talking to the babies

Does anyone else have trouble talking to the babies? I try to speak to them sometimes as we do things, but sometimes I'll realize a lot of time has gone by where I haven't really said much to them.. (they are happy playing ect), I guess I find it hard to constantly be talking when I don't really get responses, but when go through some posts here it seems some of you are constantly talking to your babies - I wish I could do that, and I'm really feeling guilty like I just don't talk to them enough, and am worried this will delay their speech (they are 10 months, and they do babble and baby talk)

 

I talked to my girls all the time from day one. People probably thought I was crazy, as I would have full on conversations with my infants as if they understood exactly what I was saying. I will say that my girls are 19 months old now, and both have an extraordinary vocabulary, and their understanding of things is phenomenal. I don't know if there is a direct correlation there, but I don't think it hurts anything. The more language they are exposed to, the more they are going to pick up.

Don't beat yourself up over it. If it's something that concerns you, maybe try to narrate your day and tell them everything you are doing as you are doing it. :hug:

 

My boys are still too young to do any babbling yet, but i still find myself talking to them. Not constantly, but definitely when im holding them. Then again, i also coo at them and make faces.


Kenneth and Ian are 6 weeks old

 

I try to talk to my boys, narrating what I'm doing and asking them questions, but I do feel like an idiot sometimes! And I often find myself just sitting there watching them play.

I think it's important to be verbal with them, but sometimes I just want to enjoy their presence.

 

don't worry, i find it really hard to constantly talk to my girls. we do talk a lot but as far as things like "i'm putting toast in the toaster or filling up the water pitcher" the words don't seem to come out. i guess because i am in the habit of doing things without saying them out loud.

 

I'm in the same boat. My boys are almost 9 months now, and I find it very hard to talk to them. I wanted to change that because I find my mind wondering off while I'm just going through the motions with the babies. So yesterday I made the first real effort to narrate my day, as the pp put it. It was hard to keep a running commentary at times, but I've I caught my mind wondering off I just had to start saying what I was doing to get it back on track. It was ind off fun actually, and I could tell they enjoyed having mommy talk to them. I try to keep in mind that everything is new to them. I don't know, I guess yesterday I felt more like I was there, present, instead of feeling that just-get-through-the-day kind of drudgery.

I second what the pp said, don't beat yourself up! You said yourself they're happy and that's a sign that you're doing a great job! None of us is going to do this perfectly, and that's ok. And a lot of the things we planned on doing don't work out anyway. I was reading the other day about reading to babies, and it was saying that by 3 months they should have their own bored books. It dawned on me that I'd never really read to them! :shok: But it's ok! I can start now. And it doesn't have to be huge, it can be little things that build up over time.

I can't stress this enough, no guilt! You have twins which means you don't have time for nonsense, and that's all this kind of guilt is. :hug:

 

I feel the same way! I want so badly for my babies to develop language skills and for us to really have quality time together, but it's hard to have one-sided conversations all the time. When I really try to be conscious of it, I usually just say "Mommy loves you" alot and "you're so precious" and things like that. Besides those, I usually just spout off all of the thoughts coming out of my head, but in a baby sing-song kind of voice to make it sound more interesting like, "in a few minutes I'll have to get up to change the laundry" and "this weekend we are going to see Grandma & Grandpa who love you so much", etc.

In the same vein, the other day I was trying to keep them entertained with songs and I was embarrassed by how few fun songs I could remember. I did some basics, and then I went to patriotic songs, church hymns, Girl Scout songs, anything I could think of. They seemed to enjoy them, no matter what I sang.

 

I talk to mine [always have] but mostly small talk ^_^ I think actions speak louder than words so I often put sounds to words or act out feelings. I'm a pretty animated person myself and I think the girls do a pretty good job at letting me know what they want/how they feel by showing me.

 

I have been thinking the same thing lately. I have a really hard time talking out loud and yet I KNOW their is a link between their language and how often I talk to them. I am just a generally quiet person and not used to talking all of the time. I try to do it more often when I think about it, but it is hard, and my DS just qualified for speech so I am kicking myself and wished I had tried harder since day 1 but you can only do so much!

 

Wait until the first words out of there mouths are: "Here" - giving the other one something, "Whadoin?" Whatcha doing?, and "Yeah" (Not yes, but yeah).

I realized that those are three things that I need to work on getting rid of in my language.

 

Thanks everyone for writing back.. it makes me feel better to know I'm not the only one who has trouble with this.. for the moms who have talked a lot since day one, does this come naturally to you? I am also more quiet by nature so I have to put in an effort to talk especially when I don't get answers, just stares

 

My hubby and I try to babble to them, but only when we feel they are paying attention. We stop when they lose interest. We also sing to them, anything we can think of. My husband is so funny; he gives them 'cooking' lessons when he is making dinner (I don't cook). He puts them in their little strollers, and acts like he is a chef on TV. Then he gives them 'eating' lessons. It is the funniest thing!

 

QUOTE(Nate and Jack @ Jun 4 2009, 10:20 PM) [snapback]1340679[/snapback]
I try to talk to my boys, narrating what I'm doing and asking them questions, but I do feel like an idiot sometimes! And I often find myself just sitting there watching them play.

I think it's important to be verbal with them, but sometimes I just want to enjoy their presence.


I read from a website that says narrating whatever you do to the young ones esp activities like,'mummy's cleaning ur ears/hands/feet' can allow them to associate such words and actions to the body part. So they're learning along the way.

 

I'm pretty quite by nature too. But they are starting to respond a little. But when they don't sometimes I'll make up a silly response for them. Like Bob trying to talk his way out of stuff, "Mom, I don't really need to wear a diaper. It's just part of a repressive society trying to hold back my potentiality." 'cause I just know that's the kind of stuff he's thinking!

 

QUOTE(Vivian @ Jun 5 2009, 05:44 AM) [snapback]1341919[/snapback]
I'm pretty quite by nature too. But they are starting to respond a little. But when they don't sometimes I'll make up a silly response for them. Like Bob trying to talk his way out of stuff, "Mom, I don't really need to wear a diaper. It's just part of a repressive society trying to hold back my potentiality." 'cause I just know that's the kind of stuff he's thinking!


LOL! DH and I "talk" for our boys all the time too! Especially when they have such expressive looks on their faces that you can just imagine what they're thinking.

 

I didn't talk much to my daughter when she was a baby- I always felt kind of silly. But I talk to these guys a lot more. Kind of a running narrative- I talk that way with the 2 yo so I guess it just carries over.
I have to say that I NEVER talk "baby talk" talk to them or in a "cutesy" voice; personally that really bugs me.

My 2 yo talks constantly and in 8+ word sentences. She has a crazy vocabulary- so I don't think it mattered that I didn't talk to her much when she was a baby.

I too like to baby watch- I marvel at the little things

 

Sometimes I think I had my kids so I'm no longer the "crazy lady who talks to herself"--I am continually prattling on to the babies and my DH and I love to talk for them (and make the babies do whatever hand/arm motions would go along with the talking).