Talk to your baby

Based on Dr John Medina who is a developmental molecular biologist and the author of bestseller ‘brain rules for baby’, there are five main characteristics of human intelligence.

1. The desire to explore

2. Self-control

3. Creativity

4. Verbal communication

5. Interpreting nonverbal communication

These five characteristics can be nurtured from birth.

One of the activities that you can do with your baby to achieve aforementioned human intelligence is talk - to your baby a lot.

Talk to my baby?

Yes.

If you feel silly, it is perfectly normal!

How do I talk to my baby? My baby is not speaking the same language as me.

Baby: “Da da da da”

Me: “ ???”

It is OK, you can respond to them with more da’s.

If you feel silly, it is perfectly normal!

Silly simply means fun! Being fun means that you are properly engaging with your baby.

Sometimes, your baby will respond back to you with their laughter or “Da da” again.

Or, he will not respond at all.

And it is OK.

One day, Irfan said “a-ya-yeee”

“A-ya-yee?” Oh, it is an airoplane! He was looking at an airoplane !

“Aeroplaneeee, a-ya-yee! ” I replied to him.

After quite some time, he will be able to say “Aeroplaneee'“

Do not feel upset if your baby cannot say the word immediately, it requires many repetitions and it must be fun.

But do remember to watch your baby for signs of fatigue, do not overstimulate your baby by talking 24/7.

Overstimulation is as dangerous as under stimulation.

Few interactions with children are as much fun as learning to speak their language. As they learn to speak ours, heaping tablespoons of words into their minds is one of the healthiest things parents can do for their brains. Speak to your children as often as you can. it is one of the most well-established findings in all of the developmental literature.

— Source: Dr. John Medina,Brain Rules for Baby, p-126

Is it the same if I let my baby watch people talking on the television or tablet or cellphone?

A baby's brain benefits when real person interacts with them

No, the effect is not the same.

Humans need other humans - real, living to interact.

A baby’s brain benefits when real person interacts with them.

So, let’s talk to our baby!

“Da da da! Ma ma maaa!”

References:

1. Dr. John Medina, Brain Rules for Baby, How to raise a smart and happy child from zero to five, p100-127