Moms and Bubs

There are various speech sounds that babies make such as babbling or cooing and these may be considered also as baby talk. It is interesting to know that babies around the world produce sounds that are more or less similar. Parents may just be very excited waiting for their real first baby words.

However, babies’ speech development may depend on the baby talk skills of both the babies and the adults around them.
Parents though have to understand that baby talk starts at birth through the non-verbal cues that their babies are manifesting. Babies smile, they cry and squirm and at times make faces like grimaces. These non-verbal cues tell parents of their emotions and their needs. Parents have to learn more about these types of first signs of baby talk so that they may be able to provide all of the needs of their babies.
There are also developmental tasks that parents should be aware of especially those that are related to speech development. The rate at which babies learn to communicate starting with their baby talk may vary from one baby to another. However, if parents observe that their babies are somewhat delayed in their speech development, they need to consult with their doctors to determine what is causing it. There may be problems with the parts of their speech organ that need to be dealt with medically.
Baby talk is improved by the time the babies are about three months old. They begin to coo especially when they are happy and playful. At six months, they should be able to babble different sounds although they are not yet able to associate it with any meaning.

They also start to respond when their names are being called. Baby talk is further enhanced when they reach 9 months old. They are now able to identify a few words that are used often like “no” or “bye-bye.” At 12 months old, they can already use a combination of consonant together with vowel sounds that they can form into simple words like “mama.” They also begin to understand very simple instructions.
Baby talk continues to develop as babies grow physically and mentally. When they are about 18 months old, babies are already able to say at least 10 simple words though they may have their own versions of the words that the adults use. At the age of 2, they can now put together words to form short phrases. They also start understanding not only the physical objects but simple abstract concepts as well.

As they grow, their baby talk advances as well and in time, they learn to communicate not only with a few words but are already able to completely comprehend what the adults around them are talking about.

It is important for parents especially the mothers to know how brain development in babies occurs. This may help them better in providing not only for the physical needs but also for the mental stimulation that their babies need which would contribute to their overall development.

Brain development in babies start at the time of conception as millions of neurons are created and connected. A baby while still in his or her mother’s womb can already recognize her voice. This would indicate that the memory of babies is already being developed and is already working even before they come out into this world.
Since brain development in babies start in the womb, mothers will have to be careful with their lifestyle as well as their diet when they get pregnant. These are some of the factors that may affect and alter how brain development in babies occurs.

By the time that babies are born, they have gone through about a fourth of their brain development. The rest of the brain development in babies happens as they grow. The most rapid changes may be seen during their first years of life. There are differences in the way brain development in babies occurs depending on the gender.
Boys develop their brain part for motor skills first before their thinking skills and girls develop their brain part for thinking skills first then their motor skills. Parents should understand this so that they do not make wrong comparisons as to the skills and the rate of development that are expected from their babies. Parents should also be able to discern some important things about brain development in babies.

It is often believed that they babies’ brains are already fully developed by the time that they are born but the fact is that they continually develop because new connections among brain cells are being made while others are discarded when no longer needed.
Although the brain development in babies partially depend on the genes that they have inherited, the environment that provides stimulation for the brain to develop plays a vital role. Hence, early interaction among the members of the family with their babies may help a lot in the brain development in babies.

Social interaction as well as simple but intellectually stimulating activities such as singing, playing or reading contribute a lot. Parents should not also forget that proper nutrition is essential for proper brain development in babies as well.

There have been some discussions about the use of baby pacifiers. However, there are advantages as well as disadvantages in the use of baby pacifiers. Parents, especially mothers will have to decide whether they think their babies would need it or not. Parents know that for sure, there babies need some form of comforting which they can provide in terms of cuddling, rocking and at times by using pacifiers. There are some babies who would like to keep on sucking even if they are not really hungry.

Baby pacifiers though are not for nurturing or for feeding purposes but there are times when babies just are too fussy especially when everything has been done but to no avail. Babies may need the pacifiers to calm and to satisfy their other needs. Another benefit of the use of baby pacifiers is that it may reduce the incidence of SIDS or the sudden infant death syndrome. However the pacifier should not be placed back into the baby’s mouth if he or she has fallen asleep. The use of the pacifier during the weaning period is also better than the baby sucking his or her thumb.

The use of baby pacifiers may also have some disadvantages. Some studies have indicated that this may cause more middle ear infections among babies as well as in young children. However, this risk has been found out to be lesser among younger babies. Parents who decide to use baby pacifiers may do so up to about six months and then they should try to wean their babies from it after. Mothers who are breastfeeding their babies should wait a little before they give baby pacifiers. They have to let their babies get used to breastfeeding before giving them their pacifiers. This will enable mother to nurse their babies successfully.

Some parents worry about using baby pacifiers because of the tendency of the babies to depend on it for a very long time. Parents may have a difficult time in dealing with how they will ever take the baby pacifiers from their little ones. Another disadvantage of using baby pacifiers for longer periods is that it may cause some dental problems later on.

With these advantages and disadvantages in the use of baby pacifiers, parents will have to weigh and consider before they make a decision. They may let their bundles of joy use baby pacifiers or not. What is important is that they are also able to deal with the negative things that go with it as well.