Learning to talk (1040)

Talking to your baby makes a difference. Research shows that when you imitate and respond to your baby's sounds, it helps him understand language.

Parents who respond when baby "talks" help draw his attention to his own sounds. This makes talking more interesting and important to your infant.

Encourage him to practice talking by playing games with him. When baby makes sounds, repeat them back to him. Pause and give baby a chance to answer.

Your imitation excites him and may cause him to repeat the sounds. Keep listening! You may hear certain tones of voice and sentence patterns in your child's babbling.

Baby may have a sound, like "ba." that he uses to mean many different things. These "words" indicate talking isn't far away. Between 9 and 12 months, baby might have a real word or two mixed in with the babbling.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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