Baby Talk – How to Interpret the Sounds

Moms just seem to know instinctively what their baby wants. From the earliest of ages moms and dads alike learn how to comprehend the various cries that their little one has. Are they crying for attention? Are they hungry? Do they want to be held? Or, are they just tired? Navigating through this earliest form of communication can help parents and caregivers understand their bundle of joy and how to take care of them

By paying close attention to babies, their caregivers learn the child’s cues. As the child ages, the cues become more distinct. Originally, a baby may have had an exasperated cry when they were hungry, but over time the child will put a different sound with the need. The best way for parents to interpret the sound is to help the child form them. For instance, once the baby is home from the hospital the parent or caregiver can say “milk,” or whatever word they choose, when they are feeding the baby. The baby will assimilate that word with the action of eating and will try to say the word when they are hungry. While it might not sound like the word originally said, the baby will continue to use that word.

More often than not “mom” or “mama” is baby’s first word. This happens because when moms talk to their new baby they refer to themselves as mom and that is a word they hear often. The more often they hear the word, the more the child will try to imitate the sound.  Children learn words as well as have the ability to mimic them at different speeds. The more you work with a child, the sooner they will be able to repeat the words.

Babies talk or babble to hear their voices, but they also put purpose behind those first syllables. The only way to know what a baby is saying is to spend a great deal of time with them and help them create their own language. This is why even as children grow up, mom and dad understand what their 2-year-old is saying, but grandma and grandpa need a translator.

Babies are capable of learning a lot from an early age. Their brains are like sponges. To help increase your child’s vocabulary use repetition. Think of the keywords that will help you as parents and focus on those. Important words to teach might include: mom, dad, milk, wet, owie and tired. The list can increase over time to be helpful to the parents.

Another type of useful communication for babies is sign language. There are many good books on the topic, which demonstrate simple hand gestures that help your child communicate. Many daycare centers have joined the sign language movement to increase communication between babies and their caregivers. It’s important that if you do decide to use sign language, make sure all of your child’s caregivers are aware of the signs. You don’t want them to think your child is waving at them when they are signing with the purpose of communicating.