How to Support Communication Ways of an Infant?
Communication usually starts after birth with the first cry. The first year after birth is crucial in the life of an infant. Starting from crying to babbling to mama, dada, boo, they tried to communicate with loved ones around them to meet their needs and build a connection with loved ones. We can respond to baby communication in different ways like tapping, smiling, mimicry, reading, and talking to the baby.
Why do you need to focus on communication ways of infants? Early language skills play an essential role in developing in developingriting, reading, and social communication skills in childhood and later in the life of a baby
How do infants communicate?
Different ways of communication that can be easily understandable by parents or caregivers:
- Sounds (crying, shrieking, cooing, babbling)
Among these, crying is the primary way of communication because it is associated with hunger, being tired, wet diapers, cold, seeking attention, etc.
- Facial expressions (smile, eye contact, scowling)
- Gestures (pulling ear, jumping, moving legs, raising arms, pointing)
What can you do to support the communication skills of your infant?
Attention: You can improve the communication skills of your baby with this vital component, “attention.” Yes, attention. When your child cries, make non-verbal sounds while lying in the bassinet or sitting on the bed or floor; they are doing this for your attention. Sometimes, infants cry for no reason. You have tried everything and checked any illness, but there is a big “No,” but still crying goes on. Some infants calm down when you hold them and rock them. Some need more time, extra attention, and patting. You can also give attention by reading to them before sleep.
Eye contact: Eye contact is the most powerful communication skill which builds strong developmental and verbal skills for your baby in the early years of childhood. Playing “peek a boo” with your baby helps develop eye contact with the parent or caregiver. It will also help them understand the directions you will say to them later on when they start understanding our talks like “pick this up,” “come to me,” “give me that toy.”
Talking: Talk to your baby as much as you can. We know that they can’t understand our adult language. But you see, they will respond to your talk in their way even if they can’t understand it because they respond to noises. You should talk to your infant even if you are busy. Talk to him when you massage him because that time is a “one-on-one” interaction and builds a strong connection between the two.
Imitation: Babies love imitation, funny faces and respond by giggling to their hearts. Imitating their gestures during the talk and play helps them develop communication skills and respond to solutions. By mimicking their vocalization like “boo-boo” and “baa baa,” you will observe that they imitate it back or make a new sound.
Milestone for infant talk
Your baby’s communication and talking skills develop in order, and there is no need to worry if your child is a little early or a bit late according to that timeline. Because every child is different, and it’s perfectly normal for your baby.
Birth to 3 months: Your infant’s communication started after birth with gargling and cooing and with some non-verbal sounds like “ahhh,” “ohhh.” Babies make these sounds in response to your voice because they love to hear your voice.
3 to 6 months: After three months, it's better if you start reading to them because you will notice that your infant started lowering and raising the good pitches. Cooing is now converted to babbling and “bah bah,” and “boo-boo.” When you talk to them, they respond to you with voices and bursts of laughter in response.
7 to 12 months: After six months, you will notice as time passes, babbling converting to “da da,” “ma ma.” They love the imitation of their talk at this age during one-on-one interaction. During talking to them, you will notice they try to copy your talk, so talking to them in simple language helps them store vocabulary for later use. Your infant will also a show a response when you call their name.
When to visit the doctor
It's better to check your baby’s speech development at each baby checkup. American Academy of Pediatrics: “Developmental Milestones.” clearly describe developmental milestones for children. So, there are some red flags regarding speech development for which you should visit your doctor.
- If your infant doesn’t smile or respond to your voice at three months.
- Talk to your doctor if your baby doesn’t make vocal sounds by six months.
- If he doesn’t pronounce vowels and consonants by seven months.
- Doesn't says “da da,” “ma ma,” and has no interest in imitating words by their first birthday.
