First Three Months

Did you know language development begins way before those first words emerge around 12 months? Even in a baby's first three months of life, the foundations for language learning are being established.

Between birth and 3 months, it's typical to see your baby:

- startling to sounds

- quieting or smiling when spoken to

- recognizing your voice (and quieting to it if s/he is crying)

- increasing or decreasing sucking behaviour in response to sound

- making pleasure sounds (cooing)

- crying differently for different needs

- smiling when s/he sees you

(source: https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/01/)

At this young age, your baby is already listening to what you say and soaking up his/her native language. So talk to your baby about what you are doing, where you are going, and what you are seeing throughout the day. As I often tell parents: be the sports commentator in your own daily life. As silly as it might feel at times ("Mama's chopping the onion... now she's putting the onion in the pan! Here comes the oil. Oh, it's starting to sizzle!") this is laying a strong foundation for your baby to learn language. So give it a try: talk your baby through the steps of a diaper change, or about the laundry you're folding. The best part is: no one's going to judge you for sounding goofy.