Play! Sing! Talk! Read! Write! Gadsden: Babby Babble? Nope, That's Talking

Babby Babble?

Just as Marlin tells Squirt in Finding Nemo, “Look, you're really cute, but I can't understand what you're saying,” we believe babies and toddlers appear to sound just as incomprehensible. But if you think that babies’ babbles are just noise, then you are wrong.

Nope, That's Talk

According to Deborah L. Bennett, baby sounds are cute and funny, but they also represent important developmental milestones in speech, motor, cognitive and social development. Babbling develops in stages, each stage indicating steps to speech. Speech is one of the most complex motor acts that humans do (Bennett). It involves the coordination of breathing, voicing, articulation and resonance – hundreds of muscles working together with millisecond timing (Bennett).

What you should know

If the stages of babbling are delayed or absent, or if first words do not emerge by 15 months, the baby should be referred to an early intervention speech and language pathologist for evaluation.

By six months, your baby's "oohs" and "aaahs" are beginning to morph into vowel-consonant combos, like "da-da" and "ma-ma" ("Chatting Up Baby"). It's unlikely that your baby attaches any meaning to his babbles, but these sounds are important nonetheless; he's practicing the mouth movements he'll need to produce real words one day, and building the brain cells that'll help him make the leap from thinking to talking ("Chatting Up Baby").

To help boost both receptive language (understanding what he hears) and expressive language (saying his own words), keep talking (and talking and talking) to your little one. Speak slowly, clearly, and simply, so your baby can begin to pick out actual words from the steady stream he's hearing. Emphasize individual words over and over again, especially those for familiar objects: "Let's play with your ball. Here is your ball, your red ball. We can roll the ball back and forth!" Try teaching him simple commands, such as "kiss mommy" or "pet doggie." He probably won't be able to comply on his own at first, but if you show him patiently what you mean, he'll eventually perform (and how thrilled you'll both be then!). Keep your baby interested in his own prattling power by repeating his sounds back to him. When he says "ga-ga-ga," respond with your own enthusiastic "ga-ga-ga," He'll love the attention — and get in the habit of imitating your real words too ("Early Language Skills").

Ways to Encourage Baby Talk from “Chatting Up Baby”

Pop Quiz. Ask lots of questions ("Should we walk to the park or the library?" "Do you think Grandma would like this birthday card with flowers on it, or this one with the birds?"). Then follow up with an answer ("Yes, I think Grandma would like these pretty birds"). Yup, you're talking to yourself, Mom, but you're also modeling the give-and-take of conversation.

Moment of Silence. While keeping up a steady stream of speech helps your baby beef up on vocabulary, she also needs time to try her own hand (or mouth, rather) at talking. When she starts yakking, pause, look at her face, and really listen as she tries to master an "mmm" or an "ahhh." She'll be delighted that you're paying such close attention.

Play-by-Play. Stumped for a topic of conversation? Just tell your baby what you (and she) are doing. "Mommy is zipping up Allie's jacket — zzzip! — to keep Allie nice and warm. Now let's put on some mittens — one, two — and a cozy hat. How about this one with the purple flowers?" Does she know what you're saying? Not yet — but she will soon!

Surround Sound. What's that noise? Point it out to your baby -- "Listen, a doggy is barking!" or "I hear a car going zoom, zoom down the street." This is great practice for the toddler and preschool years, when you'll want her to have good "listening ears" — that is, ears that both hear, and heed, your rules.

Story time. Books are a super source of new words for a baby. Try nursery rhymes, sturdy board books, even whatever's on your own nightstand (Hey, reading to your baby may be the only chance you get to dig into a novel, so go for it!).

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