Newborn babies may seem like tiny bundles of mystery, but they are actually constantly communicating their needs. While they lack the ability to speak, they have a rich repertoire of nonverbal cues that parents can learn to decipher. Here’s a guide to understanding the different ways your newborn communicates:
The Power of Crying:
Crying is a newborn’s primary way of communicating their needs. While it might seem like every cry sounds the same, with experience, you’ll learn to distinguish different cries that signal hunger, tiredness, discomfort, or gas. Pay attention to the intensity, pitch, and rhythm of your baby’s cry to understand what they’re trying to tell you (Zero to Three: https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/).
Facial Expressions:
Newborns may not be able to form words, but their faces are incredibly expressive. Look for early signs of smiles, frowns, and pursed lips. A genuine smile typically involves crinkled eyes and upward movement of the mouth corners, often appearing in the very early days if carefully looked for.
Body Language:
Newborns use their bodies to communicate a wide range of emotions and needs. An uncomfortable baby might arch their back, stiffen their body, or clench their fists. Yawning, rubbing their eyes, tenseness, jerky movements & facial contortions might indicate tiredness. Pay attention to your baby’s body language to understand their comfort level and needs.
Vocalizations:
While crying is their primary vocalization, newborns also make other sounds to express themselves. Gurgling, cooing, and babbling are early signs of communication development. These sounds may increase in frequency and complexity as your baby grows and interacts with you (National Health Service: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/babys-development/play-and-learning/help-your-baby-learn-to-talk/).
Responding to Your Baby’s Cues:
Responding promptly and sensitively to your baby’s cues builds trust, strengthens the parent-child bond, and helps them feel secure. Here’s how to respond effectively:
- Acknowledge their communication: Let your baby know you hear them by making eye contact, talking softly, or gently touching them.
- Meet their basic needs: Is your baby hungry, tired, or uncomfortable, needs skin to skin comfort or doesn’t feel safe? Address the root cause of their distress by offering food, a nappy change, or a cuddle or settle to sleep.
- Provide comfort and reassurance: Sometimes, all your baby needs is your soothing presence. Hold them close, rock them gently, or sing a lullaby.
Remember:
- Every baby communicates differently. Learning to understand your baby’s unique cues takes time and patience.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment with different strategies to find what soothes your baby best they are constantly growing & changing & you need to be flexible. Trial & error is often the most effective strategy.
- If your baby’s crying seems excessive or inconsolable, consult your GP or pediatrician to rule out any underlying medical issues.
Building Communication Skills:
- Talk to Your Baby: Even though they don’t understand the words yet, talk to your baby in a calm and soothing voice. Narrate your day, sing songs, and describe what you’re doing.
- Make Eye Contact and Respond: When your baby vocalizes or makes eye contact, acknowledge them with a smile, a coo, or a gentle touch. This reinforces positive communication behaviors.
- Create a gentle rhythm: Newborns thrive on their own rhythm. Establishing a predictable rhythm for feeding, sleeping, and playtime helps your baby feel secure and learn to communicate their needs within that framework.
Resources and Support:
Organizations like Karitane (https://karitane.com.au/) and Tresillian (https://www.tresillian.org.au/) offer resources and workshops on infant development and communication. They can equip you with the knowledge and confidence to understand your newborn’s unique language and build a strong foundation for communication as your baby grows.
By learning to decipher your newborn’s cries, facial expressions, body language, and vocalizations, you’ll be well on your way to fostering a strong and communicative relationship with your little one.
We hope you found this article valuable. To gain a deeper understanding of Understanding how Newborns Communicate go to Our Classes and Book a Having a Baby Class most relevant to you as we offer in-person classes, online classes and a combination of both online and in-person, to cater for everyone’s needs for the antenatal classes that suit best. I’d love to see you there.
Carmel Heazlewood