What is communication?
Although you may jump right to thinking about baby’s first word when you think of communication development in the first year, there is so much that needs to develop in baby’s brain before we can expect to hear that first precious “mama” or “dada.” We use the term communication to encompass many aspects of speech and language development, including vocabulary (i.e., how many words a child says), articulation (i.e., how words are formed in the mouth), language expression (i.e., what a child says) and comprehension (i.e., what a child understands), gesture use (e.g., waving), and social skills (e.g., eye contact, turn-taking).
Encouraging development of communication skills with your baby is simple. In most cases, spending time each day talking, reading, and playing with your baby is all he/she needs in order to develop speech and language skills on time. Creating a language-rich environment for your baby and exposing him/her to frequent face-to-face interactions with a loving caregiver throughout the day is often enough to build knowledge and skill with communication over the course of the first year.
In fact, studies show that infants whose parents engage in more infant-directed speech (i.e., spend time talking TO baby, not just talking near baby) were better at understanding words spoken to them and had larger vocabularies at 24 months when compared to children whose parents did not spend time speaking to them regularly (Weisleder & Fernald, 2013). Meaning the amount of time you spend speaking to your child today will have a positive effect on language use and learning well into toddlerhood.
How to encourage communication development:
Talk to baby:
Narrate what you are doing while caring for your baby
Talk about body parts during diaper or clothing changes: “I see your toes!”
Talk about color, temperature, size, shape of foods during mealtime
Use action words like “splash” and “kick” during bathtime
Make observations aloud throughout the day
At home: “I see you reaching for the ball!”
In the preschool pick-up line: “Wow! I see a car!”
On a walk: “Look! A tree.”
Encourage other family members and siblings to talk to baby, too!
Read to baby:
A simple way to remember to read more often to your baby- add it to a routine you’re already doing each day like before nap/bedtime or before or after a meal
Keep a few books in each room of the house where you spend time each day
Point to pictures in the book as you read along and label the word for your baby (e.g., “Look, a snowman. Brrrr”).
Play with baby:
Make it clear you find communicating with your baby fun! Try peek-a-boo or sing your favorite nursery rhyme with baby positioned to easily look toward your face
Get face-to-face with baby and show/tell baby how to play with toys or items from around the house (e.g., show baby how to drop a shape into shape sorter while saying “go in”)
Use our milestone checklists to track your child’s skills and progress and always speak with your pediatrician if you are concerned about your child’s speech or language development. There are speech and language delays and disorders that are unavoidable and require early detection and prompt intervention by a licensed SLP.
Spending time each day talking, reading and playing with your baby will set the stage for his/her understanding and use of language to develop naturally over the course of the first year and beyond. We know that baby’s brain is hard at work that first year leading up to baby’s first words around his/her first birthday- if you’d like to learn more about HOW to talk to your baby to encourage optimal communication development in the first year and beyond, check out our post 8 Tips for Encouraging Speech & Language Development and be confident that how you are interacting with your baby is supporting his/her communication development.
Jaclyn
You may also enjoy our related blog posts on using baby sign language or tips to encourage communication.
We’re Bree & Jaclyn
Pediatric therapists and moms with a mission to empower you with knowledge to encourage your baby’s development and continue confidently into your parenthood journey.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below and we will get back to you. As always, the information we share is meant to provide general education and tips and is not intended as medical advice. If you have a specific question or concern about your child’s development, please speak directly to your child’s doctor or therapist.