What is Motherese/Parentese (baby talk) and should I be doing it?

Though there is conflicting information out there in the google-sphere on whether or not baby talk or “Motherese” should be used with children, we are all for it over here at Sound.

Motherese/Parentese is a way of communicating with your child using:

• higher than usual pitch

• talking about shared perceptions

• exaggerated intonation

• use of repetition

• calling attention to objects

• using slowww stretchyyy speech

Motherese/Parentese is a great tool get an infants attention and expose them to language. Using Motherese/Parentese transforms the noise in an child’s world, transforming it into words for learning.

Here’s an example of a mother using Motherse/Parentese with her infant. In the video you can see the child responding to the mother with cooing, engaged eye contact, and smiles. Using Motherese/Parentese really gets an infants attention and facilitates early language skills of babbling.

Go ahead and give Motherese/Parentese or baby talk a try with your little one and let us know how it goes in the comments below!