Admit it, mamas; we all want our babies first words to be 'mama.'
I mean; it is the least they can muster up after being pregnant and giving birth to them and the sleepless nights and the cracked nipples and what have you not...(we're kidding obviously).
Luckily; science has now told us that there is, in fact, a way we can control what their first words will be – you know, within reason, obviously.
According to a new
study from Indiana University, a baby’s first words are much more likely to be tied to visual cues (seeing mum constantly appear in their viewpoint) versus verbal ones (saying the word
mama over and over again).
Why, you might be wondering? Well, it all has to do with how an infant’s language develops. Visual memory is the jumping off point for babies that are trying to connect words to objects. This means that if a baby sees an object (say, a bottle) over and over again, they’re more likely to recognize it and eventually attach a word to it.
It really is as simple as that, according to the experts.
Interestingly, to put this to the test, researchers went so far as to strap actual cameras to babies’ heads to see what the world looks like from their point of view. The takeaway: Babies see a lot less than adults think they do, and are more likely to name the people and things from their limited viewpoint down the road.
The takeaway: Babies see a lot less than adults think they do, and are more likely to name the people and things from their limited viewpoint down the road.
Now, mamas, we are going to leave this one with you – to tell the hubby or not...
