Crying, Cooing, Communication: Baby’s First Year
Click here to view the crying, cooing, communication handout to accompany this video.
This crying, cooing, communication video offers practical advice for parents and caregivers on how to help their baby’s verbal communication skills and reach important speech and language milestones during the first year. Learn about the different stages and types of verbal communication, like cooing, crying, babbling, and talking.
Long before they say their first words, babies are developing communication skills. Communication is made up of two parts: receptive and expressive skills. Receptive skills are what babies take in (such as what you say to them or what they hear around them), and expressive skills are what babies put out (such as crying and cooing). Both skills begin to develop at birth, and your baby learns receptive and expressive communication skills by watching and imitating you.
It’s important to respond when baby is crying, cooing, or displaying any type of communication. This shows them that you are listening, and that communication is a two-way street.
If you are concerned that your baby is not reaching their communication milestones, trust your instincts, talk to your healthcare provider, and don’t hesitate to schedule a screening with a speech-language pathologist.
To learn more about baby’s communication development, visit our communication page.
