Your infant is listening to you.
Your infant is listening to you. At just 3 days old, without understanding what it means, infants can pick out individual words from speech a University of Manchester study has proven.
From birth your baby absorbs a huge amount of information about words and talking just from listening and watching you talk.
Later, they will will coo, smile, laugh, make more sounds and move their body to communicate with you.
This interaction strengthens your relationship and helps them learn more about the world at the same time.
Parents who talk to their babies about everyday things use different sounds and words. When children hear a lot of different words, it increases the variety of words they understand.
Excellent for their language and communication development.
Talking with babies helps their brains develop and can help children do better at school when they’re older.
You don’t need to make a special time for talking. You can talk to your baby about hanging out the washing, preparing meals or whatever is happening around you. Any and all talking is good for your baby or toddler, so try to talk as much as you can during the day.
Tips for talking with infants
* Reduce distractions. Turn off background noise to just ‘be present’ to talk to your child.
* Talk about an experience you shared – for example, ‘It’s sunny today. But remember the rain yesterday?
* If you use complex words, explain them by describing. For example, ‘We’re going to see the paediatrician – a special doctor who knows all about babies and children’.
* Ask a question or make a comment about something you are doing, giving baby time to process.
* Use natural pauses teaching ‘give and take’ in conversation. Baby will eventually fill these pauses when language develops.
* Read and tell stories daily from birth, if you can. Baby will learn this is when you enjoy a special time together.
Living the good life in retirement, a Stuff-Metlifecare partnership
Kia ora team
Our special partnership with Metlifecare continues, and we have some great content to share with readers about people living their best lives in retirement.
This issue we look at some of the worthwhile volunteer roles retirees are filling in our communities, learn about mindfulness at any age, and check out some Kiwi beach travel options while the good weather lasts.
Don’t forget to try out our nostalgia quiz - it’s for anyone who wants to test the Kiwi knowledge they’ve picked up over the past four, five, six or more decades.
Joanna Davis
Homed Editor
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