Visible Evidence?

When are babies old enough to start learning? Should we even try to teach babies, or is that forcing them to “grow up too soon”? The fact is, we can’t stop them from learning! Babies observe their new world through touch, taste, and sight, but especially through SOUND. One of baby’s favorite games it to echo the sounds the hear in a babbling language. Perhaps you’ve experienced the joy and wonder of speaking to baby in “Parentese”, the nonsense syllables we love to express, and have the baby imitate the same sound to the best of their abilities. This is a joyous event for all involved!

Many times I’ve heard the excuse, “Obviously you can’t do anything with them (babies). They just lay there and can’t do a thing.”

But we’re so accustomed to believing what we see, and if there’s no visual evidence, is anything really happening? How do we see into someone’s brain to watch it learn? We watch for cues.

In the womb, healthy baby begins to hear during the third trimester. There is evidence, upon the day of birth, that baby recognizes her mother’s voice, although she is only hours old. How is this possible? Because she’s been listening for three months and knows the sound of Mommy already.