Talking and explaining helps your baby to understand. While you might feel silly talking to your baby, research shows that when you imitate and respond to your baby’s sounds, it helps him learn language.
What is that noise? Have you heard some strange shrieks coming from your baby? She is trying different sounds to see what sounds get the attention she wants. Keep listening! You may hear certain tones of voice and sentence patterns in your child’s babbling. Your baby may be getting ready to say her first word soon! Your baby may have a sound like “ba,” that he uses for many different things. These “words” indicate that talking isn’t far away. Between 9-12 months, don’t be surprised to find a real word or two mixed in with the babbling. Use hand motions and actions to help your baby understand what you mean. Point to different objects. Say the word as you point. Point to show what direction you want your baby to go.

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