6 ways newborns communicate

After the baby is born, parents are excited and worried. They are excited about the arrival of the little angel, but also worried about the fact that this is an angel who cannot speak. Can you communicate with your baby? How? Maybe your baby is too young and doesn't need any communication at all. Some people even believe that newborns only need to sleep and breastfeed, and as long as they are healthy, parent-child communication should be delayed until the baby grows up a bit. Is this really the case? In fact, you don’t understand that babies also need emotional communication.

Communication method 1: Gaze

Many people think that newborns are blind, but this is not the case. Although the baby keeps his eyes closed most of the time in the first few days after birth, it does not mean that he has no vision. It is just that he has never used his eyes in the mother's womb. Over the next few months, he will slowly learn and become familiar with the use of this organ.

Despite their poor vision, newborns are very sensitive to light and respond to changes in lighting, so you'll often see your baby "staring off" into an overhead light.

In the neonatal period, the baby's visual distance is only 40 cm, and the optimal distance is 20 to 30 cm. When a mother is breastfeeding, the baby will sometimes look directly into the mother's eyes while feeding. This is a visual need in the baby's emotional development process. You can use this feature to "communicate" with your baby.

What to do

When the baby is awake, the mother can get close to him. The baby will immediately notice the mother's face and look at her very attentively.

Try talking to your baby gently while moving slowly and letting your baby's eyes follow your face. This can consciously exercise your baby's optic nerve and promote brain development.

Sharing parenting experience

I stared into his eyes, and he stared into mine, looking at me without blinking, as if my face was an interesting thing! We play this fun game every day, and the baby loves it!

Communication method 2: Dialogue

It is unwise not to talk to your baby because he or she doesn't understand. You should know that although the baby cannot speak, his hearing ability is normal, and speaking can allow the baby to perceive the mother's voice. He has been listening to this voice for 10 months and is very familiar with it. Some babies will even calm down as soon as they hear their mother's voice when they are feeding, crying or irritable.

What to do

Seize every detail of daily life to talk to your baby. For example, when changing his diaper, say "Baby, your diaper is wet. Mommy will change one for you"; when bathing your baby, say "Mommy will wash your baby clean". You can also ask him "Do you like taking a bath?" Talking to your baby more is not a strange or embarrassing thing. On the contrary, it is a very meaningful thing! The earlier the language communication begins, the faster the baby's brain develops.

Communication method 3: Touch

Gentle comfort and hugging are a form of love communication, and babies like their mothers to touch them often. This kind of love transmitted through the skin allows the baby to avoid negative emotions such as anxiety and fear, and produces safe and sweet signals in the brain, which not only meets psychological needs but also promotes intellectual development.

The newborn touch activities currently advocated are based on the above principles.

What to do

Caress your baby while breastfeeding; hold your baby's hands and feet and play with him when he wakes up; touch his back and head more when holding him; do more massage exercises in your daily life.

Communication method 4: Expressions

Newborn babies can notice different expressions, and if you make an exaggerated expression to them, they will look at you intently. Some babies are born with the ability to imitate. When you make the tongue-sticking gesture to them, they will also learn to stick out their own tongue. It sounds incredible, right? Of all the expressions, the baby's favorite is his mother's smile, which shows that he can remember that this expression represents a signal of safety and sweetness.

What to do

Play more expression games with your baby, such as blinking, frowning, and no matter what expression your baby makes, he will stare at your face for a while.

Sharing parenting experience

One time when I smiled at my baby, he actually grinned back at me. It was the first time he smiled. Although I knew it was a completely unconscious smile, I was still very excited!

Communication method 5: Hearing

Mammals rely on their sensitive sense of smell to identify mother-child relationships, and humans have retained this biological trait. Newborn babies can quickly smell their mother's scent and remember it firmly. This scent is like a label attached to the mother, guiding the baby to find sweet milk. It is completely instinctive.

What to do

Mothers should avoid using cosmetics with strong smells, lest their babies cry because they cannot smell the familiar scent.

Babies who are bottle-fed sometimes do not accept the bottle. You can wrap them in one of the mother’s clothes and then feed them. It is best not to change clothes before breastfeeding and going to bed, otherwise the baby will refuse to breastfeed and be unwilling to sleep. You can use smell to subtly soothe a crying baby.

Communication method 6: Crying

Babies cry to actively express their feelings and expect a response. By learning to distinguish different cries, you will be able to understand your baby's special "language". In the section "Crying is the only language of newborns" in this book, there is a more detailed discussion on the communication method of "crying".