DM Iowa - It may just sound like baby talk, but mothers who hold a ‘conversation’ with their infants are actually teaching them to speak more quickly. Researchers found new mothers who respond enthusiastically to their baby’s babbling are helping to speed up the child’s language development
They say parental feedback is a vital process that enables mothers and babies to become mutually engaged in ‘talking’. It enhances the ability of children to communicate – unlike cases where mums did not respond attentively. A new study, by US academics at the University of Iowa (UI) and Indiana University, serves as evidence that speaking to infants at a very early age is vital for their development. The authors say parents who babble back at their newborns – even if they don’t understand what they’re trying to say – are a key part of the process.