What is parentese, and are you already doing it?

“Hello there, little one. Who’s a beautiful baby? You are!”

Imagine a parent, grandparent or clucky passerby saying this to a baby in a pram. What is their tone of voice and facial expression? You have probably imagined what most of us have done before, a sing-song voice accompanied by larger-than-life facial expressions. Why do we all do this? Is it condescending and silly, or a way of talking that increases a baby’s grasp of language? Well, it’s actually called 'parentese', and it’s amazing for your baby! 

'Parentese', also known as 'infant directed speech' is a way of speaking that draws baby in to engage with us and is used almost universally across all cultures and languages. We are speaking parentese when we elongate our vowels, exaggerate our tone of voice, use repetition, speak in a higher pitch with a happy tone, whilst actively engaging with a baby and allowing time for them to respond.  

While it’s something we intuitively enjoy doing, parentese also has many benefits for a baby’s developing brain and sensory system: 

• The sounds and pitch we use in parentese stimulates the developing hearing of young children. 

• Babies learn to understand social cues and interactions as they recognise that different tones and facial expressions are used to express emotions.  

• Babies with carers who talk to them in parentese more often have higher language abilities at a younger age and larger vocabularies as they mature. 

So, next time you notice yourself speaking in that sing-song voice, remember it’s actually doing wonders for your little one, so don’t be shy; ham it up and keep speaking parentese.