Skip the Baby Talk

One important rule to follow when speaking to babies is to skip the baby talk.  Parents and caregivers should understand that their babies are working very hard to understand the language that surrounds them.  They are looking for patterns and continuity to understand what words mean and how to use them.  By speaking baby talk to our babies, we are teaching them a foreign language that is completely useless.

Babies learn language best when spoken to in parentese.  Parentese is child-directed speech.  It is the way most people naturally speak to babies.  It is speaking slowly and clearly.  Usually parents speak with a higher-pitch when talking to babies.  This is what babies need to thrive in their language development.

Parents should also use big words when talking to their babies.   Your baby has the ability to easily learn vocabulary from birth to five.  If you provide a rich language environment for your baby, your baby will have a rich vocabulary.