The conversation around baby talk is sort of all over the place. There are lots of arguments against using baby talk with kids while some researchers feel that it is actually very helpful in speech and language development of kids.
Baby talk is the formulation of exaggerated sounds in order to get the attention of babies. It’s been proven to be effective in making babies’ happy, hold their attention and even influence them to startproducing their own sounds. However, baby talk has also been proven to delay speech. That’s probably because baby talk is just a bunch of high pitch sounds that do not depict true words or language.
There’s a way to split the difference though. It’s called “Parentese.”
It’s almost impossible not to blab sounds to kids or make funny faces with them. But those can be done while actually using the right words. Having everyday conversations with kids is very important and helpful for their language development. Since kids learn by watching our actions and words, they also develop their own vocabulary that way.
You canuse parentese efficiently by;
Calling things their actual names.
Then make the sounds that help babies make more meaning of what we are saying.
Use a high pitch voice – you to get their attention.
Pronounce each word correctly.
Speak slowly so that your babies can make out what you are saying.
Let your facial expressions reflect what you are saying.
Repeat words with kids so that you help them catch up with what you are saying.
Here isa funny video that teaches you how to speak parentese. It’s too funny, but you’ll get the idea.
Our kids are intelligent. They grasp more than you imagine. They make sense of the world faster than we think is possible. As parents, our job is to ensure that our kids are getting the right things from us on a daily basis. That every action, even the fun part, is channelled into their development and growth. Don’t confuse them.