Infants: How Do Babies Communicate?

[two_third]One of the most exciting aspects of bringing your baby home from the hospital is the opportunity to bond with your child. A major way that an infant connects with parents and other family members is through the art of communication. It would be a misconception to believe that newborn babies engage in minimal interaction with others. In fact, the first few months are among the most exciting times for an infant’s communication development, and skills build tremendously over the course of the year before children speak their first words or phrases. A look at the stages of communication development from birth to one year old can provide insight on how your child learns how to connect with others.[/two_third]

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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
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:

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:

Summary of Communications Milestones

From age four months to seven months old, babies typically reach the following communication milestones:

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.

Summary of Communications Milestones

From age eight months to one year old, babies typically reach the following communication milestones:

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.