Baby Talk is Good for Baby's Brain

Guest: Catherine Laing, PhD, linguist and Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University For some reason, when many of us encounter a baby, some switch seems to trigger in our minds and without thinking about it – without even wanting to really – we start talking differently. “Hi baby. Look how cute you are. Ohh, can you smile? Are you a happy baby?”  It’s silly. It’s annoying even. And it’s surely not helpful in teaching the baby how to speak properly. Then again, maybe it’s just what your baby needs as she’s learning to talk.