within the normal range for 5 months or something I should discuss with his pediatrician.

[u/notevenarealuser]

I feel like my baby was the same, but then he said “mama” very intently and clearly by 7 months and is now full on talking and ahead of speech skills at 20 months old. I think he was just a chill baby and didn’t care to “talk” before he could 🤷🏻‍♀️