Blog Post: Conversing with a 6-month old

Ever since my son was born, I've come across many articles about how important it is to talk to your baby. "They" say it helps with language skills and what not. Well, being that I am often home alone with my son, it helps to break up the quiet in the house if I regularly converse with him.

Some days, I'm not gonna lie, I stay in my jammies. If I don't have an errand to run or we have poor weather, we party indoors. He can be a bit more demanding some days, so I either drop my 'chores' completely and hang out, or I'll try to see what I can distract him with in order to get some housework done.

To entertain him, I label objects and give them to him. He enjoys the 'new' item and I get stuff done while his language development - win, win. Now that he's 6 (going on 7) months old, it's become quite a game for me to guess what he's thinking as I point out things around our house and name them as well as the action I am performing. I basically narrate our conversation, and it typically goes something like this:

Me: "Gunner, what's mommy doing? Mommy is folding laundry."
Gunner: "That sock looks delicious. [inserts into mouth]"
Me: "No, no, baby. That is a sock. Socks go on feet. See, here's your foot."
Gunner: "That foot looks delicious. [inserts into mouth and has a foot party for 10 minutes allowing me to get the laundry done. thanks, foot.]

-----

Me: "Gunner, mommy is opening the mail. See this, this is paper."
Gunner: "I love it. Give me." [has a paper party for 20 minutes allowing me to get the bills done. thank you, paper.]

-----

Me: "Gunner, this is a hanger. Mommy hangs clothes clothes on these."
Gunner: "That hanger is covered in paper. Paper. I love paper. Paper. Give me."
Me: "Ohh, that's dangerous baby. Here, have your Sophie."
Gunner: "NO, I WANT HANGER WITH PAPER." [cries for paper; damn you, dry-cleaner hanger.]

-----
Me: "Gunner, that's mommy's coffee. Here, take your sippy."
Gunner: "No."
Me: "Here, want the remote? Look, buttons. This is a button. You push the button."
Gunner: "OOOO it lights up. I love this remote. [10 seconds elapse] I hate this remote. I want your coffee."
Me: Damn you, remote.

-----

Me: "That's mommy's phone, baby. Mommy is talking to Auntie. You love Auntie!"
Gunner: "Phone."
Me: "Here, look at this remote. See the buttons? Push the buttons."
Gunner: "I love this remote." [pushes TV off button; cries]
Me: [pushes TV on button] "It's ok. There, see. It's on."
Gunner: [pushes TV off button; cries]
Me: [pushes TV on button] "Look, it's back."
Gunner: "I understand, mommy. Push button, tv off. Cry, tv on."
Me: [damn me.]

-----

The list goes on and on, and on. It's become a game to see what I can entertain him with. He has a million and one toys, and he's fine playing with them most of the time. But then there are those days. Some things I think to myself, "he won't be interested in this" and voila! Loves it! Others, I'm like "yea, this is the money maker here." Hates it.

This is such a fun age. I'm sure you have similar conversations with your little one, and I'd love to hear about them!

XOXO! ~Meg