As a simplified and repetitive version of speaking, singsong speech helps babies pick up grammar structures and learn ...

“Don’t use baby talk. Speak to them like an adult.” It’s a familiar piece of advice, often delivered with confidence and good intentions. The reasoning seems straightforward. If we want children to ...

Goo-goo, ga ga. Who is the cutest baby? Is it you? When a baby is around, grown-ups will often morph into big babies themselves, making silly faces, using inflection in their voices to babble away.

Many parents have heard the warning: Don’t use baby talk with babies and toddlers. Instead, caregivers are often encouraged to speak properly and use adultlike language, out of concern that simplified ...