
Your child may enjoy playing independently with you nearby.

Your child needs to be exposed to different people, places, and things to learn about them. As your child gets older, ask them questions about the book to give them opportunities to think about what they're learning and to talk to you about it. As you read, you can talk about the story and pictures. It's also just a good reason to sit and cuddle your baby!Ĭhoose colorful, sturdy books for babies. Reading aloud is one of the most important things you can do to build your child's vocabulary, stimulate their imagination, and improve their language and social skills. Make a point of reading to your child from day one. It's not a "baby talk" of made-up words and phrases, though – it's grammatically correct speech, which is important for language learning. Studies have shown that this kind of speech helps babies learn language. Parents and other adults naturally use "parentese" – a way of speaking to babies in simplified sentences and phrases with a high-pitched voice. Just describe what you're doing: "Mommy is putting warm water in the tub so we can clean you up." Don't worry about saying anything profound. They'll respond better if they know the words are directed at them, so try to look at your baby while you're speaking. Talk to your baby as you diaper, feed, and bathe them. Research shows that children whose parents speak to them extensively as babies develop more advanced language skills than children who don't receive much verbal stimulation. And when your baby's ready, you can start introducing a variety of solid foods into their diet with advice from your baby's pediatrician. Your baby can thrive and be healthy on formula as well.

If breastfeeding isn't a good fit for you and your baby, there's no need to feel guilty. Breastfeeding has many benefits for babies, including reduced risks of asthma, diabetes, obesity, respiratory sickness, ear infections, diarrhea, and SIDS. Breast milk or formula provide all the nutrients your baby needs for the first six months.
