HOW TO TALK

WITH YOUR BABY

right from day one

healthiest baby
Babies are such a
nice way to start
people.”
Don Herold
 hey moms,

In the following pages, we’ll be talking about ways to

tap in to your baby’s natural desire to learn and

communicate with you. But I want to be very clear—-you

don’t need to be playing with your baby all day long

and you don’t need to worry about missed play

opportunities. We’re not trying to fast track your baby’s

development or rush through each of these wonderful

stages.

How To Talk To Your Baby is about how to engage your

baby and fold effective learning opportunities into your

usual daily routines and activities.

Let’s get going…

Babies learn with their senses. They use their eyes,

mouth, nose, ears, and hands to explore their world. A

little one observes things with her eyes, listens to

sounds with her ears, checks things out with her mouth,

and feels things with her hands. Helping your baby use

all of her senses helps her learn and grow.

when to play with your
baby?
Before birth, babies learn about language from

their moms. This happens earlier than thought.

The building blocks (sensory and auditory

hearing mechanisms) are developed by 30

weeks gestation.

Babies are listening during the last 10 weeks of

pregnancy. It’s been shown that newborns

prefer to listen to the language they heard in

the womb. By hearing speech patterns and

rhythms in the womb, your baby is learning

about language.

My favourite discovery however is that some

babies respond to songs and stories they heard

in the womb. Since a fetus can’t really hear

words clearly, books with a strong sense of

rhythm and intonations are ideal.

 talk, talk, talk

Talk, talk, talk to your baby. It might feel

really goofy to do this at first. But talking to

your newborn and narrating a lot of what

you do, helps boost your baby’s language

development. You don’t need to talk about

politics or climate change, you just need to

talk with your baby.

It might feel really goofy to do this at first. . . but

talking to your newborn, and narrating a lot of

what you do, helps boost your baby’s language

development. You don’t need to talk about

politics or climate change, you just need to talk

with your baby.

Notice I said talk ‘with’ your baby, and not ‘to’ your

baby. That’s because very soon, your baby will

start to respond to you. For instance, she may

stop sucking on her pacifier to focus on you. Or

around 6 - 8 weeks of age, she’ll smile a delicious

big grin when you’re talking with her. This is when

your narration will become a conversation.

Get in the habit of chatting about what you’re

doing, thinking, or planning to do right from Day 1.

This will expose your baby to loads of words and

prepare her for give-and-take conversations.

If you want to dive deeper into why this is

important google Thirty Million Words Initiative.

Your words builds your baby’s brain.

Whether your baby is one day, one month, or one

year old- talking with him boosts language, brain,

and social development. Notice how I say talk with

your baby. It’s not just a matter of rattling on, it’s

about engaging with your baby. Even very young

babies can socialize and interact with you. In

general, talk a little slower, sound happy, use real

words, and exaggerate your highs and lows.

Honestly, I think this is just pretty much how most of

us naturally talk to a baby.

Here are a few different ways
to talk with your baby:

Chat about what you’re doing, “Okay, now we’re going to change

your diaper.”

Show your baby things, “Hey, look at the doggy.”

Read to your baby. It’s never too early to start.

Use specific activities for talk-time. For instance, use diaper

changes or folding laundry as talk-time. You can simply talk to your

baby about what you’re doing.

Talk WITH your baby by repeating the sounds they make.

Leave pauses when you talk to give your baby a chance to respond

in her own way.

Sometimes, talk non-stop. I do this when I’m trying to calm a baby

down. I just chatter away using a sing-song kind of voice until she

stops crying.

Use big words. It’s a good habit and you might as well start now.

Look your baby in the eyes and hold her close, especially if you’re

trying to calm her down.

Sing to your baby.

Use repetition, its how babies grow their vocabulary

According to a recent study, using adult speech with a different

cadence boosts language development. Speaking slower, using

higher highs and lower lows appears to be beneficial. In essence,

you are simply exaggerating your intonation. Speak slower so the

little guy has a chance to interact with you. Actually, pause as you

speak and this allows your baby an opportunity to respond. A

baby may talk with you by making a shape with his mouth, by

sticking out his tongue or making a noise. Either way, mimic your

baby’s response or sound to encourage further conversation.

It might feel really goofy to do this at first, but talking to your

newborn and chatting away helps boost language development.

For instance, chat with your baby as you empty the dishwasher

and say something like, “Okay, now we are going to put the dishes

away. Then count 1, 2, 3 as put each one away…” He'll know his

numbers really early with this approach. And believe it or not, it’s

not too early to build math skills.

Get in the habit of chatting about what you’re doing, thinking, or

planning to do, right from Day 1. This will expose your baby to loads

of words and prepare her for the give-and-take of conversation. If

you want to dive deeper into why talking to your baby is important,

google Thirty Million Words Initiative.

 please note
Earlier I said talk ‘with’ your baby, and not ‘to’ your baby.

That’s because given the opportunity, your baby will start

to respond to you. Early on, she may stop sucking on her

pacifier to focus on you. Or around 6 - 8 weeks of age,

she’ll dole out a sweet smile. Keep your eyes open for

the subtle ways your baby is interacting with you and

narration will turn into a conversation.

 make eye contact

Babies speak with their sweet eyes. Researchers showed that when a

baby gazed at his mother, his brainwaves aligned with hers. Synching

brain waves was associated with babies making more of an effort to

communicate. In other words, it’s thought that eye contact boosts a

baby’s learning and communication skills. Making eye contact with a

little one is something we all do naturally, but it’s nice to know that it

can make such a difference.

Baby talk holds a baby’s attention longer and helps

individual words stand out, which makes processing

language a more manageable task. Baby talk is

spoken slower which makes it easier for infants to

learn. Baby talk is one of those amazing habits that

actually boosts your baby’s brain power.

I don't want to sound preachy but it's

important to put down your phone, make

eye contact, and be 100% present with

your baby for a period of time each day.

 This is amazing . . .

Did you know that a newborn can copy you? If you

stick out your tongue, he’ll stick out his. How does

a baby know that what he sees in your face

actually relates to his own? How does he even

know he has a tongue? I don’t know the answer to

these questions, but it tells me we probably grossly

underestimate babies.

Observe your baby closely, to get a better picture of what she is

capable of. And the more time you take to observe your baby closely,

the better you’ll become at reading the subtle ways she responds to

the world around her. The more accurately you can read and

understand the little lady, the more relaxed and confident you’ll feel

looking after her.

 tip

Babies get bored and become overstimulated.

Consider both of these possibilities when your

baby is fussing.
 before we part
ways . . .

I know being a new mom is really hard. There are so

many adjustments and it’s exhausting. But if there’s one

thing I’ve learned after working with parents for more

than a quarter of a century, it’s that you can do this!

You’re stronger than you think.

about
the
author
 Hi!
I'm Dr Cathryn
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a

mom of four, a pediatrician with 30 years

experience, the author of two parenting

books, and the person behind

@healthiest_baby. My passion is teaching

new parents how to give their baby the

healthiest start possible. One thing most

people don’t know about me is that I was a

trained midwife before going to medical

school.
 notice

This e-book is intended as a reference volume only,

not as a medical manual. The information given
here is designed to help you make informed
decisions about your child's development. It is not
intended as a substitute for any kind of treatment
that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If
you suspect your baby may have a medical or a
developmental problem, I urge you to seek
competent medical help.

2020 by dr cathryn m.d.