Baby communication
How do babies learn to talk?
A baby learns to talk by listening to voices and sounds. So talk to your baby. Your baby will make sounds to tell you how she feels or what he wants. Babies develop at their own rate. Some babies will do things at a very young age, while others will take a little longer.
Do babies understand when we talk to them?
Babies do not understand the meaning of all the words we say at first. Babies are learning about sounds and words when we talk to them. Talk to your baby throughout the day. Your baby will learn about language and the world from your interactions with them.
How should I talk to my baby?
- Talk to your child in a high pitch and use a lot of intonation. Also, shorten and simplify your words and sentences; speak more slowly; pause between sentences; repeat the same phrases over and over; use facial expressions.
- Avoid using baby words (e.g.: “baba” for “bottle” or “daw-daw” for “dog”). Teach your child words that most other people will understand.
- Babble with your child. Teach your child real words by modeling real words, but have fun babbling back to your child too. Take turns babbling.
- Talk to your baby throughout the day – when you are washing, dressing, feeding, etc.
- Make sure that you always wait, look and listen to your child when talking to them. Take turns communicating. Be patient - give them at least 10 seconds to respond with sounds or gestures.
What should I talk to them about?
- Talk to your baby about what you are doing and show them what you are doing (e.g.: touch their arm. Say “I am washing your arm. Arm. This is your arm.”)
- Sing songs and nursery rhymes.
- Play simple games like “peek-a-boo” and ask “where’s mom?”. Say words like “on”, “off”, “hi”, “bye”, “more”.
- Show your child picture books and talk about what you see.
Find more information:
Success Sheet Baby
Frequently Asked Questions – Baby