Infants: How Do Babies Communicate?
How Babies Communication from 1 Month Old to 3 Months Old
Finding Their Smiles
The first three months represent a period of immense discovery for an infant. Although the casual observer may think that babies this age cannot express themselves much, babies are constantly taking in and reacting to their surroundings. Research shows that oohs, ahs, and cooing are reactions to environmental stimuli. Much to the delight of parents, babies also tend to find their smiles during this stage. From here, babies begin to hold “conversations” by exchanging smiles and becoming more alert as they begin to actively engage with members of the family.
How Should I Expect My Baby to Communicate?
For babies this age, crying is the primary form of communication. It is perfectly normal, and parents should not feel alarmed. Besides crying to inform their parents that they need something, babies may cry as a form of sensory processing as they adjust to changes of sights and sounds in their world.
At times, you may not be able to identify the exact reason that your baby is crying. As long as the infant is not sick or injured, try not to let it stress you too much if you cannot soothe the baby’s cries immediately.
Once babies begin to recognize their parents’ voice, they tend to respond by quieting, smiling, and actively moving arms or legs. Babies at this stage respond with excitement but may take more time to recognize less-than-familiar faces (such as grandparents).
After babies discover the ability to vocalize, they take great joy in cooing, gurgling, and experimenting with a range of sounds. Parents may discover their have transformed their cradles or bassinets into private symphonies as they while away the hours babbling and “singing.” Some babies even try to make basic vowel sounds (such as ooh or aah) as early as two months old.
What Should I Do to Help My Baby Communicate?
Babies at this age attempt to hold “conversations” by making sounds, smiling, and waiting for your respond. It is not uncommon at all for babies to smile or mimic your facial expression as you look in on their cribs or bassinets.
Since babies at this stage bond and respond to the sound of a parent’s voice, there is plenty you can do to encourage healthy communication development. Speak, sing, and coo freely as you care for your child. Respond to your child’s smiles and vocalizations with cheerfulness and enthusiasm.
Another easy way to encourage natural communication and language development is tell your baby what you are doing as you conduct daily, routine care activities. Tell your baby what he or she is looking at in the room. Identify and name familiar objects as you hold them up, use them, or bring them to your baby.
Other Nuances of Early Language Development
- Teach positive tone, pacing, and taking turns by repeating your baby’s sound and waiting for them to make another. It is okay to occasionally raise your pitch or exaggerate your speech but be sure to also speak at a normal adult pitch and use everyday words. This helps set the foundation for the child’s first words.
- Reinforce early self-esteem by remaining attentive. In other ways, try not to interrupt or look away while your infant is “talking” or smiling with you. Showing that you are interested helps your infant trust you and encourages further conversations.
- Acknowledge your child’s early sense of personhood by recognizing changes in mood. Just like anyone else, sometimes babies are not in the mood to coo or vocalize. They may even need a break from incessant sensory stimulation in their surroundings. At times like these babies may just need to be held, cuddled, or left to rest for a while.
How Do I Handle Unexpected Crying?
Most health professionals advise not to feel distressed if your baby continues to cry even after you have met all of his or her needs. However, we understand “not stressing about it” is easier said than done. The reason not to worry is that there are any number of natural reasons. For example, crying is a normal infant response over-stimulation or gas buildup. A baby with a lot of built up energy may also release it through a good cry.
In addition, most infants have a “fussy time” that occurs around the same time each day (typically between late afternoon and midnight as external stimulation winds down). Parents should also know that if an infant cries more than three hours a day and more than three days a week for a period of three weeks or longer, this is a condition described as colic. The cause of the condition is unknown – and it can be frustrating for parents to deal with this in an otherwise happy child – but the good news is that most babies outgrow it by four months old.
When Should I Call a Doctor?
Call your doctor if you believe a baby’s cry has gone on longer than four hours or that the cries sound unusual to you. Statistically, there are likely few reasons to be alarmed, but your doctor can double-check for any medical reasons for inexplicable crying.
Summary of Communications Milestones
From age one month to three months old, babies typically reach the following communication milestones:
- Awareness of faces and regular surroundings
- Smiling at the sound of their parents’ voices
- Cooing and making other vocalizations in response to social contact
- Attempting to mimic sounds or facial expressions
Every child is different, so some children may reach these milestones at different rates. Contact The Warren Center if you begin to feel your child may be a candidate for early childhood intervention.
How Babies Communication from 4 Months Old to 7 Months Old
Playful Pastimes (and Precursors to Speech)
Parents find that the period from four months to seven months old includes plenty of smiling, laughing, and babbling. But did you know that this joyful playfulness is an important precursor to speech? As babies imitate sounds and learn new facial expressions, they develop the basic skill sets for learning to talk.
How Should I Expect My Baby to Communicate?
Babies this age enjoy discovering all the sounds they can make with their mouths. Expect to hear plenty of babbling and increased imitation of sounds. Without a doubt, these are actually a child’s first attempts at speech, so you should encourage these vocalizations as often as possible.
As babies begin to realize the importance of tone, you may even hear their voices raise or drop when asking a question or making a statement. This occurs at this stage because babies are beginning to understand the fundamentals of communication through speech and language. Since babies are older now, they will gradually use vocalizations (rather than just crying) to express themselves or get your attention.
At this age, babies also begin to associate words with meaning. Importantly, babies start to learn to respond to their names, pause or look to their parents when told “no,” and realize how words identify familiar objects. This process is how babies begin to comprehend how different sounds form words and sentences within spoken language.
What Should I Do to Help My Baby Communicate?
Since this is the stage of abundant playfulness, babies this age often respond enthusiastically to vocal games. There are several ways you can encourage communication development through positive learning games:
- Promote speech development through “call and response.” Babies this age love when parents copy their babbles and vocalizations. Imitate your child’s vocal expressions (e.g. bah-bah or ahh-goo) and then reinforce natural speech development by saying simple (one or two syllable) words that contain the same sound.
- Hold “question and answer” sessions. Ask your baby a question, then listen with interest and respond enthusiastically to whatever vocalization (“answer”) you receive. This sets the foundation for the baby’s first conversations in the future.
- Apply word games to objects in everyday life. Always name familiar people, favorite toys, and routine activities. It is easiest to use simple sentences, speak slowly and wait for a response. For example, hold up the object and ask, “Do you want a [book]?” Asking a simple question and waiting for a response helps basic vocabulary and the give-and-take of speaking to others.
Summary of Communications Milestones
From age four months to seven months old, babies typically reach the following communication milestones:
- Learn to react or respond to their names
- Respond to sounds from others by making their own sounds
- Babble repetitive consonants in a recognizable way
- Imitate sounds from parents or caregivers
Every child is different, so some children may reach these milestones at different speeds. Contact The Warren Center if you begin to feel your child may be a candidate for early childhood intervention.
How Babies Communication from 8 Months Old to 1 Year Old
First Words and Friendly Gestures
In video-recording worthy news, babies at this stage may say “mama” or “dada” for the first time. Besides speech milestones, this is also a critical period for body language development. Babies learn that they can express themselves through gestures like pointing or shaking their heads. And be forewarned – children at this stage also watch parents or caregivers closely to find new words or gestures to imitate on their own, so pay attention to what you do or say!
How Should I Expect My Baby to Communicate?
Babies this age prep for speech repetitive consonants or syllables. So instead of babbling that sounds disconnected, you might hear a string of consistent consonant sounds like babababa (perfect for pairing with nursery rhymes like “Baa Baa Black Sheep”!) and other clear consonant sounds. Other common syllable sounds include “ga” and “da.”
As you can tell, putting some of these consonant sounds together creates recognizable words like dada and mama. By seeing the positive response from these words, babies learn to connect the vocalization to its vocabulary meaning.
Babies at this stage can also understand many words or phrases long before they can speak or repeat them. For example, a child might turn toward the mother when asked, “Where is Mommy?” The child may also be able to respond to a simple command or request like “Find the ball.” By now, children usually react to their own names and pause or react to firm words such as “No.”
What Should I Do to Help My Baby Communicate?
Make language-learning a holistic experience (vocabulary, verbalizations, and body language) to help your baby make the most of this exciting stage in communication development.
- Make simple requests that require body language and identifiers. Your child should be able to respond to simple instructions (“wave bye-bye,” “play peek-a-boo,” “say mama or dada”). Ask your child to identify familiar objects (e.g. “Where is your cup?”). Identifiers help hone a child’s comprehension of vocabulary. Body language exercises demonstrate how language, fine motor, and gross motor skills work together for successful interpersonal communication.
- Use the whole body for learning. Games like “This Little Piggy” and “Peek-a-Boo” use repetitive consonants and motor skills. Not only does this help build self-awareness, it encourages children to practice and play when on their own. You can also point to different body parts (finger, arm, toe) while saying the vocabulary word. Face your child as much as possible to demonstrate the mechanics of facial expressions and lip movements.
- Incorporate music. Singing nursery rhymes help children learn through memory and repetition. These also emulate the rhythm, cadence, and tempo of expressive language.
- Use fun and playful quizzes. Point to an object like a ball and ask, “What is that?” Allow your child to point (using motor skills) and wait for a response. Soon the child will be able to connect the object with the answer (vocabulary word).
- Incorporate board books. Start reading to your baby from large picture books. (Board books are durable and make a great addition to any nursery.) Encourage your child to use motor skills by turning the pages. Allowing your baby to “read” can help build focus and concentration. Pictures can also help build vocabulary by reinforcing identifiers.
Summary of Communications Milestones
From age eight months to one year old, babies typically reach the following communication milestones:
- Respond with understanding to the word “No”
- Follow simple, one-sentence commands
- Use body language gestures like shaking their heads
- Say mama or dada
Every child is different, so some children may reach these milestones at different speeds. However, it is certainly important to contact a professional if babies appear to be struggling with traits like responding to their own names or gross motor skills like shaking their heads. As these may or may not be signs of an underlying issue, contact The Warren Center if you begin to feel your child may be a candidate for early childhood intervention.
