Tone of voice
Speaking to our brand-new babies, even in pregnancy, our adult voices disappear and our baby voices are born. I didn't know I had a baby voice until I met my first daughter. We end up speaking to our little ones in voices we didn't think we could ever produce! Why does this happen? After encountering a baby and speaking to them in that voice, I feel so embarrassed. What happened to me? Where did I travel to just now? I feel possessed! I call it "baby power". Yes, baby power. Once in touch with a baby, they take control. It's their cuteness and their innocence, their toothless smiles, shiny puppy eyes, and soft squishy skin that transforms adults. But, besides all that, there is a more serious reason: It is instinctive. It happens naturally. It's human nature. It's called "baby talk" and "motherese" (nowadays more known as "parentese").
We do have to wonder, tho... is this baby talk or parentese talk something that we should be doing all the time? How do we know when to activate it and when to shut it off? It's true. It's not something we want to keep up all the time. There are times and there are instances to do so.
My BabyLingua loves "baby power" time, but also loves to power it off when needed. You will be coached in the ways to use your tone of voice and the times when you need it.
"In a 2018 study, I-LABS researchers tracked use of parentese among adults and their 6-month-old infants, and found that babies whose parents participated in parentese coaching sessions babbled more and produced more words by age 14 months than infants whose parents were not directed in the technique."
"It may be baby talk, but 'parentese' is an infant's pathway to learn the language."
~ Joel Schwarz
