Face-to-Face Time!
Prep: None | Activity Time: 2鈥3 Minutes
From birth to about age 5 months, infants are especially interested in looking at your face. Spend time with your infant face-to-face. This helps to teach him that people close to him take pleasure in his communication attempts.
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Step 1:聽Throughout the day, spend a few moments face-to-face with your baby while talking to him.聽
Step 2:聽When you are holding, feeding or bathing your baby, bend toward him so that your face is about 8-to-14 inches away from his face.聽
Step 3:聽While looking into his eyes, talk to him in slow, exaggerated speech patterns. For example, you might say:
鈥淗i Dil . . .lon. I鈥檓 your mom ... my!鈥濃痮r 鈥淭here鈥檚 my special boy!鈥澛
Step 4:聽While you are face-to-face, try moving your head from side to side. Often, your baby鈥檚 eyes will fixate on your eyes while you are moving.聽
Step 5:聽Respond to your baby鈥檚 communication attempts while you are face-to-face by saying:
鈥淭here鈥檚 your beautiful smile!鈥濃痮r 鈥淚 hear you talking. Goooo ... tell me more.鈥澛