Infant Language Development

Critical Infant Language Development Periods

There is more and more evidence to support the fact that there are certain periods in a child's life in which the brain is better able to absorb language. Communication begins as soon as a baby is born, and if there are a lack of responses to an infant's attempts at communication, then his language development may suffer.

Important Sounds

Your newborn will soon be able to discern a barrage of important sounds in his world. These will include your voice, as well as your spouse's and other family member's voices. He'll also begin to notice the difference in voice tones, and he'll respond appropriately. This is another important step towards his infant language development.

First Communication

Your infant will begin to communicate through her cries soon after she is born. In as little as a week or two, you'll be able to pick up on what her different cries might mean. Before long, you'll recognize the difference between a hungry cry, a sleepy cry, and an overstimulated cry, and you'll be able to respond to those cries appropriately. When you do, you are communicating with your infant!

First Words

Your baby will attempt her first "words" at six to eight weeks of age. They won't be real words, but she'll attempt to vocalize a syllable or two by cooing at you. When she does and you respond, you'll be rewarded with a big smile on her face.

As she approaches her six to eight months' birthday, she may actually be able to babble "ma ma ma", or "da da da". She'll also do more and more babbling as she tries out new syllables and sounds every day.

Helping Your Infant

Did you know that your infant heard your voice before he was even born? Some parents talk to their babies while they are still in the womb, and others even play music and read stories to them.

Once your baby is born, there are lots of things you can do to encourage her language development.

1. It's fine to use a high-pitched sing-song voice. In fact, studies have shown that infants are more likely to respond to this type of voice rather than a normal voice.
2. Talk to your infant every day. Look into her eyes and talk to her about what you are doing, what she is doing, and what is going on in the world around her.
3. As soon as your pediatrician gives you the all clear, take your infant with you to the store, the park, the movies, your church, and anywhere else you might go. It is important to expose her to new experiences in the world around her.
4. Use common, every day words over and over, and point to objects as you name them.
5. Finally, read to your infant! You may want to start out purchasing books that are colored in red, white, and black, and as your baby grows, trade those in for brightly colored books.

Your child's first year of life will fly by. She'll learn new skills almost every day, and you'll be her most loyal cheerleader. Make every opportunity for her to learn something new count!