Talk to babies right from birth to nurture them

Early interaction with babies can nurture their developing brains, while contributing to language acquisition, early literacy, school readiness, and social and emotional well-being, suggests a recent study that highlights the importance of talking to babies right from birth. According to a recent paper from experts at Harvard Graduate School of Education and Boston Medical Center, US, 13 million children worldwide go to bed without being read a story.

In light of this, here’s guidance for pediatricians and parents about how best to talk to babies at different ages and developmental stages.

Birth to six months: Talking to babies tenderly using exaggerated sounds and facial expressions lays the foundations for language learning and resiliency in these early months.

Six to 18 months: At this age, babies can understand a number of words, and do things like point to their nose with a finger, before being able to say the word ‘nose’.

18 to 36 months: Parents can try asking questions like ‘what’ and ‘where.’ It’s at this age that parents should try to use the biggest range of different words.

From 36 months: You can build your kid’s storytelling skills. Don’t hesitate to ask ‘why’ and ‘how’ and try to answer children’s questions with clear explanations.

EARLY INTERACTION WITH BABIES CAN NURTURE THEIR DEVELOPING BRAINS, CONTRIBUTING TO LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND EARLY LITERACY

PHOTO: ISTOCK