Why Is it Important to Talk to Babies?

Why is it important to talk to babies?  Talking to babies before they are born helps them become familiar with the outside world, and bond to you.  Also, the sounds they hear will stimulate brain development.  After birth, it is important to talk to babies so they learn to communicate and speak well.

It is important to talk to babies before and after they are born since it:

• Stimulates their brain
• Prepares them for the future
• Bonds them to you
• Helps them learn

Talking to babies strengthens the emotional bond between you and prepares them for life on the outside.  The baby will be exposed to a lot of different sounds, but will come to recognize voices.  Talk to him and let him know what is in store.  Tell him you love him and can hardly wait to meet him.  A voice can be very soothing, both inside and outside the womb.

Talk to the baby before and after birth. It is not silent inside the womb.  The baby can hear your stomach gurgling, your heart beat, and the swooshing sounds of the placenta.  Starting at about six months, the baby can also hear sounds from the outside.

A baby is growing new cells and nerves all the time.  When the auditory nerves are stimulated, that sets up more pathways that will assist in communication.  While listening to speech, the baby will:

• Start identifying patterns in speech that will aid his development
• Be better prepared for the next stage of his life.

Because of this, many people recommend playing classical music, especially Mozart, for your baby.  It stimulates the senses and the brain.  Of course, you can play other music as well, but classical music should be played sometimes.

After the baby is born you can help your baby’s development by interacting with him or her:

• If you push or rub gently, sometimes you will get a push back.
• Stimulating their skin will also help their development in the same way as talking
• By increasing pathways between nerves and strengthening them.

So, find a foot or shoulder to rub and communicate physically with your baby.

Communicating after Birth

Why is talking to babies important after birth? So they start developing language skills and this will continue after birth.  A brand new baby can only communicate through crying and it is essential that you respond to him or her. Those responses:

• Build your relationship
• Show the child that there is a response to his or her actions
• Help the baby develop language skills

It is important to continue talking to the baby and mimic her when she is trying to talk.

When talking to your baby, speak clearly and put emotion into your speech. Here are some more tips on how to talk to your baby.

• Make eye contact a lot.  If she smiles and looks back, keep talking.
• Use her name when talking to her, as well as the words “mommy” and “daddy.”
• Speak simply and mimic her expressions and sounds.  That is part of communication.
• Ask questions even though the baby can’t answer.
• Talk about what you are doing; bathing, dressing, walking, etc.
• Have conversations with the baby even if he or she can’t respond.  If you say something, the baby coos or makes a noise, and then you make the same noise and say something else, the two of you are communicating.  A baby learns patterns of speech and sounds way before she makes words and sentences.  This will get her started out right.  

Read and sing to your baby.  Reading material can be anything as long as your voice is lively and interesting.  Finger plays and songs with actions are especially good, like a clapping songs or Pat a Cake.