What A Baby Hears Leaves A Mark On Its Brain

Reviewed and approved by the psychologist Valeria Sabater.

Written by Valeria Sabater

Last update: 22 December, 2021

Babies are the most receptive creatures in the world. They need stimulation, affection, caresses and, above all, words. Everything a baby hears will leave a permanent mark on their brains. Therefore, we should be wonderful architects of love that can be understood by our tone. We should guide them with a warm voice that embraces and stimulates.

People who think that talking to a newborn is silly are completely wrong. They are also contributing to creating shortcomings and putting the brakes on the communicative processes that a child needs to develop.

Babies should be spoken to face to face. We should talk to them a lot, sing to them, whisper and tell them stories. Despite the fact that they still can’t decipher the mystery of the words we say, they are skillful translators of emotions. They are the small pioneers of the language process.

They’ll slowly start to understand the meaning of certain words as days and months go by. Before we know it, they will understand sentences and start to communicate themselves. This fantastic process must take place in a favorable, affectionate and familiar environment.

Even if we do not speak directly to our newborns, everything our baby hears will be recorded in their brains that are in continuous development. Therefore, you should never hesitate, you are doing just fine. If you are a parent that never stops talking to your baby, your baby is very luck to have you.

We will explain why

Routines, ideal moments that favor communication

We are all aware that newborns spend most of their time asleep. However, throughout their first weeks and months of life, there are wonderful moments in which we can initiate the magical process of stimulating the child’s brain through language.

• Breastfeeding is undoubtedly the best, most magical and significant moment to talk to your baby.
• Make sure the tone of your voice is warm, positive and always use positive intonation.
• Try to maintain eye contact when you change their diapers, put on clothes and when you take them off.
• Bath time is a relaxing moment where babies are receptive to the voices and gestures of their parents.
• If we manage to get a smile out of them, you can rest assured that you have left a mark of positivity and love on your child’s brain.

Mom’s voice guides the baby

Mom’s voice has power, it has always been there, long before the baby came into the world. A child has already spent 9 months in womb of the woman who now rocks him, feeds him and attends to him.

• When babies are born they already recognize their mother’s voice. Amniotic fluid is a great conductor of sound, therefore as soon as the fetus develops its auditory sense, its mother’s voice accompanies them everyday.
• Babies do not understand vocabulary, we all know that. But as we pointed out at the beginning of this article, the intention of this process isn’t to have the baby understand the semantics contained in each phrase.
• They will laugh and sometimes get scared when we raise our voices.

Words must be accompanied by gestures

Communicating with your baby should be reinforced with gestures and an appropriate tone. This way we can consolidate both verbal and non-verbal language. At the same time gestures are great mood promoters.

• Never forget to smile while you are talking to your baby, always try to maintain eye contact.
• You should also set small response times, this means waiting for them to react. Wait for them to make a sound, widen their eyes, emit a little squeak or even a smile. This way you can also teach them about speech patterns.

It is also very important to try to understand your baby’s communicative process. Babies also make gestures, smiles and a range of sounds. Another way to reinforce language is to imitate their gestures and sounds. This way we will make them feel that we understand them. Everything they say is important and valued.

The keys to “baby talk”: something we all do without realizing it.

The way that adults talk to babies has been coined “baby talk.” It is a concept that most parents put into practice every day.

• No adult speaks to a baby in the same way that they would speak to other adults. Our brains actually know how best to interact with babies in order to stimulate communicative processes.
• We should not forget that language is the genetic imprint that distinguishes us from other primates. We should be prepared to get our children to exercise this ability from an early age.
• Speak to them with a high pitch voice in order to get their attention.
• We also make sounds that stimulate new sensations: laughter, babbling etc.
• This is something that no one has taught us, it is instinctive. We sometimes say words that have no meaning but those words can still convey calmness to our babies.

In conclusion, there are infinite reasons to start communicating with your child from as early as possible. From the first moment that they arrive in the world and have their skin close to yours. They need you, they also need to learn how to communicate.

So then, remember that all of the first words we share with them leave a mark on their brain. All the words your baby hears will get them on their way to mastering the language. They will be able to understand the world through the always-present and warm voice that shows them the infinite affection that we have for them.