Tip 42: Hiccup ... hick ... smiles

One way of communicating is always to repeat after the other person since you showed that person that you listened attentively. When Haruka hiccuped, I looked into her eyes and hiccuped too. She smiled. I did it again and she laughed. This is similar to tip 23 of sneezing but here I want to emphasize the need of letting your baby know that you understand him/her and allowing your baby to understand you in return. Before the baby moves further to communicate more with you besides the need to cry, the baby needs to know that he/she is being understood. So far, its just crying that get his/her needs met. Let your baby know that you are an intelligent daddy and your baby can express himself/herself in more ways than just crying!

Eye contact is very important. It helps that Haruka has huge eyes. Whenever I talk to Haruka, I look into her eyes and she looks into mine. I try to understand what would interest her and speak at her level with lots of expressions and change of tone. This ensures I get her full attention, besides letting her admire daddy more and more. ;) Having her attention, I would sing or play with her toys and introduce some new creative ways to play her toys. I would communicate with her toy dog or toy cat and she would understand that communication is important. Sometimes, I would repeat expressions she would be familiar with, to help her with her memory such as barking animal sounds or doing hiccup even when I am fine. And whenever I get opportunities, I would try to gauge how she understands me. She laughed and smiled when I mimicked her hiccuping. So she understood that I understood her. Communication can work 2-3 month old onwards. Start young!