Babies don't look as busy as they are. Don't let them fool you. They are listening intently to everything. Keep your face and mouth close. Speak clearly and slowly to your baby. Slow down your speech, stretch out the vowels-just like when you talk to puppies
Professionals call this "motherese." People naturally address babies--and puppies-- in this style of speech. You will want to keep the signal clear. Minimize background noise, such as fans, air conditioners, radios, and television sets, as it will mask your speech and distort the sound.
As you talk to your baby, the little genius is sorting out the sounds of your native language (English has about 44) with StATISTICS! Through exposure babies learn which sounds frequently occur together, and learn which ones never do. They are learning popular sound sequences as well as word boundaries within sentences. They are busy.
Babies need the human face, with all of its contortions and emotions, to learn the nuances of human communication. Researchers have tried a TV screen, but babies want their people.
WATCH Pat Kuhl's TED Talk to see how the magic happens! It will inspire you to have a chat with a baby.