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Talk to Your Baby
The physical demands of taking care of baby can be overwhelming, so be sure to make time for the fun stuff, including having a one-on-one chat with your baby. You may not realize it but your baby can have a back and forth conversation with you! Talk to your baby just as you would talk to a friend. Tell baby about what's going on around them, what you have planned for the future or how much you love them. Give baby a chance to respond and you will hear coos, oohs and ahhs coming back at you! Talking one-on-one with your baby from the start will help to build their social and communication skills as well as a secure bond with you!
How Babies Communicate
Building Conversations with Baby
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Brain Science for Your Baby
There is a new study that will soon be published in Developmental Science (Ramirez-Esparza, 2014) that finds that parents who engage in one-on-one conversations with their children, and emphasize vowels and different sounds in the words are more likely to help their child's language development! And work on getting your baby to "talk back". Talking back is a good thing at this age!
Learn more about this study
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A Baby Buffer Prescription for Your Baby
Tips on having a conversation with your baby:
Choose a time when baby is awake and content (e.g., not hungry, wet, sleepy)
Hold baby a short distance from you and look at his face
Talk to your baby in a happy and calm voice.
Talk about what you do together, the weather, current events, what you need from the grocery, talk about whatever you want!
Be a good conversation partner, don't do all the talking. Pause and wait for baby to respond to you, and then it will be your turn again.
Keep the back and forth interaction going until baby gives you a cue that they are tired need a break. Communicating is great fun but baby will need short breaks so that they don't become overstimulated
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A baby Buffer Prescription for You
Talking positively with your baby can improve your mood which will also affect baby's mood.
Remember to be eating well and getting exercise regularly so that you can be your best for your baby!
Keep in touch with friends, invite them over for coffee during nap time or just talk on the phone while your baby is sleeping. It's good for you to have some adult conversation too!
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What Your Baby Can Do - Developmental Milestones
Your baby will love being held and touched by you from the very beginning, this is the beginning of your relationship with your baby. Click on the links below to find out what your baby should be able to do:
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Gene's Research Tip! 
Two articles that we look at this week show that kids who grow up with consistent rules and healthy habits do better in school, and are less likely to have sex at an early age. It is never too early to start encouraging healthy habits like eating fruits and vegetables, exercise and getting plenty of sleep! Read more
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Baby Buffer Blog
Written by Kristie Clark, MD
As a new Mom of toddlers, I would get frustrated when I tried to get them to do a "Time-Out". How do you get a 3 year old to stay seated for 3 seconds, much less 3 minutes?
Have you ever seen a 9 month old baby remove Grandma's glasses or pull their Mom's hair? Babies as young as 9 months can exhibit defiance, and need some gentle discipline. Babies younger than 9 months really are not capable of being naughty and do not need discipline. When young babies cry, it is for a reason. Usually, babies that cry have a need to be met. Either they are hungry, wet, dirty, cold, too warm, sick, in pain, scared, over-stimulated, tired or colicky. It is up to us as parents to get to know our baby's non-verbal communication cues so that we can meet their needs. Never ever hit or shake a baby!
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