More than just baby talk, Parentese is a special kind of language used by moms, dads and loved ones to speak with their little ones! Read on and learn how it can boost both language and brain development.

Hello, everyone! We’d like to introduce you to someone very special.

This is baby Allen. Don’t be shy. Say “Hello!”. Allen is very sociable and loves nothing more than talking and interacting with all those around him:

One of Allen’s most favorite thing to do is babble happily as he listens to his mom and dad talk to him in silly ways with funny expressions on their faces. Allen simply lights up with joy when his mom describes a toy to him in her high-pitched sing-song voice, “Looook at thiisss babyyy!! Iiiit’s aaaaa yeeelloww duucckyyy!”. Sometimes Grandma Gigi or his favorite Uncle Charlie comes over and they talk to him the same way too, “Hellloooooo liiiitttlle Alleeen! Whoooo’ss a cleeeverrr booooyy?” and Allen can’t help but giggle, laugh and babble back right at them.

But not everyone talks to him this way. One of Little Allen’s aunts, Gem, is a little quiet. She loves to play with him but Allen just gets a little restless around her. Aunt Gem just doesn’t talk the way Mom, Dad, Granny Gigi or Uncle Charlie talks to him. She doesn’t sound funny, she doesn’t make silly faces, she just talks, well, in normal way. No, no. Baby Allen prefers a singsong voice. That’s okay though, Aunt Gemmy, Allen seems to say as looks at her lovingly; we will be best buddies soon – just not today. Allen squirms from his Aunt Gemmy’s arms and reaches out for his Mom.

Why does Allen seem to specifically prefer one way of his family’s talking to him over another? Much like all other babies, Allen naturally responds and shows more active, alert interest to a parent-to-baby language called “Parentese”. Yes – that high-pitched voice you use when you’re interacting with your baby actually has a name and it’s been studied by experts for the past 30 years. [Read more…]

If you’re looking for ways to encourage your little one to start talking, there are a lot of clever tips you can try. However, first you need to understand that most children cannot use two or three word sentences until they are at least two years of age.

This is only a guideline however, and some may well start a little earlier, or even a lot later. Each child develops at their own pace so if they are a little slower, it’s not typically something you need to worry about.

Babies actually communicate and talk to you, in their own way, right from birth. So, there are things you can do from the minute you bring your little one home, to encourage them to start talking. Here, you’ll discover some of the best tips to encourage healthy speech development in babies. [Read more…]