Talkin Tots & Nurtureshock

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Thursday, June 03, 2010
by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford

The first time I came across a Po Bronson book, I was on vacation at the beach. The book, "What Should I Do With My Life," was a nice read of stories about various people from across the country and what paths they went down. Fast forward 5 years and I am no longer wondering, "What Should I Do With My Life?" Instead, as a mama, I feel a bit more settled, though I do clamor for every bit of parenting insight I can get my hands on. I never imagined I would be coming across Po Bronson again, this time with Ashley Merryman  in a book called "Nurtureshock."

There are many ideas in this book, from babyhood through the teenage years, but one specifically on language development has been getting a lot of attention:. Check out the full story here.

Don't have time to read the full article or tune into the 4-minute video excerpt?  Here are a few of the key points I found most interesting:

Bronson and Merryman support and explore the optimal time for language development, specifically between the ages of 9 months to 2 years.

Take advantage of the windows of opportunity for language development. When your baby is looking, pointing and babbling, they are talking to you! Pay attention and respond!

Some people may say that you should talk to your baby like you would another adult - after all, how else will they learn appropriate language?  Bronson and Merryman challenge this notion. They support that "baby talk" is good! Essentially, instead of filling our kiddo's ears with enormous amounts of language, it's better to actively respond to what they are sharing with us. If it's babbling or cooing or simple syllables, the best way we can support their language development is to imitate.

Finally, it's up to each of us to teach baby about the world around them, supplying names of objects and providing variations of what babies are noticing (i.e. "You see the fish?...look at the big fish, red fish...oh, there's an orange fish"). Bronson and Merryman also note the importance and benefit of hearing words and phrases from a variety of sources (vs. only one person).

When it comes to language development, there's a host of theories about the best way to get your munchkin to be a talkin' tot. It's always fun to see new ideas, some which challenge current or past thinking.

What do you think?

What are you doing to support your baby's language development?

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