Stimulating your baby's sense of hearing: photos
Your baby can hear before he's even entered the outside world. In fact, his hearing is almost fully developed by the time he's born. Check out our top 10 ways to stimulate your baby's hearing.
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Talk to your belly
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Your newborn will recognize your voiceYour baby will know and love your voice from the moment he's born. Ever since your baby could first hear in your womb (uterus), he will have been listening to you talk. After he's born, your baby may even recognize other voices he heard in your womb.
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Talk in a high pitched voiceIt'll come naturally to you to put your face close to your baby's. Your baby will love it if you speak in a high pitch, open your mouth wide and pause for him to take his turn.
All of this helps his early understanding of talking. Soon your baby will move his lips as if speaking, squirm and gurgle a conversation with you.
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White noiseIn the womb your baby could hear the beat of your heart, which is why he likes to be close to you now. There are other repetitive noises that may also have a calming effect. Many moms swear by white noise: the hum of a hairdryer or vacuum cleaner, or the steady rhythm of a washing machine for sending their baby off to sleep.
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Babble backAt around three months, your baby may first start to exercise his vocal cords by babbling. Babble back! This will encourage him to try to talk more, and he'll love listening to the sounds you're making. He may even try to imitate them.
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Read to your babyBabies are never too young to hear a story and most enjoy hearing the same one again and again. Your baby will be enthralled by your voice, even if he can't understand what you're saying.
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New wordsFrom four months your baby will react excitedly to sounds, and he may smile when he hears your voice. He may start watching your mouth intently when you speak, and try to copy you and utter consonant sounds such as "m" and "b".
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Where is it?At six months or seven months your baby will realize where sounds come from, and he'll turn quickly towards new ones. He'll also be able to respond to very quiet noises, as long as he's not distracted.
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Musical instrumentsOnce your little one's old enough and exploring his sense of cause and effect, he'll love creating new sounds by bashing pots and pans. He may enjoy playing the xylophone or drums when he's 10 months or older. You can help to stimulate his hearing by showing him different sounds and how he can make them.
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Play the sounds he enjoysAs your baby gets older, you'll notice that he develops a taste for certain sounds. He'll begin to know what he does and doesn't like. For example, he may love wind chimes but hate more brash sounds like pots being banged together. Pay attention to what he likes and play him the sounds that give him enjoyment often.
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