Talking to your infant may seem like a one-sided conversation. Even though, they cannot necessarily answer you back, the experts suggest that continuing to talk to your baby, even if they can’t answer, is a good thing no matter what. When babies hear their parents talk, this encourages language development, which in turn can teach a baby to talk.

A 2022 research study showed that an infant begins their speech and language development within hours of their birth.

Guillaume Thierry, a cognitive neuroscience professor at Bangor University and the study’s author explained that, “Newborns probably benefit directly from being talked to from the very first moments they have left the womb. Clearly, ‘nurture’—the changing of the mind by the environment—starts on day one.”

After further examination of the data, it was concluded that newborns can tell the difference between vowels presented forwards and backwards. The babies’ in the control groups brain response to normally produced vowels was quicker.

So, now that we know that infants do in deed begin learning from day one, here are a few tips from the experts at Motherly.com that can help you continue teaching baby to talk.

1. Speak to your baby while you are pregnant.

Read to them, talk to them, even sing them a song while in utero! Research has proven that babies recognize their mother’s voice from being in the womb. By doing this, you are taking teaching a step further even before baby meets you for the first time.

2. Speak to baby in an engaging tone of voice.

When you speak to baby in “baby talk,” (speech therapists call this “parentese”), they are engaged in the rhythm and cadence of your voice. Frequently talking to babies in “parentese” helps children develop their language skills successfully. However, there is a catch…make sure that, even though you are speaking “baby talk,” continue to use correct speech and proper grammar.

3. Teach your baby sign language and gestures

This is a proven method that will help children communicate before they can actually speak. Teach them simple sign language gestures to model and imitate. These things can be as simple as “more,” “want” or “please.

4. Read, read, read

Reading is fundamental is an understatement! Reading to infants helps them build vocabulary, helping them to learn how to lose words. According to an additional research study, when parents read a minimum of one book a day to their child, by the time the child started kindergarten, they would have heard 1.4 million more words than children who are not read to.

The moral of the story here…talking to infants, even prior to birth, sets them up for a future of being great conversationalists!