Five Tips for Talking to Your Baby
Integrate these simple routines and help build baby’s vocabulary.
1. Include movement and stay close. Your baby will be engaged if you are right there and communicating with your whole body. Look into his eyes and use your hands to tell him you are talking just to him.
2. Slow down and add tone and sound. Use a sing-song voice and let your baby hear each wonderful word. Adding non-word sound effects will bring a smile to her face.
3. Listen and add. When your child says a simple sentence, repeat it back with some added detail or words. So if he says "Mama give," answer, "Mama will give the ball to baby."
4. Expand on interests. Use the subjects that your baby is familiar with to introduce more related words. For instance, if flowers delight your child, she will enjoy hearing (and seeing) new kinds of flowers, as well as learning the names for the different parts like roots, leaves, and petals.
5. Bring on the books. It's never too early to begin reading to your child. At this age, reading anything from the newspaper to chapter books is great — just keep your reading style engaging. You'll be introducing new vocabulary while also letting her hear a style of language different from regular conversation.
