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The rates in which infants learn to speak differ from one to another. There are those who learn more words at a younger age than the others. There are also those who have developed certain problems and are not yet able to speak when most children their age already did. Of course, it is every parent’s joy to see their babies finally learning how to talk. If you wish to make your baby speak faster or avoid developing speech problems, you need be there to provide assistance as much as possible. Here are some tips which will help you assist your child’s speech development:
• Be responsive to your baby’s cries. Infants are defenseless and their only way of getting attention is by crying. When you respond to them when they cry, they learn to trust their environment. Infancy is the stage in which they question whether they are in a safe world or not. By letting them know that you are there to address their needs, their development will be hastened. Eventually, they won’t be afraid learning how to speak since they know they have the support of the people around them.
• Converse with your baby always. At their age, they can easily learn a lot of words simply be hearing them. This is why you need to speak with them always. Even if they do not respond with words, it helps that they hear you speak intelligible words. When they grow up, language learning will be a lot easier for them. They will learn how to speak naturally. Of course, this goes without saying that baby talk is a big no!
• Provide clues to your baby on what you are doing. It is important that you make your baby understand the words that you say. For instance, when you say “This is your milk,” you have to point the milk and make sure it is seen by your baby. When you bathe your baby, you should also describe what you are doing. Say something about the things that you use such as the soap, shampoo, and towel. Babies are observant and they can easily pick things up when you describe them well.
• Sing songs or read bedtime stories to your baby. You need to do this as early as possible. They have to be conditioned with the words being said through the stories or lyrics of the song. This has also other added benefits. There are some kids who have shown how they learned to love music since their parents sang songs to them when they were young.
• Bring your baby with you when shopping. In doing so, your baby is not confined with the things or colors found at home. They will begin to see some other things. You can start talking to them about these things. You can point some items or tell them what you want to buy.
These natural ways to make your baby speak faster will surely help a lot. Aside from aiding in their speech development, following these techniques also helps strengthen your bond with your baby and build a great relationship.