Speech: helping your baby to talk

Help baby learn how to apply words by describing and talking about things actually in front of her, so she can make the connections.

• One of the first kinds of words that your baby learns are label words identifying the names of things. So in conversations with your baby stress the names of objects and repeat them frequently. When you are feeding your baby talk repeatedly about the spoon and the food. Make a special effort not to use pronouns. Say “I'll get your coat” instead of saying “I'll get it”. Your child is learning the difference between herself and other people so use her name constantly rather than “you”. “Where are Harriet's shoes?” “Harriet and Mummy will go into the car”.

• Don't expect too much of your baby's pronunciation - if she can't say a word properly but you understand what she means don't make her try to say it perfectly. She'll only get frustrated.

• Go to some effort to understand her own private, invented words or ones that are mispronounced. If she is trying to explain something to you, go through all the alternatives until you find the word that she actually wants. Her pleasure in having communicated with you when you find it will be enormous and will encourage her to try again.

• Help your baby to learn about how to apply words by describing and talking about things that are actually in front of her. Your baby can then make the connection between an object and what you're talking about if you repeat the word, especially if she can see, hold, touch and play with it. So, while you are playing with a ball, repeat the word ball as often as you can, and also discuss the innate properties of a ball - that it's round, and it will roll and bounce.

• In teaching your baby to talk you really have to be something of an actor. You must bring drama and interest to what you are saying. This means exaggerating your pronunciation and your intonation. Make it clear that you're asking a question. Show when you're pleased and when you're serious.

• Your baby learns language from you more easily than from any other person but don't expect her to pick it up from the general babble of adult conversation. She won't be able to distinguish single sounds and sentences. Always stop what you are doing and look at your baby when she “talks” to you. Pay her the compliment of listening to her efforts when she tries to talk back.

• Ask your baby questions like “Where's your teddy?” and “Was that nice?” She may not be able to answer you initially but she'll understand what you're saying and may well point or nod.

• Don't oversimplify what you say to your baby - she needs the stimulation of adult speech, not a kind of pulpy baby talk.

• Take advantage of your baby's interests by talking about things on which she is already concentrating. She may not be interested in a story about a fictional character, but she will be riveted by a story in which she is the central character. She may not be particularly interested in animals but she will be fascinated by all animals if they are discussed in terms of mothers and babies because she can relate to that.

• Encourage her to use the few words that she has learned by using them in your conversations. She will be delighted to hear her own primitive conversation coming back at her, and this will encourage her to be adventurous with speech and to try out new words.

• Never, ever scold or correct early errors of pronunciation or understanding. With my own children I found some of these so charming that I left them uncorrected until quite a late age. In our house we all said “aterator” for radiator, “gamilla” for vanilla, and “binoclickers” for binoculars.

Bi-lingual babies

Children thrive on having two languages to learn. When young babies are learning to talk they can make all linguistic sounds. They find a new language much easier than we do. It also seems to be quite easy for them not just to pick them up, but also to think and speak in two languages. I remember watching my young godchild looking from her French mother who was speaking French to her English father who was speaking English. She was just two and a half years old; but she replied to her mother in French and her father in English. I would encourage exposing children to more than one language.

Spotting if something is wrong in baby talks

Don't worry if your baby doesn't speak in her first year. As in everything else, children develop speech at different rates. But if your child is still not speaking by the time she's two and a half you need expert help. If deficient hearing is responsible it's crucial to have the faults sorted out before she starts nursery or primary school. If it's a speech defect go to the best paediatric department, where there are therapists for children with speech disorders. Many problems can be sorted out if identified early enough.

Dr Miriam Stoppard

New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard

Posted 30.06.2010

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