Language Development in Newborns

Overview

Speech and language lessons start in the uterus. Your developing baby hears and responds to familiar voices. Soon after birth, your baby prefers and responds more to the mother's voice than to any other.

Babies learn language skills through frequent interaction, such as being read to and talked to. Newborns respond to "baby talk." This is a higher-pitched, slower speech with emphasis placed on alternating words. Most parents instinctively speak this way to their newborn. Over time, they start to incorporate normal speech patterns and pitch.

You provide comforting contact when you read to your baby. Forming a reading routine early helps make future reading comfortable and fun.