Supporting Speech & Language Development

black baby sitting happily in bubble bath

One of the best ways to work on your child’s speech & language development is during routines — especially routines that are FUN and offer opportunities to talk about the routine, narrate actions, and describe what your child is doing. This is why bath time is perfect for working on speech & language development.

4 Ways to Use Bathtime to Support Speech & Language Development

Narrate what you are doing.

Talking to your baby — even when they can’t talk back yet — is incredibly important. But you don’t need to be talking to them nonstop. Pick a few points in your day to be conscious about it, like bath time.

During your baby’s bath, narrate what’s going on and offer commentary on things they might be reacting to. You might say, “Now I’m going to wash your hair. Wash, wash, wash. Time to pour water on your head.” And if you notice your baby makes a face when you pour the water, you can say, “Did that feel funny when I did that?”

🛁 Bonus pro-tip: Bathtime narration is also a great way to teach older babies and young toddlers various body parts.

Use environmental sounds.

Environmental sounds are noises like pop, splash, beep, and plop. These tend to involve strong vowel sounds, making them easier words for your baby to imitate.

So when you are narrating to your baby in the bath, you can say, “I’m going to pour water on your head now. Whoooosh.”

You can also watch your baby playing and match environmental sounds to their actions. Bubble baths are a great opportunity for this. If you notice your baby popping the bubbles, you can say, “Pop, pop, pop!” Or if you notice them squishing the bubbles in their first, you can say, “Squiiiiiish.”

Read in the bath.

Reading time does not just have to happen at bedtime. Try reading to them in the bath! And even if their focus shifts from a bath toy back to the book and back to the toy, that’s okay. You are still getting that critical reading time in and they are likely absorbing more than you think. Their brains are little sponges, after all!

Have a “cup conversation.”

Use a cup as a microphone to have a conversation. Take the cup, put it to your mouth, and make a silly noise. Then extend the cup to your baby. Pause and give them the chance to take the cup from you, put it to their mouth, and make their own sound.

Though this may feel silly, it is actually laying the foundation for back-and-forth conversations!

HELLOOOOOOO BUBBLES

Our favorite gentle bubble bath you AND your kids will love

The reason bathtime is so great for encouraging speech & language development is because it engages so many senses: the feel of the water on their skin, the sound of the water splashing, the smell of the soap. And if you want to take the sensory experience up a notch, make it a bubble bath!

Young kids love bubble baths. But as parents, we don’t love all the strong perfumes and additives that come with most bubble baths. Enter: Hello Bello.

Baby wrapped in towel after a bath, featuring Hello Bello bath time products

Hello Bello’s bubble bath is additive-free, tear-free, and gentle on your sensitive baby’s skin. Check it out for some good, clean fun.

Clean cleaner

_{This post is sponsored in partnership with Hello Bello. We only recommend products and brands we genuinely love.}

Our favorite gentle bubble bath you AND your kids will love

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