Top tips for chatting with your baby

You might find the idea of ‘chatting’ with your baby a bit strange – it’s not as if they can talk back! But babies are born ready to communicate with their carers and they love to get your attention. Here are some top tips for getting that ‘conversation’ started. And you don’t have to wait until they’re born – you can even chat to them when they’re in the womb!

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Getting ready to chat with your baby

There are a few wee things you can do that will make it easier to chat to and communicate with your baby:

Chat and play every day – once you get into the habit of talking and singing to your wee one as you go about your day, you won't want to stop!
Help your baby to tune in by putting your phone away and turning off the TV – it's much easier for them to focus on you if there are no other distractions.
If your baby naps with a dummy, put it away when they're alert. You can find tips for reducing dummy use on the Tiny Happy People website.
Use the language you usually speak at home to talk to your baby. So for example if Urdu is your home language, then use that with your baby. You can find out more about language in bilingual households on the Tiny Happy People website.

How to chat with your baby

Here are some important things to remember when you're chatting with your baby. These have been put together by speech and language experts to help you both get the most out of your time together.

Tip #1: Listen, watch and respond to your baby

Dad smiling at baby while changing their nappy

Your wee one can’t talk yet, but they have lots to tell you. So pay attention to their facial expressions, sounds and wiggles to find out how they’re feeling or what they need.
Help them settle with a calming lullaby or chat to them about what they’re doing.
This video from Tiny Happy People has tips for responding to baby babble.

Tip #2: Use a sing song voice

Your wee one can’t talk yet, but they have lots to tell you. So pay attention to their facial expressions, sounds and wiggles to find out how they’re feeling or what they need.
Help them settle with a calming lullaby or chat to them about what they’re doing.
This video from Tiny Happy People has tips for responding to baby babble.

Tip #3: Get face to face

Mum and dad holding baby up so they can chat face to face

Being at your baby’s eye level helps them to see you, and you to notice how they’re feeling. This video from Tiny Happy People explains why face to face is great.
Use smiles and a gentle voice to hold their attention. They might look away but that's okay, they'll come back.

Tip #4: Copy your baby’s sounds, funny faces and gestures

When you copy your baby, they notice you’re listening and see that you want to keep the conversation going.
You can even make them laugh by copying their gestures and gurgles, then pausing for them to take another turn.
This video from Tiny Happy People explains how babies learn by copying the people around them.

Taking a break

Babies have different ‘states’, with the ‘alert state’ being the best time for intense face to face conversations. If they turn away from you, they may be tired and need a rest.

So try to notice when your baby needs a break and wait for them to be ready to carry on having a conversation. Very new babies can only concentrate this hard for a few minutes, so try not to overwhelm them if they look tired or fidgety.

Watch this clip of a parent following their baby’s lead. You can see how important it is to wait for the baby’s response, and to let the baby have a break when they need it – all this communication can be tiring!

If you want to explore all the baby states, watch these Getting To Know Your Baby clips on YouTube.