Your Baby, Week 20

Although she won’t be talking for quite some time, your baby is putting together ideas about sound and speech.

Around four months, you may hear your baby start to babble, with rises and falls in tone, as if she were mimicking speech.

Your baby may figure out a sound, like “ba,” and then repeat it over and over. Babies love repetition!

• Encourage your little one by talking back to her.
• Call objects by name
• Name body parts
• Say the name of people she encounters
• Offer a running commentary of what you’re doing during the day

All of these are also good ways to promote language development.

Baby talk

Does your personality influence your baby talk with your infant? Japanese research would indicate that it does. Read about infant-directed speech, otherwise known as baby talk.

Ma-ma, Da-da and more

How can you encourage speech development in your baby? Read the suggestions in this list of guidelines from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Socialize for less stress

Are you getting out with your baby and your friends for exercise? A study shows a correlation to better health and happiness.