A so-called “new” study into talking to babies? !

The cells of today are the televisions, books, or anything else that took the parents attention from the child

This is another example of the vilification of mothers, younger generations and technology

The very posh Silver Cross prams face towards mum (more likely nanny), but they are not practical. You can buy reversible facing pushchairs, but as an adult, I can't bear travelling backwards, and I wonder if babies too prefer to see where they are going.

I had a reversible push chair for my children. My sister brought it back for me from France. I used to have them facing me when very young but they liked to see where we were going as they grew older. It was simple to change the direction of the seat. It's surprising that it's not more common.

I think the most important bit of the research is that relating to babies under 6 months. And it wasn't always fashionable or considered necessary to talk to them. I can remember being warned that too much interaction would a) spoil them and b) overstimulate them so they wouldn't be able to sleep. And (asDoodledog says) I was advised to push the pram down the garden and leave the baby to fall asleep. My mother said talking during a night feed made the baby want to wake up more!
I'd like to see some more research looking at the position of children and the influence of older siblings on this. My youngest much preferred watching his older siblings play to talking to me.
I'm not going to join the slagfest against young parents.

Foxygloves

I agree FannyCornforth didn’t we all talk to our babies in their prams? When they could sit up we’d point out “birdies, doggies, ducks, lorries, big red buses” or whatever!
I also hate the way modern “strollers” have the baby facing straight into whatever exhaust fumes are being pumped out just about at their face level. But that’s another rant.

My grandfather had to fashion my 1960s pushchair in order for me to look the way we were going. I didn't want to look at my pusher! We've very odd photos of me lying flat with my head propped up over the hood!

Phones and babies don't mix unfortunately. Maybe in the future people will realize the damage caused to children by a lack of interaction.
I am so pleased that my children were adults before smartphones were invented.
The trouble is, they are almost indispensable today.

I stood in a supermarket queue behind a father who was glued to his phone, while his young daughter was desperately trying to make contact by a series of squawks and squeals. When he finished his conversation he turned to her and said, 'it's OK, your turn now' and handed the phone to her so she could play games.

Mobile phones, mobile phones, mobile phones.
This is the biggest problem today. Parents interact with their phones rather than their children.

No, sadly, Dickens it isn’t instinctive to all mums to talk to babies.

One of our Daughters is a speech therapist for children, an occupation described as an SLP (Speech-language Pathologist) these days. Although we may understandably think that to us, the UEA research simply states the obvious, her experience in the field would indicate that there are some parents out there to whom this is news. Although she would never threaten case confidentiality, I well remember her in the early days describing a Mother's response when she was encouraged to speak more to her verbally challenged toddler. She actually said: "Well, he doesn't talk to me, so what can I do?" She has also mentioned that more recent research on causal effects has identified an unhealthy focus on smartphones as being a significant threat to the general socialisation and development of infants. They are too often simply ignored, so is it any wonder that their speech suffers? Can't help thinking that our rather introverted obsession with all these internet-based devices is actually eating away at the roots of what gives some cohesion to society. Worrying times.

FannyCornforth

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My very wise Nan said it started to go down hill with foreword facing prams and pushchairs.
She reckoned mother and baby needed to by facing each other and mother pointing out various things on their travels to the child.

She had a point.

It worries me so much that these little souls aren’t looking around, observing and connecting with ‘things’
Yes, this too. There is so much to chat about, even just en route to the shops.

Sometimes I found it difficult to get a word in edge ways with a couple of my toddler DC. Girls always seemed more chatty than boys even though I chatted to them all.

as I was reaching for the wipes and nappy-cream... he looked at me and said, quite distinctly, "pooh, stinks". Those were his first words.
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My son's first proper word was 'dinner' 😀

It's second nature to talk to your babies, isn't it. But, yes, I do see young mums talking to their phones a lot these days, sadly.
And I agree about some prams and pushchairs facing the wrong way these days.

I see babies in prams coming into our shop with the baby
(obviously by baby I mean sitting up, doing, baby not new born) holding a screen the whole time they are in the shop I see mums give their child their phone with a game on presumable to keep them quiet. It worries me so much that these little souls aren’t looking around, observing and connecting with ‘things’

I think it's instinctive to talk to babies - even acknowledging the fact that at xx months they won't have a clue what you're on about.

When I used to change my son's nappies, I would babble away to him, largely to keep his attention focused on me so that he stopped wriggling and squirming. I've no idea what I talked about, but at around 11 months - I laid him on the mat and, as I was reaching for the wipes and nappy-cream... he looked at me and said, quite distinctly, "pooh, stinks". Those were his first words.

Unfortunately, because I hooted with laughter he sensed my approval and kept repeating the comment when we were out and about to anyone who would listen.

Apart from anything else it's lovely talking to babies and small children. It's a really rewarding activity.
I do agree that this research is most likely into myelin production but the tabloids pick the sensational aspect to highlight.

Yes. Not my choice!

Germanshepherdsmum

I’m another who much preferred prams and pushchairs which allowed contact between mum and baby - it must be quite frightening, as well as potentially dangerous, to be sitting in a forward-facing buggy, unable to see mum, just strangers.

Yes. And down so low. And being pushed into the road to cross it with no one beside you

My eldest was born in 1969. I kept hearing the Education Lecturer at my College telling us of the importance of speech was to baby even whilst in womb, and definitely once born.d

I can remember being horrified when I found I had actually been 'silent' for a whole time whilst he was awake, and worried if I was stunting his mental capabilities this way.

I’m another who much preferred prams and pushchairs which allowed contact between mum and baby - it must be quite frightening, as well as potentially dangerous, to be sitting in a forward-facing buggy, unable to see mum, just strangers.

Obviously I don't know for sure, but I would put good money on the research being into the production of myelin, not into mothers talking to babies. Universities put out press releases when there have been new findings (which will have been too complex and not of interest to the readers of the publication quoted in the OP) and editors pick out the bits that might interest their readers, (or get them hot under the collar ).

It's not just modern mums who don't talk to babies all day, (and most of them probably do - I don't remember anyone not being intensely child-focused 'in my day', and I don't see things being any different now with the young mums in my family). The fashion used to be to put them in prams at the bottom of the garden for hours at a time to get 'fresh air' (which wasn't always fresh in the days of coal fires) and only pick them up every four hours to feed them, in case they were 'spoilt'. My mum is always saying how much harder it was before automatic washing machines and 'all the gadgets nowadays', so time to chat to babies would have been limited then, too.

I agree FannyCornforth didn’t we all talk to our babies in their prams? When they could sit up we’d point out “birdies, doggies, ducks, lorries, big red buses” or whatever!
I also hate the way modern “strollers” have the baby facing straight into whatever exhaust fumes are being pumped out just about at their face level. But that’s another rant.

My daughter in law isn't a particularly chatty type so doesn't talk much, but she does stick lovely pictures next to the babies changing table and in their pram. We shouldn't underestimate learning through ALL the senses.
I've noticed that the mums who talk most to their babies about the world around them are the ones who WALK to school or into town.
Both the car and mobile phones are progress, but not always good.

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My very wise Nan said it started to go down hill with foreword facing prams and pushchairs.
She reckoned mother and baby needed to by facing each other and mother pointing out various things on their travels to the child.

Presumably it’s a ‘new’ study because the neuroscientists who did it have found proof (of what many of us already knew) in the form of more of a relevant substance in language-related areas of the brain.

It is good to have the actual evidence for something that is instinctive to most.