Mirroring the Sounds

What you'll need

Parent and baby face-to-face, about 12-18 inches apart. Baby alert and in a social mood. Quiet environment preferred. No distracting toys or screens.

How it works

1. 1~45s

   Look into your child's eyes and smile. Wait quietly for them to make a sound — any sound at all. It might be a coo, a gurgle, a grunt, an 'ah' or 'guh' sound. When your child makes a sound, copy it right back as closely as you can, with a big smile. Then wait again. Give your child about 5 seconds of quiet after you mirror before expecting another sound. What kinds of sounds is your child making?

   Watch for: Baby produces guttural sounds like 'ga', 'gu', or back-of-throat vocalizations.

2. 2~45s

   Keep going with the mirroring! As you copy your child's sounds, listen specifically for vowel-like sounds — 'ah', 'eh', 'oh', 'oo'. These are the building blocks of speech. After you mirror a sound, try adding a slight variation — if your child says 'ah', try saying 'ah' back, then 'aah-ooh'. See if your child tries to match your variation. Does they seem to be listening to your version and trying to respond?

   Watch for: Baby produces vowel sounds like 'eh', 'ah', 'oh' during vocal play.

3. 3~40s

   Now watch for something really special — turn-taking. This is the pattern of conversation: your child makes a sound, you copy it, then your child makes another sound. It's like a little dialogue! Does your child wait for you to finish before vocalizing again? Does they look at you expectantly after making a sound, as if waiting for your response? This back-and-forth is the very first form of conversation!

   Watch for: Baby engages in vocal turn-taking — vocalizing, pausing for parent's response, then vocalizing again.

What this develops

• ◆Milestone
  Laughing

  Languageprimary

Visual example