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Newborns - 3 Months
Understanding
- Your 1 month old can hear you and knows your voice
Spoken Language Development
- Crying and making coo noises
How else are they communicating?
- From 6 weeks of age, your baby will startle with a loud noise. They will start to make eye contact with you when you feed them. They may smile
How can I help?
Talk with your child, naming and talking about everything and anything. From counting out loud, the steps as you walk down the stairs, to telling them what piece of clothing you are folding when you are doing the laundry. Even if you think your child doesn't understand, talking about what is happening in your daily lives will increase the number of words your child hears. Repetition does help.
Remember to keep your words and sentences short and simple. Try not to bombard them. Take turns to talk. Make sure that you leave some 'gaps' in your talking so that your child has a chance to answer you.
Actively listening to what they have to say
- Model the correct answer whilst ignoring what was wrong e.g. if they say whilst looking at a lorry 'look, bus', you would respond "yes it is a lorry"
- Build on what they have said e.g. "Look it's a red bus. I see a red coat. I see a red post box. What can you see.
What else can I do?
- Sing to them. Children love the predictability of simple, repetitive songs especially those with actions.
- Start reading to them at an early age. Link the words to the pictures in the book and also in your own lives. As they get older, pointing to the words as you say them helps them understand the link between written and spoken words to develop their skills in literacy
When should I be concerned?
All children are different when it comes to developing language skills. If you feel there is a difference between your child and other children of a similar age, be reassured that most will catch up. However, it is best to seek professional advice if you see any of the following signs:
When your newborn doesn't:
- respond to sudden loud noises e.g. ambulance siren, dog barking.
- turn their heads towards the sound itself.
- isn't making sounds or responding to loud noises.
You should be concerned at any age if your child stops doing what they were previously able to do so.
Build your child's communication skills by:
- Noting and commenting on their interest e.g. 'Look a dog. Dog is running. Dog is happy. Bye bye, Dog.'
- Giving them time to respond back to you e.g. pause whilst looking them in the eye
- Avoid asking them questions. Instead, you say that words that they might say. For example, 'oh, you're hungry. You want some food. You want a cracker'.
