Baby Talk Helps Babies Learn Words Faster - New Research

Baby Talk Helps Babies Learn New Words Faster 

New research by researchers at Washington State University have investigated whether " parentese" or  "baby talk" helped babies learn new words faster.

Like many scientists before them,  the researchers concluded that using " the special tones and repetitions of " baby talk" or " parentese" did help babies learn to say new words faster. But what is surprising is the difference - a whole 60%  difference.

And the importance of one-to-one parent-baby conversations is a big contributing factor too.

“What our analysis shows is that the prevalence of baby talk in one-on-one conversations with children is linked to better language development, both concurrent and future,”

So the benefits  are not just short-lived but are long-lasting.

In my book " How to Teach Baby to Talk" I describe techniques of using baby talk and one-to-one parent-baby interaction starting from the day they are born. This research confirms this is a better way to help babies learn to talk, than simply making sure babies hear a lot of adult conversation.

The focus of attention needs to be getting the baby's attention and making sounds that the baby is interested in.  A higher pitched voice and a sing song tone that adults find themselves using naturally is after all, the best course of action and it's so much fun!

When the babies were 2 years old, parents filled out a questionnaire measuring how many words their children knew. Infants who had heard more baby talk knew more words. In the study, 2-year olds in families who spoke the most baby talk in a one-on-one social context knew 433 words, on average, compared with the 169 words recognized by 2-year olds in families who used the least babytalk in one-on-one situations.

So don't let anyone tell you baby talk is harmful to babies. Share this article with anyone who tells you baby talk is bad for babies.

Read the full report here:

http://www.washington.edu/news/2014/01/06/babbling-babies-responding-to-one-on-one-baby-talk-master-more-words/

My First Baby Milestones -first words

According to many "my first baby" books and websites,  a lot is written about all the practical aspects of looking after a baby. These are very important  but sometimes the "my first baby" articles don't tell you that by talking to your baby you will have a happpier baby who frets and cries less.

As a first-time parent, you are probably wondering when your baby's cooing will develop into his or her first words. Other questions about communication will usually come up too . As soon as a baby is born,  the lips and tongue start to acquire the capability essential to form speech. Plus, the brain also begins to match things up with their corresponding names. You need to be patient, though, as babies normally pronounce their first real words at 11 months and onwards.

The rate at which babies acheive this milestone will vary. If you want your baby will get to this stagephase more quickly you have to make an effort to help him (or her) do so.  And there is nothing tough about it. As a matter of fact , there are many of uncomplicated and exciting things you can do to teach baby talk.

How Do Babies Learn to Communicate?

Really your little one is basically mastering the capacity to communicate day in and day out . Each and every time he or she cries , you typically do your best to make him (or her) feel far better. The way you react and the manner in which you react to your baby's noise-making generally set the groundwork for language and how you help baby talk

By two months, your child is already capable of responding to your cues. Your cues are the words you say. In addition, the higher-pitched way in which you speak keeps him/her entertained and encourages understanding of words and sentences. That's why each time you speak to your little one, he or she stares back at you and makes cooing sounds in response. It's in this way that infants talk with their parents.

By the time your little one turns six months old , he or she will normally begin to babble. This will be a sequence of sounds a little like words, but which don't necessarily mean anything . Baby babbling is the way babies love practising and  exercising  the muscles of the mouth which they will bring into use later when speaking genuine words.  At first, the sounds will only be made up of vowels like ah. ow, oh, ee, uh. After that, his or her nonsense words will then contain consonants like m,b,d, because these are the consonants infants find easiest to pronounce at first . Inside a few months, your child will attempt to mimic your words and other sounds.

How To Teach Baby to Talk

Match up things up with names. - At mealtime , forillustration, give the names for eating utensils like the plate, spoon, fork, cup and the like. Each time you say the word, point to or hold the item and repeat the word at least three times.

Have fun . - Playing games like "peek-a-boo" really reinforces listening, mimicking and taking turns -all of which are required facets of carrying out a conversation.

Read together. --In the beginning , your infant won't comprehend the words you say. Nevertheless, reading to your baby will encourage his or her senses and foster an everlasting fondness for books, which will be an outstanding foundation for later accomplishment at school.

Prattle back. -- Each time your child babbles, say something similar in reply. For instance, if he or she says "ba ba", you might copy him and say "ba ba" yourself, or reply with something like "Hey, boo boo." The fun you can have with silly sounds, in fact make learning a lot more enjoyable. Just remember to pause for a short time to let your little one babble back to get used to the pattern of a real conversation.

Sing. -- Babies, by nature, have a fascination for music. Singing, therefore, is a terrific way of introducing a wide array of sounds and words.   Songs with animal sounds are great because they will delight baby and you can have fun with the sounds long before baby can actually say words.

Your little one's first word is, definitely, an exciting milestone. Remember , though, that babies develop at unique rates. You may also find out more about how to teach baby to talk by reading the "language and communication" section of My First Baby books. Also, congratulate yourself when your baby reaches the first words milestone and appreciate that you helped to teach your baby to talk.

Teaching Babies to Talk - How We Talk to Babies Is Key

Recent Article on Babble.com confirms that how parents react to the noises and speech attempts a baby makes is key to baby speech progress.  When learning to talk babies need to learn what words mean and how mothers and fathers help them to do that is an important skill to learn.

The Science Of Talking To Your Baby 
A mom’s responsiveness to her baby’s talk and movements predicted the age at which the babies reached milestones like saying their first words, having 50 words in their vocabularies, putting two words together, and speaking in the past tense. Mom’s response predicted these milestones over and above the baby’s own vocalizations and gestures at those ages.

I followed this principle and other research findings closely when I wrote my ebook : " How to Teach Baby to Talk" and you can see the idea in use by a father here in this Youtube Video.
He begins trying to get the baby to copy him, then ends up copying the sounds the baby makes. But the important thing is they are having a conversation or interaction at the baby's level of development. The father is tuning in his baby talk to what makes the child happy and entertained.

My ebook " How to Teach Baby to Talk " gives tips and games to help with each stage of a baby's journey to learning to talk from birth to age three years.

Teaching babies to talk is getting popular

Reported in the New York Times that in Providence R.I. a " Talking to Babies" project is under way  thanks to a $5 million grand prize in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge. Bravely challenging the "no baby talk" myth, families will be encouraged by health professionals and social workers to talk to their babies in special ways.

"Another idea, however, is creeping into the policy debate: that the key to early learning is talking — specifically, a child’s exposure to language spoken by parents and caretakers from birth to age 3, the more the better. It turns out, evidence is showing, that the much-ridiculed stream of parent-to-child baby talk — Feel Teddy’s nose! It’s so soft! Cars make noise — look, there’s a yellow one! Baby feels hungry? Now Mommy is opening the refrigerator! — is very, very important. (So put those smartphones away!)"

The project is based on research by Todd and Risley which is also mentioned in my ebook "How to Teach Babies to Talk".

My downloadable ebook has been available since 2010 and the parents who have used it with children from birth to age three have expressed their delight in learning how to talk to their babies and report great progress in their child's responses. So  if you are not living in Providence you can still benefit from learning how to teach your baby to talk by reading my ebook.

Read the full article here

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/the-power-of-talking-to-your-baby/

Read about the ebook here
How to Teach Baby to Talk

Speech in children

Speech in Children

It is true that almost all children learn to speak eventually. Mainly speech in children develops simply by the child copying the parents, other family members and people the child meets on a daily basis. Some children learn to talk much earlier than others.  This can be because of differences in how the parents and adult caregivers talk to the child. 

Several research studies have found that the use of a special way of talking to babies called " parentese" or "motherese" or "child directed speech" helps babies to learn new words faster. "Parentese" appears to be a natural way for adults to talk to children; a kind of sing song, high pitched voice that concentrates on long drawn out vowel sounds. 

Sometimes this way of talking is referred to as "baby talk" but sometimes the term "baby talk" is also used for the way some adults talk to babies and toddlers using the immature words babies use when they are still learning how to speak correctly. The difficulty is that it isn't made clear which "baby talk" people refer to when they state whether it is useful or beneficial.

This way of talking to babies is found in countries around the world so it seems to be instinctive. From this it can be judged that "parentese" has been useful for the species as a way to develop speech in children. 

Researching speech in children is becoming easier with the development of hi-tech brain monitoring equipment which lets scientists monitor brian activity in very young babies. It has been shown now that babies prefer to listen to "baby talk". they prefer the higher pitched voice and focus on it in preference to normal adult speech patterns. So not only are parents hard-wired to use baby talk, babies and hard-wired to pay attention to it and that it is an important part of the development of speech in children.

Learn the best way to use baby talk when teaching babies to talk in the ebook Teach Baby to Talk

Teach Baby to Talk - Review

A favourable and detailed review of my ebook appeared on another blog.
Quote
"I was very pleased with the way it was written, as if I was having a conversation with somebody and they were answering my questions as i read through this book, and they reinforced some of the harder to grasp parts. Yes, I can honestly say there were a few things I found that shocked me! "     Read the whole review

Music for Babies Calms

Music for Babies Calms and Develops Babies' Brains

Music can definitely help calm your baby down and put him in a restful state at bedtime or nap time. What are some good choices for a baby?

Almost anything you love or use for relaxation is good for a baby too. There are good collections of Mozart, Vivaldi or Bach for bedtime. The music of Enya can be very soothing as well. Soft harp music is also relaxing and peaceful.

You've probably seen videos and CDs for babies. There are some theories that classical music can make your baby smarter, and exposing your baby to music is part of what we do to introduce them to all the sights and sounds of their world.

When your baby's awake, there are lots of nursery rhymes or music from kids' movies that can stimulate his senses. We've known kids who respond to minimalist Phillip Glass's music; it's simple and rhythmic and when they get older, they'll dance with it. Spirituals and soft gospel music are also good choices to help the baby get to sleep.

White noise, in the form of a fan (not directed right at the baby), or from sound machines that simulate the sound of an ocean or rain can be restful as well, and can block out noise from the home. You don't need to create an artificially silent environment for the baby, however, since that can make it harder for them to get to sleep when the home's rhythms and noises get back to normal.

 The same music that's helping your baby get to sleep can help soothe your own nerves and provide a wonderful time of bonding and restfulness for you and your baby together. So this is a great time for you to explore classical music as well, if it's not already part of your life.

Baby's First Words...teaching baby to talk

This video a perfect example of a mom and dad teaching a 2 and a half month old baby to say "oo". And they are so surprised when baby says it back to them! This is a great example of " baby talk" just for practice and pleasure.

When do babies start talking?

Many parents wonder when their baby will say their first words.

The age that babies start to say recognisable words differs hugely from one baby to another and depends on many factors. In the normal pattern of baby speech development, first words can generally be expected any time between ten and fifteen months. The important thing for parents to note is that most of the sounds babies make before a real word is produced have a purpose or meaning.

A baby's first cooing sounds - ah, oh and then later, with consonants added mah, gah, boh are the most skilful sounds a baby can make with the level of muscle development the baby has. But the baby is trying to communicate with you. When you repeat these sounds back to baby and smile, you are signalling that talking is important and that you enjoy and appreciate the sounds baby makes. After a time, you can find that baby will 'reply' by repeating the sound or making a different sound and then you find yourself having a 'conversation' with baby. What a great realisation for a baby - that a conversation means taking turns

Around six months, when baby starts to babble in a way that sounds like a foreign language, this is an exploring and practicing phase that lasts several months. The baby is happily discovering how to make different sounds and practicing stringing sounds together and there is no special meaning in those sounds.

If you have ever done an exercise program to get fit, you understand that the actions you do have only one purpose - to increase the strength of the muscles. So baby babbling is your baby's personal fitness program for strengthening the muscles in the mouth that will be used for talking. At this stage baby is not attaching any meaning to the sounds, but generally she or he will be delighted and entertained by the sound of his or her own voice!

If your baby is making sounds or is at the babbling stage, then please tell us about it by posting a comment below.
Click the blue "comment" word below to leave a comment, thanks.

Ella

You can read more about when babies start to talk at http://www.teachbabytotalk.com