Parent and Baby

One of the most effective ways to stimulate your baby’s mind even while his is still in the womb is by talking to him. Studies have already confirmed that a baby inside the womb can already hear sounds from the outside world as early as four months to which he can recognize the sound after he is born. Talking to your baby is very important and most parents love to have a face-to-face conversation with their babies. When you have a face-to-face conversation with your baby, your baby will gaze into your eyes and coo and gurgle in response to what you are saying. It is intimate and most of all, fun.

Baby talk is an adaptation of adult talk which is invented by adults with the sole purpose of teaching little ones to talk. We all know how to talk to a baby and it is somewhat an instinct to us. There are people who claim that they don’t use baby talk but they really do, only unconsciously. Every language have its own version of baby talk and it is very important to a baby during the first year of his life.

Baby talk is not the same as babbling. When a baby babbles, he is actually practicing his vocal chords in preparation for talking. Baby talk is different from the talk we use on other people. Baby talk has a higher pitch, exaggerated range of pitches, shorter phrases and clearer pronunciation.

Babies will eventually learn how to speak and communicate properly without reverting to baby talk. Baby talk helps babies learn the language and they prefer to listen to our silly baby talk from birth. Due to the sing-song way of delivering it, babies will be able to distinguish it from the adult talk that is being used around him. It is also because of this that babies will give his whole attention to you when you talk to him. Aside from this, adults share a lot of positive emotions while talking to a baby when using baby talk. This kind of interaction enables babies to make a more meaningful connection between spoken words and emotions.

Although baby talk is encouraged, parents should also adjust their baby talk as the baby grows. The way parents talk to their child should also match the child’s developmental skill and age. Studies have shown that parents who gradually adjust their speech as their babies grow, have babies who at 18 months, have better understanding of word meanings.