We can’t help ourselves. We know we look and sound foolish and frankly, my dear, we don’t care.
When we have kids or even get around other peoples’ kids, we launch into a wacky language called motherese. I’m not kidding. It’s really called motherese.
It’s that exaggeration of language and facial expressions that creates the mother-infant bond and jump starts the baby’s emotional and cognitive development.
About 30 million years ago, in a common ancestor of human and apes, this capacity for emotional interactions between mother and infants began. It’s an ancient behavior with an incredibly important purpose.
Intimate interaction between mother and child actually creates the baby’s brain. Essentially, mother’s interaction with baby stimulates growth in areas of the brain that are critical for later functioning.
If this stimulation doesn’t take place within the first year of life, the door closes and cannot be opened.
So go ahead, be whacky, Mom, you’ve got a baby brain to build!
Claudia
Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch.
At DrClaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question.
Sign up for the Sunday newsletter. Don't miss a thing!
When we have kids or even get around other peoples’ kids, we launch into a wacky language called motherese. I’m not kidding. It’s really called motherese.
It’s that exaggeration of language and facial expressions that creates the mother-infant bond and jump starts the baby’s emotional and cognitive development.
About 30 million years ago, in a common ancestor of human and apes, this capacity for emotional interactions between mother and infants began. It’s an ancient behavior with an incredibly important purpose.
Intimate interaction between mother and child actually creates the baby’s brain. Essentially, mother’s interaction with baby stimulates growth in areas of the brain that are critical for later functioning.
If this stimulation doesn’t take place within the first year of life, the door closes and cannot be opened.
So go ahead, be whacky, Mom, you’ve got a baby brain to build!
Claudia
Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch.
At DrClaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question.
Sign up for the Sunday newsletter. Don't miss a thing!
