Birth to 18 Months > Toddler to Preschooler > Elementary School > Middle School to Highschool

Children can hear sounds while they are in the womb, from about 20 weeks into the pregnancy. After birth, for at the least the first year, children should be kept away from loud noises and loud music to ensure their sensitive ear drums are not damaged. After birth, the fun begins!

Top tips:

• From birth onwards, babies can locate the source of sounds in front of them. In about a month, they can distinguish between sounds originating from in front of and behind them.
• Babies can hear high pitch sounds and may prefer them - hence 'motherese'. About one month after birth, high pitch is a definite preference. At this time, babies also respond to voices.
• Lower sounds, particularly 'white noise' sounds such as CDs of rain, hair dryers and the washing machine can be calming for babies in distress. Use recorded sound for hair dryers, whether something you make yourself for free or something you've bought, but never put a real hair dryer next to baby's tender ears.
• Around three months is the best time to start introducing gentle music for baby. You may be surprised to hear them gumming some sounds along with the music, rocking back and forth and turning toward the source of the music.
• Imitation of sounds kicks in around the six month mark. Choose simple one syllable words and play call-and-response repeat word games with baby.
• It takes a few more months, around nine to ten months, for babies to start recognizing familiar songs. Babbled sing-a-long may begin at this point.
• Singing with baby, particularly when language acquisiton speeds up around the one year mark, can help your child learn to speak faster.
• After the first year, once some manual dexterity has been established, toddlers love to jam on pots and pans. Choose wooden spoons and sturdy pots for safety reasons and give your child enough space to spread out. Your child is experimenting with pulse! You'll notice this experimentation elsewhere if your child is constantly banging on things, like hammering away on their high chair tray or on toys.

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