'Baby Talk' with Kids -- Good or Bad?
Thursday, June 07, 2012 6:41AM
Neil Patrick Harris recently told People that there's no baby talk around his 14-month-old twins, Gideon and Harper. He and partner David Burtka avoid it because Neil says his parents never talked baby talk.
Mario Lopez, during today's panel discussion says he "respectfully disagrees," because he loves being affectionate with his 18-month-old daughter, Gia – and wants to enjoy her as a little girl for as long as possible.
What do you think? Does baby talk hurt a child's development?
Filed Under: As Seen On The Show
Comments
Baby talk is common in most cultures, and the cooing sounds can be very comforting to a child.
How many adults resort to 'baby talk' to each other in their intimate moments, or give each other child-like nicknames?
Baby talk definitely has its place!
http://youtu.be/GjEbCq-O6vc
There is a difference between baby talk, and coo-ing. My daughter & nephew were never spoken to with baby talk, and were both quite verbal before 2yo. However, they both understood from our inflections if something was 'aww cute, no! Hot, whee that was fun, etc. Googoo, gaga, ooby-wooby blahblah & such weren't spoken to them. Plus, my brother & I taught (albeit rudimentary) sign language, so even though their palates, tongues and mouths could not yet form the difficult sounds, they were able to communicate (ok, somewhat).