How important is it to communicate and interact with our babies? According to research very important. Just this week, I read an article in babytalk magazine that stresses the importance of such. William Sears,M.D. writes that the way we talk to our babies can actually help boost brain power and future learning ability. Motherese, the talk in which we raise our voices, talk slower, and exaggerate sounds, is actually helpful to our babies. And it's not just for mothers. I notice my older kids and Daddy doing it, too. Wait until they find out that they are helping the baby develop neural pathways.
Dr. Sears writes-
"Every time you speak to your infant, those new pathways build the tot's mental foundation for learning other things. The more neural pathways that are developed-and maintained-early on, the more your child will be able to learn later."My husband and I started interacting with our baby right away and I remember the girls asking me why if he didn't understand or couldn't respond. Now they see that the more we interact with him, the more he develops and responds. While changing his diaper or dressing him, I talk to him about what I am doing. Another idea is to talk to the baby while folding clothes- name the items of clothing and/or the colors of the items.
As he got older, I would pause to give him time to react. This actually lays the foundation for conversation and gives the baby the opportunity to vocalize even if it is just coos and goos. In today's video, I captured some interacting time between Daddy and baby. You'll notice how my husband gives the baby time to participate and boy does he!
For more information about this topic, visit:
Experts: Talking to your baby can build language skills
Developmental Milestone: Talking
Baby Talk-Wikipedia
Have fun talking to you baby!
Jen
Jen -- Great post! I'm always astounded at the amount of research showing the huge impact of language and vocabulary on reading success. Amazing.
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Melissa of Imagination Soup :)
Off topic but how do you do your shot schedule for the kids. I know he has a Alternative Vaccine Schedule and it something I'm interested in but I dont anyone who does it
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more! Interacting with babies is crucial toward their development and well-being. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe more you talk and interact with your baby, the more she or he will talk and interact with you as they grow! Keep it up all through life!
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