Should You Talk to Your Baby Like an Adult?

Yahoo

12-07-2025

Videos of caregivers chatting with babies as if they're adults are going viral and sparking conversation.
Instead of relying on traditional 'baby talk,' some parents are choosing to speak to their infants in full sentences, ask thoughtful questions and use advanced vocabulary, even if the child can't yet understand.
While it can lead to adorable response from children, the trend raises questions about whether this method is the best way to support a baby's language development and promote bonding.
In February, podcaster Alex Hodges posted a video of herself 'updating' her infant daughter Tate on their evening plans as if she were a friend.
The video received over 13 million views on Instagram, and many parents in the comments section shared how speaking to their child similarly seemed to benefit their language.
'Be careful ladies!!! I talked to my daughter like this from the day she was born. She started talking at 10 months old and now at almost 6 she has yet to take a breath!!' one user commented on the post.
'I literally have done this same thing with both of my kids (my husband calls it their play by play) and they talk SO much now and communicate so clearly it's the best thing ever ' added another.
While some parents claim that adult-like conversations are helpful for a child's development, TODAY.com asked language experts whether this really is the case.
Dr. Claire Vallotton, a professor at Michigan State University who specializes in early development of language, tells TODAY.com that engaging in "back and forth" conversations with babies can be a great way to teach them how to converse.
Children 'often love this type of interaction' Vallotton says, and it can help create a connection between parent and child, which can encourage more communication.
Speaking to babies like an adult can be helpful in teaching how to take turns in conversation, but it might not be the most helpful in teaching vocabulary, she says.
Therefore, child-directed speech, popularly known as 'baby talk' is still important for children.
'You can have these lovely conversations back and forth with your child in that rhythmic way of introducing them to conversation,' she says. 'But don't neglect that they also need to hear child-directed speech, baby talk that will help them learn the sounds and vocabulary in their language.'
Baby talk is a method of speech that adults naturally gravitate to when speaking to children, Vallotton says.
It can entail raising the pitch of one's voice, exaggerating intonation and using a smaller vocabulary, according to Dr. Erika Hoff, an expert on language development and professor of psychology at Florida Atlantic University.
'It would sound ridiculous if you talked to an adult that way,' Hoff tells TODAY.com. 'But there are actually quite a few studies that suggest it's helpful to babies.'
Hoff says that while talking to your baby like an 'intelligent, patient conversational partner' can be helpful, there are several reasons not to overlook child-directed speech.
Babies are more interested in baby talk than the 'monotone' way adults speak. Plus, shorter sentences can help them 'crack the code' of language, Hoff says.
Vallotto agrees that baby talk is important for language development.
'It's really important to talk to children like they are children,' she says.
There is a reason why caregivers feel compelled to use baby talk when talking to an infant, Vallotto adds. Babies are more likely to pay attention to it, and all adults, not just parents, naturally pick up on this positive response over time.
'It's something that parents intuitively do,' Vallotto says. 'You don't have to teach them to do it. They just naturally do it because babies reinforce that behavior.'
While the way children pick up language from conversation can be complicated, both Hoff and Vallotton say that the most important thing to remember is simple: Just talk.
Vallotton notes that parents are 'intuitive geniuses.' If they pay attention to their children, they make 'really good, intuitive decisions on how to engage their children in protoconversations," she says.
Hoff says that it is helpful to engage children in conversation rather than a monologue because research shows that the best way to learn language is to practice it. But she agrees that the optimal way to talk to children comes naturally to parents.
'Don't stress it,' Hoff says. 'Just talk to your child."
This article was originally published on TODAY.com