When communicating with your baby, notice your baby’s responses when you use animated voices, gestures or exaggerated facial expressions.
When addressing infants, many adults adopt a particular type of speech, known as infant-directed speech (IDS), sometimes referred to as “motherese”, “parentese” or baby-talk. This kind of language seems to be preferred by children over adult-directed speech. The use of IDS has been shown to enhance an infant’s later word recognition.
In one study, seven- and eight-month-old infants’ long-term memory for words was assessed when words were spoken in IDS and adult-directed speech (ADS).
Studies suggest that IDS promotes infant attention to language, fosters social interaction between infants and caregivers, and informs infants about various aspects of their native language by heightening distinctions relative to the speech addressed to adults. New developments focusing on the social role of infant-directed conversations highlight the importance of caregiver responsiveness to infants. Building a communicative foundation even prior to the time language emerges is crucial for fostering language development.