Supporting children's communication development

Every family has its own words and phrases, from names for things to little expressions. As a nanny, and therefore an educator, you are in a unique position to choose what to adopt and what to gently steer. Because you also support language development, it can be a fine line to walk.

Emma is a supporter of nicknames for children and people, though some caregivers prefer using a child's proper name. There is room for both, the key is knowing why you are choosing one in a given moment.

Here Emma always uses the actual word. Banana, even when the child says "nana", because hearing the full word encourages the child to keep developing their language and mimic what you say.

It helps to separate two things people often bundle together. "Baby talk" is where you alter words to make them easier to say, for example saying "nana" instead of "banana".

"Motherese", also called child-directed talk, is different. Here your tone of voice changes and the rhythm changes, slowing down and emphasising specific words or sounds, and often using shorter sentences when talking with young children. It happens naturally for many people and is linked to a biological process.

Research suggests infants listen more attentively when motherese is used, and that it highlights the structure in language, which helps language development. Emma offers this as guidance to help nannies and families support a child's language development rather than a precise account of the science.

The research behind this

For anyone who would like to read further, these are the sources on infant-directed speech:

1. Infants listen more attentively to infant-directed speech than to adult-directed speech. Developmental Science (2026). Read the study
2. Infant-directed speech supports word segmentation in early language acquisition. Infancy (2005). Read the study
3. Infant-directed speech supports word mapping during infancy. Language Learning and Development (2011). Read the study
4. Infants show a preference for motherese. Infant Behavior and Development (1985). Read the study

Families often have preferred names for pets beyond the pet's actual name, like doggo or pup. Emma tends to follow the family's lead, while still emphasising the proper word when she is specifically supporting language, for example when a child is mimicking a dog barking.