Communicating with your baby

Young babies cannot see great distances and need to see your face to help them learn how to communicate.

Crouch down or pick them up so that you are facing one another so they can watch your expressions and hear your voice. Spend time throughout the day talking to them.

You don’t need to be talking about anything special, just talking about what you are doing or what you can see in the space around you will interest and stimulate your baby.

Sharing stories

Share stories often with your baby and position yourselves so you can see each other and the book. Point to and talk about the pictures. There are no rules on how many pages to read.  Read as much as you both enjoy. For more tips on shared reading, see our article on the topic.

Early conversations

Respond to any sounds, babbling or noises your baby might make. These are your beginning conversations. Try and take as many turns (back and forth) as you can. These little sound conversations will eventually turn into words and the more practice you can provide, the better!