Talking to your bump before your baby is born and in the early weeks after birth helps you get to know each other and form a close bond.
Why it’s important to talk to your bump
Bonding can begin before birth. Babies’ brains develop very quickly during pregnancy – they can hear and feel things too.
- Did you know that babies’ hearing starts developing from about sixteen weeks into pregnancy?
- By 6 months of pregnancy, your baby can hear music and voices and recognise familiar voices
Babies recognise voices and can start to respond even while they’re still in the womb.
- Feeling your baby move and kick in response to your voice and your touch makes those early conversations really rewarding
- Making a connection with your baby helps you feel very close to them even before they are born
- Find regular quiet times when you can talk and sing to your baby
- Try ‘turn taking’: when you feel them kick, rub that spot. Wait for another kick and respond again
- Babies hear their mother’s heartbeat all the time, day and night. Try gently tapping or making a sound along with it
- Encourage partners, grandparents and any older siblings to get involved too
- You may notice your baby relaxes at the sound of familiar voices, and becomes calmer and quieter when you are talking to them. Notice how your baby responds
- If you’re not sure what to say, try reading a baby book aloud or sing nursery rhymes or talk about everyday things, your baby will just enjoy the sound of your voice
- Gently rocking and moving to music is a good way for your baby to develop movement skills and balance even before birth