Interacting with your baby

From the day they’re born, your baby is ready to communicate. Even if they don’t recognize words yet, your intonation conveys all sorts of emotions. When they’re only a few days old, an infant can distinguish between all the speech sounds of every possible language. They lose this ability at about 10 to 12 months as they start to learn their mother tongue(s).

Babies want to interact

At birth, your baby can only see a short distance. They’re very interested in your face and will follow it with their gaze if you’re very close. They also enjoy hearing your voice.

At around 2 to 3 months, your baby starts to smile and make vocalizations. This is their way of communicating with you! Feel free to respond with words and gestures. Your baby also wants to meet your gaze, knowing intuitively that eye contact is part of human interaction.

What’s more, as they grow, your little one learns the art of conversation through interactive play. Peek-a-boo tends to be a favourite game between the ages of 6 and 18 months. When you disappear and reappear, your baby responds to your cues and waits for your response.

At around 6 months, your baby begins to focus on your lip movements when you speak. They’re getting ready to talk. They start to imitate your gestures, like clapping, and eventually, to say words.

Understanding your baby’s communication cues

Before they can talk, your baby uses smiles, gestures, and cries to communicate with you. Pay attention to their cues and try to put what they’re expressing into words. For example, you could say, “Milk? Do you want milk?”

Once your child learns to point around 9 to 12 months, their desires and interests become much clearer. Your baby points to things they find interesting or want and wait for you to react. Sometimes they make sounds as well. For example, they may point to a toy out of reach and make an insistent sound, like “ah, ah!”.

Try to verbalize what you think they’re trying to say. For instance, you could say, “A truck, yes! I see it too,” or “Do you want me to give you the little train? Here’s the little train.” This will help your baby learn to communicate with words.

Your little one’s first words aren’t always easy to understand, so they use gestures and actions to get their message across. For example, they may say “tuck” while reaching for their toy truck that’s out of reach. Do your best to put what they’re expressing into words. Make sure to include the word you think they’re trying to say.

Speak slowly and clearly so they have a good model to follow. It’s perfectly normal for your child to mispronounce their first words.

Talk to your baby often

It’s important that you speak to your little one throughout the day. For example, you can narrate what you’re doing while bathing, changing, or feeding them. By regularly naming the objects in your environment and the things you do, you’re supporting their language development. Even though they can’t talk yet, the words you say are stored in their memory for later.

Feel free to add information to enrich your interactions and help your baby understand you. Use simple but complete sentences like, “The truck is driving fast,” or, “You’re eating carrots.”

When talking to your little one, you can also use gestures or actions to make things clearer. For example, when you say, “It’s time for lunch,” you can pretend to eat.

Things to keep in mind

• Your baby is born with the skills they need to interact and express their needs.
• Be attentive to their communication cues and try to put their wants and interests into words.
• Talk to your baby often about what you’re doing throughout the day. The words you say will be stored in their memory for later in their development.

Scientific review: Marie-Ève Bergeron-Gaudin, M.Sc., Speech-Language Pathologist Research and copywriting: The Naître et grandir team Updated: August 2020

Photo: iStock.com/kaisphoto