Page 50 - Mother & Baby - UK (March 2020)

LE ARN I N G

TO TALK
Special

0-6 months

Babies can’t do anything for themselves when
they’re born. They need you to feed them,
cuddle them, help them to sleep… ‘So, it’s no
surprise that they have a strong motivation to
communicate what they want,’ says Annie. Hold
‘They need it to survive!’ Right from the her close
get-go, your baby’s cries are trying to tell you
Yourbaby can’tseeveryfarwhenshe’s
something. ‘In the first few weeks, the noises
tiny,butshe’s abletofocusonyourfacewhen
your baby makes when she cries will probably you’reholding herinyourarms.Inthisposition
just sound piercing and strained,’ says Annie. she’sabletosee, feelandsmellyou.Spend time
‘She’s learning to use her voice and you’re alonewithher, lookingatherandchatting. It’s

learning to interpret it. But as the weeks go by, awonderful opportunityforyourbabyto
if you listen very carefully, you’ll gradually watch you andfocusonthesounds
start to hear that there are differences in the you’remaking.
cry: your baby is using a variety of noises to
indicate what she wants.’
Newborns always have a hearing test –
either carried out before you leave hospital
or done by a health professional in the first

few weeks of your youngster’s life. ‘This is
really important because, if babies can’t hear
sounds, they can’t copy them,’ says Annie.
Copying is one of the skills babies use to learn
language. And it’s not just sounds that babies
imitate – it’s also the way our mouth, face and
eyes move when we talk. As time progresses,
listen out for your baby starting to make a few
gentle open vowel sounds, such as ‘ooh’ and

‘ah’. ‘It doesn’t take much strength in the
tongue, jaw or lips to make these sounds, so
they’re the ones that come first,’ says Annie.
‘By five to six months this cooing turns into
a babbling sound that is more rhythmic.
This shows that she’s enjoying the sound
of her own voice, which is important for
developing language skills, and she’s trying
out the sounds that she hears.’ Here’s what
you can do to help her…

Have
daily sayings
Whenyou have a baby, therearesome
thingsyoudoevery day: you change hernappy,you
feedher,youputher in her cot. ‘Each dailyroutineisa Think
richopportunityforcommunication,’ says Annie.‘Ifyouuse tummy talk
thesamewordstodescribe each experience,eachtime, time
yourbabywillbecome attuned to those words.So,say, Yourbabymay notbeafanoftummytime,but
“nappytime!”every time you change her.And
there’sasimplewaytomakeherhappieronthefloor
reinforce the word “nappy”bytappinghernappy andtobuildherlanguageskills–getdowntherewith
whenyousayit. Keepitsimple:youjustwant her!‘Ifyoulieon yourtummy,facingyourbaby, it
twotothreewordsforeachaction,suchas motivateshertoraiseherheadandlookatyou,’says
“Bedtime!”,“Let’shavemilk!”and Annie.‘Thisbuildshermuscles,whichsheneeds
“Let’sgoout!”’
foreatingas well as for rolling, crawling
andwalking, and it’s a great opportunity
to talk face-to-face.’
48 | March 2020 | mothe ra ndbaby.co.uk