Talking with Babies

Why talk with babies? They can`t talk with you! Some people think those ideas are true. Studies have show that the more we talk with babies, the better they will understand. Babies who hear lots of talk tend to use more words sooner. Children who can use a lot of words at age three, will be able to use even more words when they go to school. The whole idea is to talk, talk, talk with babies to set the stage for them to keep on talking as they grow up.

Great Times To Talk With Babies

Diapering ~ Tell baby what you`re doing before you sweep her away to the changing table. "I need to check your diaper now." As baby gets older, ask him to help you. You might say, "Lift your bottom so I can give you a clean diaper," and wait for him to do that.

Feeding ~ Always hold a baby when feeding her from a bottle. This is a great time to talk or softly sing to baby. Talk about what the baby is doing. "You're very hungry. Your milk tastes good." When baby pushes the bottle away, say to her, "You must be full. You're all done with your bottle."

Washing ~ Many infants and toddlers don't like to have their faces washed. Instead of making a sneak attack with a washcloth, give older babies and toddlers the chance to clean their own faces. Say to the child, "You have some applesauce on your chin. Would you like to wipe it?" Give the child the washcloth to try wiping on his own. Then you might say, "I'd like to help you finish cleaning your face." Then finish the job.

When you're holding a baby or walking with her ~ tell her the names of people and things around her. "You're watching John play with blocks." "See the tree in the picture." "Look at the baby in the mirror."

When a child is watching you ~ tell him what you're doing. "I'm washing the table so it's clean for us to eat snack."

As a child plays ~ talk to them about what hey are doing. "You have a red ball in your hand. Oops, the ball dropped."

During the day ~ talk about what the child sense. "The stuffed animal is soft." "Your milk is cold." "The paint is slippery on your fingers."

At happy and sad times ~ put infant and toddler's feelings into words. "You're mad because your ball rolled under the sofa and you can't reach it." "Yeah, you're so happy mommy is here."

When changes are needed ~ talk with the child about what he's doing, then direct them to a better activity. "You want to climb. Climbing on the table is not safe. Climb over here." "You like playing with the knobs on the TV. I'm afraid they will break. Come, we'll find a toy with knobs for you to play with."

When a child gets hurt ~ talk with the child about what happened and how they feel. "You bumped your head on the chair. That hurts." "Ouch, you scrapedyour finger on the carpet. That hurts."

When the child has a problem ~ talk with the child to see if she can solve the problem herself. If a toy rolls under a chair, you could say, "You're upset. Your toy rolled away. Try crawling under the chair to see if you can reach it."

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Pennsylvania Pathways
Developed by Lyn Horning, Better Kid Program
Dr. James E. Van Horn, Better Kid Care Program Director
Developed by Penn State Better Kid Program
Source: "Baby Talk" by Kathy Reschkea