Nonverbal communication:
smiles, shakes and shimmies
Babies communicate their needs through body movements (squirming, pointing) and facial expressions (smiling, eye contact). There are many ways parents and caregivers can encourage nonverbal communication:
- Be emotionally expressive when talking to your baby – exaggerate your facial expressions. Change them based on what you’re saying and see if your baby can copy what you’re doing.
- Encourage your baby to imitate your actions, such as peek-a-boo, throwing kisses, or giving “high fives.”
- Teach your child to use gestures to help communicate, like raising their arms when wanting to be picked up or waving “hi” and “bye.”
Touch is another way to build strong communication between you and your baby. Positive touch between a caregiver and child creates moments of comfort and calm. Find opportunities to hold your baby skin-to-skin:
Skin-to-skin contact between you and your baby offers comfort and a sense of calmness. Find opportunities to hold your baby skin-to-skin:
Hold your baby cheek-to-cheek
Hug and kiss your baby
Gently massage your baby with lotions
Rub your baby’s feet, hands, back, and stomach
Rock your baby softly
Skin-to-skin contact is for moms and dads!
Make time to hold your diapered baby close to your bare chest and form that special bond! An easy way to work this into your daily routine is when bottle- or breastfeeding.