What to talk about when you've run out of things to say.
Whenever I am out with my infant son, I find myself talking to him as if he were any other companion (sometimes even waiting for a response!). On one such expedition, I was chatting away as we meandered through the store, when a woman approached us.
"I love how you talk to your baby," she said.
"Oh," I said, "thank you." I wasn't sure exactly what she meant by how I talk to my baby.
"I never really felt comfortable talking to my babies as if they were people," she went on.
I considered pointing out to this woman that her babies probably were, in fact, people -- but I chose to refrain. I realized, however, that many adults really don't feel comfortable talking to babies -- nor do they know what to say to them.
The fact is, babies do not need baby talk. It is better for them to be talked to like adults. This paves the way for their future language skills. So here are a few suggestions on things you can talk about when you find yourself baby-mute:
- Give a detailed account of what you are doing, while you are doing it (e.g., "See Daddy sweeping the floor? Daddy is using the broom to sweep up the dust. See the dust that Daddy swept up? Now Daddy is sweeping it into the dustpan.")
- Recite nursery rhymes that you remember from your own childhood. Your baby will also enjoy the sing-song tone of your voice.
- Teach your child your favorite recipes, explaining each step of the process.
- If you are away from your baby during the day, tell him or her about the events of your day.
- Share with your baby the rules of your favorite sport or the plot of your favorite book.
You get the idea. The goal here is that you talk -- about anything -- to your baby.
