How To Talk To Your Baby ? And Understand What She?s Saying Back

Home
>
Babies & Toddler
>
How To Talk To Your Baby ? And Understand What She?s Saying Back

How To Talk To Your Baby ? And Understand What She?s Saying Back

It is incredible, but within a years time your baby will progress from random crying to talking. This is quite an achievement for your baby and in a very short period of time. In this chapter we will look at your baby's development when it comes to language. You'll also discover what you can expect to see every month but it's important to remember that these stages of your baby's development are broad and because every baby is different these are not meant as exact milestones.

One month. Your baby will be able to understand speech long before actually talking. From birth he will look at your face and listen to your voice. He may make a small range of noises that will start to mean something to you - these may be made when he experiences feelings of hunger or pain (such as crying and certain sounds while he is breathing). When your baby is eating, you may notice him making sucking type noises and sounds of contentment. The way that your baby cries is an important communication method while he is actually unable to talk. Crying lays the foundation for speech as your baby learns to control his vocal cords. Crying is also a baby's way of indicating hunger, discontentment, or general discomfort. Through responding to this crying you let your baby know that she is important to you ? and this can really be reassuring for a young infant.

Two months. As a child enters his second month he is far more aware of the world ? things such as sounds, even that of your voice, will amuse and fascinate your child. Change the tone of your voice and this will keep him amused. Your baby will respond with a variety of cooing sounds, vowel-like sounds, and sometimes some consonant sounds such as a "k". You will find that your baby has quite a collection of cooing sounds that she uses to communicate with you as well as discover how to use the sound of her own voice. During this time, try and talk with your baby ? this will encourage her response and help in the development process. By looking into your baby's eyes you are communicating an important thing to her ? that you are listening.

Three months. By now you will find that your baby is able to recognize your voice and may come to you or face you when your voice is heard. You may notice him laugh out aloud and may even scare himself by doing this (as he does not initially know that he is the one making the sounds). Your baby will be making sounds such as "ahhhh gooo". He will squeal when he is happy and content, again often startling himself as he learns his own abilities.

At this stage you should not only talk to your baby but also introduce other communication forms such as singing and story telling. The greater your effort in trying to talk with him, the better his response is likely to be.

Four months. By now more and more communication should be taking place with your baby. You may notice a greater amount of smiling ? while his babbling may have a noticeably singsong quality to it, often ranging into a high pitch that delights him as he learns to like the sound of his own voice. There will be lots of repetition to the sounds that your baby makes.

It is important that you always respond to your baby's "oohs" and "ahhs" and whatever other communication methods she is using - respond with your own voice tones. This is your chance to have a "chat time" with your baby and you should take advantage of these times ? you are helping him to discover the art of conversation. There will also be certain times when your baby may also not be in the mood for talking. He will turn his head in the other direction and may put his arm over his face. He may be showing signs of anger or frustration by crying out, especially if something is taken away from him.

Five months. As each month progresses you will find that your baby is becoming better at communicating. It's possible that you will notice him imitate some sounds and gestures. By now he'll most likely be able to let you know if he's happy or sad. When attention is wanted your baby will babble until he is given the attention he feels he deserves. Interestingly, if you always respond to his communication efforts (whatever these may be) he'll repeat them whenever he wants your attention this way.

During this month it's likely that your baby will be looking at your mouth moving while you talk. Talk to him from across the room and he'll be able to find you with ease. He is learning to control his vocal sounds as he watches your response to his sounds.

Six months. Your baby may now be using consonant-vowel combinations. It's quite possible that he has discovered his mirror reflection and is probably having conversations with himself. Your baby's language is becoming much more precise.

Here are some ways that you can help your baby develop her language skills:

· Speak very slowly and clearly.

· Identify and point out items, objects and people as you talk about them.

· Use shorter sentences sentences.

· Using repetition when singing songs and nursery rhymes helps the learning process.

· Reading to your baby is a good idea and should be done as often as possible ? ask your baby questions and point things out to make the process as interactive as possible.

· Let your baby respond in his own way when communicating with her.

Seven months. Your baby is now continuing to learn how to use his newfound language skills. He may be able to do things such as wave goodbye and may accompany his wave with babbling sounds. He can say "mama" or "dada".

Eight months. Your baby is playing games such as pat a cake and peek-a-boo. Even though he can't speak the words that belong to these games, he can babble and talk to himself. It's likely that your baby knows what the word "No" means by now as well.

Nine to twelve months. It's possible that by now your baby understands requests and commands such as "give it" or "don't touch that". Similarly, she may understand simple questions such as "where's your rattle?" At this time you should be encouraging your baby to use gestures (and you should respond to them). For example if your baby indicates she wants to be picked up then say "you want to be picked up?" while picking her up. This helps the learning process. You should also talk about everything that you do, and use gestures (and short sentences) as you're doing them.

Here are some ways to help your baby with the learning process:

· Look at books and talk about the pictures in simple languages. Where possible try and use books that your baby is able to hold.

· Talk often to your baby using simple words to identify objects in his life. Name trees, numbers, colours, and animals as you take your baby for a walk. You should also use your baby's name often ? this way she will be able to recognise it.

· Talk back to your child when she talks with you.

· Introduce concepts to your baby, such as the "big" dog or the "little" mouse.

· Give your baby time to get his words out; don't be tempted to complete sentences for him.

· Continue to read to your baby as much as possible. Reading should be part of your daily routine.

· From day one start to talk in a simple, short and uncomplicated way with your baby ? even though she will not understand what you are saying this is laying the foundations for learning language.

Twelve months. After one year babies are generally able to say one or two words and are able to understand 25 words or more. For example if a person in the room asks, "where is daddy?" your baby will look for you. Your baby is also able to point at things (and ask for things in this way).

Keziah Engineer is the author of the best selling ebook "THE BABY CARE BOOK" ? a resource that teaches new parents absolutely everything they need to know about their newborn babies: http://www.global-ebooks.com/babybook.htm

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Finger-pointing begins as Senate nixes auto vote (AP)

AP - A Democratic Congress, unwilling or unable to approve a $25 billion bailout for Detroit's Big Three, appears ready to punt the automakers' fate to a lame-duck Republican president.

Fed sees economic woes persisting into next year (AP)

AP - Pounded by a fierce financial crisis, the country is sinking deeper into economic despair and is likely to be in the hole well into next year, forcing more Americans into the ranks of the unemployed.

Calif. Supreme Court to take up gay marriage ban (AP)

AP - California's highest court agreed Wednesday to hear several legal challenges to the state's new ban on same-sex marriage but refused to allow gay couples to resume marrying before it rules.

President-elect promised change, picking insiders (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama promised the voters change but has started his Cabinet selection process by naming several Washington insiders to top posts.

Bush set to relax endangered species rules (AP)

AP - Animals and plants in danger of becoming extinct could lose the protection of government experts who make sure that dams, highways and other projects don't pose a threat, under regulations the Bush administration is set to put in place before President-elect Obama can reverse them.

Arraignment set for Cheney, Gonzales in Texas (AP)

AP - A Texas judge has set a Friday arraignment for Vice President Dick Cheney, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and others named in indictments accusing them of responsibility for prisoner abuse in a federal detention center.

Astronaut who lost tool bag admits making mistake (AP)

AP - The astronaut who lost her tool bag on a spacewalk admitted Wednesday that she made a mistake by not checking to see if the sack was tied down, and said she's still smarting over the whole thing.

Herod may have been buried among lavish artwork (AP)

AP - King Herod may have been buried in a crypt with lavish Roman-style wall paintings of a kind previously unseen in the Middle East, Israeli archaeologists said Wednesday. The scientists found such paintings and signs of a regal two-story mausoleum, bolstering their conviction that the ancient Jewish monarch was buried there.

Publicist: Paris Hilton and Benji Madden split (AP)

AP - Paris Hilton and her boyfriend of nine months, Benji Madden, have broken up.

Terry leads Mavericks to 96-86 win over Rockets (AP)

AP - The Dallas Mavericks didn't need Josh Howard as much as the Houston Rockets missed Yao Ming on Wednesday night.

Global stocks hit 5-1/2 year lows (Reuters)

Reuters - A 6 percent fall in Asia pushed world stocks to their lowest in 5- years on Thursday, while oil fell below $53 and safe havens such as the yen gained on fears the global recession and a financial crisis will get uglier.

Weak Japan exports pile on economic gloom (Reuters)

Reuters - Japan's exports to Asia fell in October for the first time since 2002, showing that the fallout from the credit crisis has spread to neighbors such as China and adding momentum to investors' flight to the safety of cash.

Prospect for auto bailout dims as Senate races clock (Reuters)

Reuters - Chances dimmed that a last-minute plan being crafted by Republican senators, with White House support, to provide $25 billion to bail out U.S. automakers would receive enough backing from Democrats to pass before the end of this week.

Financials need at least $1 trillion: analyst (Reuters)

Reuters - The U.S. financial system still needs at least $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion of tangible common equity to restore confidence and improve liquidity in the credit markets, Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst Paul Miller said.

Obama taps Arizona governor for homeland security: report (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's top choice to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing multiple sources.

Oil falls more than $1 as crisis crimps growth (Reuters)

Reuters - Oil fell for a fifth straight session to approach $50 a barrel on Thursday as the fallout from the credit crisis hits the global economy, crimping demand for fuel.

Small businesses feel Wall Street's pain (Reuters)

Reuters - Wall Street's pain is rippling through U.S. small businesses, as bankers who once pulled in million-dollar bonuses lose their jobs and cut back spending on everything from parties to home improvements.

California court to hear gay marriage ban case (Reuters)

Reuters - California's Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a legal challenge against the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage and let the ban stand in the meantime.

Asian markets slide as economic gloom deepens (AFP)

AFP - Asian stocks tumbled Thursday as global economic gloom deepened following a plunge in Japanese exports and a warning from the Federal Reserve that the United States could be in recession next year.

Russia to send more warships to battle Somali pirates (AFP)

AFP - Russia announced Thursday it would send more warships to combat piracy in the waters around Somalia, as the Saudi owners of the Sirius Star negotiated with the pirates holding their oil tanker.

How To Talk To Your Baby ? And Understand What She?s Saying Back

Babies & Toddler Babies & Toddler