When a child is very young, parents have many fears about their health and questions about what exactly they want and what bothers them. How to understand a baby without words? Experts identify 3 main ways in which children “talk” to adults.
- Crying
- El llanto es la manera principal y también más común que tienen los bebes para comunicarse con los adultos. En los primeros 4 meses después del nacimiento del bebé, el llanto es su forma principal de expresar sus necesidades. ¿Cómo distinguir cada tipo de llanto?.
- Llanto invocador. El niño pudo estar solo por mucho tiempo, quiere que lo alcen en brazos. Seguramente grita por 5 a 6 segundos, luego se detiene por unos 20 segundos, como si esperara un resultado. Si no ve resultados, lo repetirá una y otra vez.
- Hungry cry. It may begin with an invoking cry, if the baby was picked up but not fed, the crying will not stop , he will become hysterical, the child will turn his head and may make sucking sounds.
.Crying in pain. This type of crying will be monotonous, loud and incessant.
- for the sounds
Australian pediatrician Priscilla Dunstan has researched the sounds of early childhood (up to 3 or 4 months) for more than 20 years. Thousands of babies from different parts of the world participated in their experiments. Priscilla firmly believes that primal sounds and reflections are international.
Although after 4 months, the child makes sounds because he wants to communicate and it has less to do with the physical needs of his first 3 months . Priscilla opened a school where she teaches new parents how to understand their babies. It is believed that by recognizing these sounds in time, crying can be avoided. Here we can see some main sounds:
- “Ña” (“ñe”): “I'm hungry!” This sound arises when the child presses the tongue against the palate and is generated by the sucking reflex.
- “Au” (“ou”): “I want to sleep, I'm tired!” . By putting the lips in an “o” shape, at the first sign of a yawn, the baby makes this “tired sound.”
- “Heh”: “I feel uncomfortable!” Unpleasant tactile sensations cause the child to move, shaking his arms and legs . And when, at the same time, the mouth is opened, sounds like these are produced.
- for the movements
Body language tells us a lot about what our baby wants, for example:
- Rotate your head rhythmically. A movement to calm down. The baby may do this at bedtime or when in the company of people who are strangers to him.
- Clench your fists. Hunger sign. By seeing it in time, you can avoid hungry crying.
As we have seen, there are signs to understand what the little ones at home want even if they cannot express themselves in words.
One Response
As a mom of two, this is such helpful information! The breakdown of different cries is spot on – I remember feeling so lost with my first baby until I learned to decode these signals. The part about the «Ña» sound is fascinating – I’ve definitely heard my little one make that exact noise before feeding time. It’s amazing how babies have their own universal language before they can speak. Really wish I’d known about Priscilla Dunstan’s research when my first was born. This is a must-read for new parents trying to understand their little ones! 👶💕