Learning to Communicate with your Baby

You might think talking doesn’t start until your baby is older. In fact, babies communicate from birth through crying, eye contact, and listening. 

When you talk and communicate with your baby, you build baby’s language – and your relationship too.

As well as crying, your baby uses eye contact to communicate with you, listening intently to every word and sound you make. Your baby might gaze into your face and watch your mouth.

Listening and watching you talk helps your baby understand the basics of communicating. In fact, your baby absorbs a huge amount of information about words and talking from birth.

As babies grow, they start to make more sounds, smile and wave their arms and feet around. They’re getting the idea of conversation and want to tell you all sorts of interesting things. If you listen and respond to your baby’s murmurs, baby is likely to babble and gurgle more.

There are play ideas to help with talking:

• Try ‘parentese’. Your baby will love watching your eyes sparkle and your mouth stretching out around words.
• Talk about what you’re doing. For example, ‘We’re going to give you a nice warm bath now. You like your bath, don’t you?’ Talk in any language, or switch between different languages. It all helps your baby learn about words and talking.
• Sing songs and rhymes. This is a fun way to help your baby’s language skills develop. In the car, in the bath, at bedtime – even if it’s off-key. Your baby will love the rhythm of the words and will be soothed by your voice.
• Listen to your baby’s first efforts at babbling and then respond. Leave a gap when it’s your baby’s turn to talk again. This teaches your baby about the pattern of conversation. If your baby doesn’t take a turn, or isn’t interested in chatting right now, try again another time. Let your baby’s interest and responses guide you.
• Name the toys and objects around you. For example, ‘Look, these are your socks. We’re going to put them on your feet, aren’t we?’

Make photos of your communication with the baby, upload to the App. Write briefly about the process.