Talking to babies even when they cannot talk back helps them to learn to speak and communicate.
Mums and Dads who talk to their baby when they are just babbling but not actually speaking are helping their babies’ language development.*
By replying to your baby’s “Chatter” in a way that matches what your child might be saying you are teaching your child to use sounds to “talk” and this has been shown to promote speech & Language development.*
Your baby has already begun to communicate with you…
0 to 3 months
Most babies can:
Recognise mother’s voice.
Turn toward voices and sounds.
Make sounds indicating pleasure.
Cry differently to express needs.
Begin to coo.
3 to 6 Months
Most Babies can:
Watch a speaker’s mouth move.
Know when a voice is happy or sad.
Shape their mouths to change sounds.
Splutter and blow bubbles.
Babble for attention.
Copy sounds and gestures.
Make sounds “p”, “b” and “m”.
6 to 12 Months
Most babies can:
Listen carefully when you talk.
Make lots of different sounds.
Respond to own name.
Understand some common words, e.g. dog, ball, up.
Begin to point to and reach for objects.
Talk to your baby when
Your child is facing you.
You have their attention.
Talk about things as they happen at- bath time, feeding time, changing time, all the time!
Tips:
Say words over and over again so your baby begins to learn what they mean.
Play people games like Peek-a-boo and Pat-a-Cake.
Remember to wait to give your child plenty of time to have a go.
Sing nursey rhymes with actions like Incey-Wincey-Spidar and Ring-A-Ring-A-Rosie everyday.
Provided by HSE Mid West Speech & Language Therapy Department Limerick: 061-483992
(Based on Northumberland Talk to Your Baby Initiative – Northumberland.gov) (*study from University of Iowa &Indiana University)
