Having a little chat

Haley has finally started cooing at me, and I think there may have even been and ahh-goo or two in there. But my challenge is often finding ways to talk to her.

Here are some solutions I've found. A lot of my ideas I got from What to expect.

Talking to Haley, my Top 10

1. Say names a lot. So she will learn to recognize her name and the names of others. This includes referring to myself in the third person.

ex: " Mommy is going to change Haley's diaper"

2. Ask Haley questions and give her time to respond, then provide a response.

ex: "Which diaper would you like to wear, big bird or Elmo? ... Elmo, good choice"

3. Describe what we're doing by giving a play by play.

ex: "We are going on a walk, we are passing a tree, that is a mail box where people send letters" or "It is time for Haley's bath, the water is warm and wet."

4. Talk in repeatable phrases, so Haley has some basic language to learn and use as her first words.

ex: "bye-bye", "up", "night night"

5. Play copy cat, so Haley will know that what she says matters.

ex: trying to copy Haley's coos and even her cries. This is particularly therapeutic on her fussy days when I want to fuss too.

6: Recall the events of the day when it's over, or start the day by listing what you're going to do.

ex: " This morning we walked to town, then Haley took a nap, then Haley played in her bouncy seat..."

7: Sing songs and recite poems or rhymes.

ex: Nursery rhymes are great because of the rhymes ad rhythms, but I also love singing hymns and other songs. My favorite is gypsy rover

8. Read books.

I like reading to Haley, especially when she's nursing. I usually read her children's books, but I am also reading her Pippi Longstocking and sometimes I read to her from my own book, as long as it's not too risque.

9. Reason with her

I think it's fun to talk to Haley like she's an adult. I like trying to reason with her, even when she has no idea what I'm saying. Mostly it's just to be silly.

ex: "Haley use your words." or "It's not polite to stare"

10. Finally, Go for a little baby talk.

It may drive the people around you nuts, but babies like the high pitch sounds and sometimes it's just fun.