When I was visiting my son, daughter-in-law and 2 week-old Caroline, I asked Mom what she wanted to know about language at this infant stage. She replied that she would like to know what kinds of things to be doing with Caroline to stimulate her language and also a timeline of when to do what with toys and books.
Here are some ideas:
- Lie your infant next to a mirror and talk to her about what she is seeing on and in the mirror. The Taggie mirror is one of my favorites because it is sturdy and full of fun creatures to move and describe—the three pigs, a cow jumping over the moon, a giraffe to flip or stars to light up. It’s important to carry on a conversation with your little one, talking about her face in the mirror, and describing her moves. Research shows that babies talk more to a mirror so let her take a first look at herself.
- Use your baby’s name a lot. The more you use her name, the sooner she will respond to it. Remember, whatever name you are using, if it is her given name or a nickname, that is what she will respond to. I admit I called little Caroline “nugget” while I was visiting but I’ll call her Caroline.
- Try “tummy time” with a catchy toy or bumper to look at and describe. I like the Taggies crib bumper because one side has a contrasting black and white zebra and penguin for your newborn and the other side is filled with colorful animals to manipulate and converse with.
- Keep the noise down during play time.