The Language of Babies

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

I was watching Oprah yesterday and she had a segment called "The Secret Language of Babies" and it was fascinating. She interviewed Priscilla Dunstan who claims she has a photographic memory for sounds and has learned what babies (0-3 months) are trying to tell us in their cry regardless of race or ethnicity. The five sounds and their meanings are:

Neh
Meaning: "I'm hungry!"
Where it comes from: The noise made when a baby pushes his tongue to the roof of his mouth because he wants to eat, "neh," is an infant's sucking reflex with sound added to it.

Eh
The word: "I need to burp!"
Where it comes from: When a big bubble of air is caught in your baby's chest, the sound you hear is "eh," as your baby tries to get the burp out.

Owh
The word: "I'm tired!"
Where it comes from: An audible yawn, you can spot the word because your baby's mouth will be in an oval shape as he says it.

Heh
The word: "I'm uncomfortable!"
Where it comes from: Your baby's response to a skin reflex (the same one that governs sweating) signals irritation -- a wet diaper or an itchy bodysuit.

Eair
The word: "I have gas!"
Where it comes from: If a burp doesn't make it out, it moves through your baby's digestive system -- "eaire" is the sound you get as the muscles of the intestine and stomach tighten to force the air bubble out.

You can see a short clips of the show on Oprah's website or watch the rerun on Sunday night on ABC. It is scheduled to be on again at 10pm (PST).

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200611/tows_past_20061113.jhtml

Priscilla Dunstan is coming out with a new video later this month titled "Dunstan Baby Language".

Just passing along some helpful tips to other new mothers out there.