Why is it that people, even people with kids, look at you like your crazy when you talk to your baby in public? I've always read that it helps babies when you talk to them, no matter where you are. I think of it as teaching him to recognize things that he wouldn't normally see at home. Am I crazy for pointing out things to him and saying, "look at the pretty shirt, Aiden"? He loves it and it entertains him but I get looks from people that say "That woman is insane."
I try not to let it bother me but sometimes I feel like I'm bothering other people. Does anyone else get these stares? Just curious. I'm not going to stop talking to Aiden or stop taking him out of the house, I was just curious if maybe everyone has these moments...or do I just have something on my face?
I went out again today with Aiden and I kept talking. Just like I always have and always will. When I point out something, I say "look at the pretty red toy" and I can just see the wheels turning in his brain. He tries so hard to figure stuff out. I got the crazy looks standing in line at the pharmacy when I said, "do you think this medicine will work for Mommy's headache?" Some old bat looked at me like I was crazy. I thought to myself, "If you live that long, My son may prescribe this medicine for you, so quit staring you old biddy!" Of course, I didn't say anything, I just grinned like a mad woman. Let them think I'm insane. My talking to him is going to make him smart. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Thanks everyone for backing me up in this. If you see a mad woman dancing and singing and talking to her son in Wal-Mart, it may be me. LOL
It is not just you. So many people do not give their children/babies the attention that they deserve and then wonder why they act up for attention when they get older. It is so important to interact with little ones and discuss the things around them with them.
Let me look. I'll bet it's older people right? I have a daughter who will be 3 in February. I've never talked "baby talk" to her and always spoke to her with intelligence and correct English/grammar. It has paid off! She's very smart, speaks very well and knew more than other kids when it comes to animals, household items, colors, shapes, #'s, ABC's, etc when she began preschool one year ago.
Keep up great work Mom!
Keep Talking!!!! We have five and we talk to them constantly, our twins were a little behind (normal for twins, they had twin language going on LOL) but the other children are great in vocabulary. Our oldest is 11 and always placed another grade higher in reading through school so far. We always get comments from the teachers how their vocab is such a wide range. You might get crazy looks but it is worth it when your child begins school!! So keep talking!!
No, it's not just you. I get the same looks and i've just learned to ignore them. I talk all the time to my 1 1/2 & 2 1/2 year olds and sometimes we sing, etc.. whatever makes them happy and our outing fun, that's exactly what we do. I don't know what's up with the looks, even from people who have been there themselves.. but oh well!
K.
well you could have something on your face, but more than likely it is just other people. Unless you are talking to him in baby talk I think it is perfectly normal. Experts say that children need to be talked to as if they were adults, in full sentences, in normal tones, and talked to as if they were in complete understanding of what you were saying. It helps develop their motor skills and most will talk sooner and better than children who were not treated this way. I say keep it up.
K.,
It's not just you. People are just judgemental, I think it is great that you talk to your son, I have two little girls and I was constantly walking around talking or singing to them and I got the same looks, but both my daughters are WAY ahead of other children their age in their vocabulary. They loved it and they still do, who cares what other people think, you're doing a great thing and you're paying attention to your baby. Keep it up!
K.,
I get the same thing all the time. My daughter, too, will be 5 months next week and I talk to her all the time when we go out. I talk to her about what we are doing and what we are going to do next. I even ask her questions like, "Do you think this shirt looks good on mommy?". People look at me like I'm nuts. I don't really know what their problem is because I wouldn't go out with my husband and not talk to him. Why would I ignore my daughter? She loves it when I, or anyone for that matter, talks to her. I took her out yesterday so I could get my haircut. She just sat and smiled or laughed at anyone who so much as looked at her. Someone asked if she was always this happy and I said "Of course." I think it has a lot to do with the way my husband and I interact with her. You should definitely keep doing what you are doing.
Hi K.,
Don't worry about what other people think. Talking to babies helps them to learn, and when you point out things for Aiden to look at, it encourages him to look around and explore a bit. If people can't understand that that's just too bad for them.
My daughter is almost 5, and has special needs (rett syndrome) I still talk to her like that and point out things to her. When people look at us funny I just look right back at them. Sometimes I smile. It makes them feel bad for staring I think.
I've been told that a baby will make you make a fool of yourself in public. Not saying that is what you are doing, but that it's expected for people to look at you like your crazy. Don't let it bother you, keep teaching your child things.
K.,
You just keep doing what your doing. Those people who look at you like your crazy have their own personal problem because it is necessary for us to talk to our babies! I talk to mine all the time, shes 11 months old and I have talked to her every day of those 11 months! Who cares what they think anyway!
K.,
No matter what others think, you are doing the best thing that you can for your son. Talking to him daily and telling him what you are doing or pointing out little things will make it easier for him to learn new things when he gets older. When I had my first two children, I worried all the time about what other people thought of how I interacted with her, so I didnt when we were in public. Now that I am on number three, I have talked to her everyday just like I am talking to an adult. Explaining things to her and giving her a chance to "answer". She started using real words way before the others did, and others could understand her too! I attribute this to me talking to her every day from day one.
Dont worry about what the people around you think! If you hear them comment about it, just tell them that you are teaching your child to pay attention to detail and that he may be a doctor (who needs to pay attention to that little detail) when he grows up. Teaching him now that words have meaning is the greatest thing that you can do for him! =)
Hi K.!
It is definitely the other people. I get the same looks in Walmart or where ever we go. I have a 16 month old son and I talk to him, sing to him, dance for him...whatever makes him happy and keeps him from screaming his adorable little head off. I would rather have people look at me like I'm crazy for my antics than give my son evil looks because he is being a baby and can't use words to verbalize his wants and desires.
But, on the other side of the arguement, I used to be one of THOSE people that looked at mothers like they had lost every bit of sense and self-consciousness...that is until I became a mother. Now I truly understand the mothers.
Keep up the good work!
N.
Keep talking to your baby. I do the same thing to all my children. They r 7 18months & 4 months. def keep doing what your are doing it helps out in the long run for both you & your child.
NO. You are not alone. As I'm sure you've already learned from all the responses. Go ahead with you bad self. LOL. :) Who cares what they think. Think of it this way. If you're out in public and you hear someone impolite say something or give a look to someone else, not yourself, how do you look at them? You're probably thinking "What a jerk". Maybe you even give a smile to that other person to make them feel better. You just think of the fact that there are some rude, unkind, unfriendly people out there and those are the people that we could really care less about their thoughts. Those are the ones that are looking at you weird. Or maybe they have no children of their own. Either way, I think you know that there's nothing wrong with talking to your child, especially in public. Unfortunatley, not everyone does this and their child will probably not advance educationally as quickly as they can. It's sad, but true. So like I said, go ahead with your bad self. Hehe. Have a great time with that baby!!!!!!!!!
My daughter is now 27 months old and I also talked to her A LOT when she was that age, and while she was even in the womb. I don't remember if people gave me weird looks whenever I talked to her in public...but I would definately NOT let it bother you! My daugher said her first word at 9 months old, and by a year she could already say close to 10 words! Now at almost 27 months she can say complete sentences, ask questions and can repeat just about anything...don't get me wrong there are times when she still talks and you can't understand her, but more often than not, she can be completely understood! Her vocabulary is way more expansive than most kids her age...I do not know for sure that my talking to her in the womb and when she was young is the only thing that attributed to her expansive vocabulary, but I really do believe that it helped tremendously! So, keep talking to your son, and don't worry about others. You never know, your talking to him now, may set the stage for his language development at an earlier age than most!
Hi K.,
You keep doing what you are doing. As for the looks that those people problem. The only thing, that bothers me is when parents let their kids run amock in the stores and the kids are screaming their heads off. You are teaching your child early to recognize things, don't baby talk but just talk to him in a soothing voice. You are connecting with him don't change that. You are not crazy but smart to begin communicating with you son. Keep talking and Happy Holidays. I live in Concord, NC so I don't know if that is near you. My whole family is in California, so I know how it feels to be away from family, especially with your first born. My son was born in Germany and I had no family and no real friends to depend on. You are not alone, in your local area see if there are any mommy and me playgroups this will help you adjust with other new moms.
Don't worry about the ignorant stares....You are able to teach your child a very valuable thing, the english language while sharing your time and attention with him. It will pay off when he gets a little older and he is able to clearly tell you what he needs instead of grunting or screaming at you out of frustration. I too talked to my son in a regular adult tone, no baby babble except when it was "play time" ie. goofy time on the floor and with the toys. I would talk to him while we were in the car, shopping or sit him in his swing while I was cooking or cleaning and explain everything to him, just so he could hear my voice and have some of my attention while I did the things I HAD to do. Now my son who will be 4 soon, speaks so clearly that we get compliments on how well he speaks. To this day he will look at me and ask me "what do you call it?" so that he can listen to how I pronounce words. My biggest pay off so far was a little voice of a 2 1/2 yr old saying "Mommy, you're awesome" from the back seat while I was driving....I almost had to stop the car to have a happy cry!!
Let them stare now, because they will stare out of amazement when he is a little older and speaks as clearly as an adult.
