One of your parenting superpowers is your voice! Hearing you sing, talk, and read greatly influences your baby's social, emotional, and language development.

Your baby is naturally drawn to rhythmic patterns, which mimic the comforting sounds of being in the womb. This is why listening to you sing can have a calming effect regardless of how talented of a singer you are. The repetition of sounds and patterns helps them feel safe and relaxed.

Even if your baby can't reciprocate a conversation, engaging them in real conversation as if they are a whole person (because they are) is purposeful to their language development. Responding to their earliest vocalizations and maintaining eye contact is known as "serve and return." This fosters social and emotional development! So, when you hear them coo or notice them staring at you—talk!

You don't have to wait until your baby coos at you to engage with them. You can also narrate what you're doing as you're doing it, such as describing the fruits and vegetables you're looking for while at the grocery store. Your baby is taking it all in like a sponge. Listening to you share more about the world helps them make meaningful connections.

There's no better time to start daily bedtime (or daytime) stories than now! Reading to your baby lays an essential foundation for literacy development and is another way they connect to your voice to feel calm and connected.

While there's a time for quiet and focus, don't underestimate the positive influence of reading aloud, singing a song, or simply speaking to your baby.