Just picked up "Twins 101" today and
I'm loving it. I'm doing as much as research as I can to
prepare for upcoming twins (my wife is in her 2nd
trimester). Regarding tip #46, "Make Time for Talk,"
what do you think of playing audiobooks as a supplement to parents talking to their twins? I often listen to audiobooks and wonder if they would contribute to infants' language development.
Thank you,
Leo (San Diego, CA)
DR. LE-BUCKLIN'S ANSWER:
Congratulations to you and your wife! I'm sure you
are very excited about your twin pregnancy. Having
twins is such a blessing. You're going to love
parenting them!
Great question about audiobooks!
Audiobooks are great for older children and adults
(as you have found). I love listening to them
myself! However, for babies, I recommend
parents invest their money in a simple tape or
digital recorder and record their own voice instead.
The reason is that babies learn to recognize their
parents' voices by having heard them in the womb.
Even before your babies are born, they are already
attached to you! As newborns, your voice (and their
mother's voice) will attract their attention
more than any other voice. Because of this
attachment to you, a recording of your voice would
have greater benefit than a commercially prepared
audiobook. And while the time investment is greater,
it's probably cheaper in the long run!
You can be as creative as you want with the
recordings. You can record yourself talking or even
singing to your babies. If you don't know what to
say, you can simply read your favorite books to
them. Hearing your voice is what matters.
These personal recordings are especially useful if
you decide to leave your child in the care of a
nanny or other childcare provider. They can play
these recordings for your babies throughout the
day. In the long run, these recordings will become
cherished keepsakes for your children.
So I suppose the short answer to your question is
that audio recordings of your voice are more likely
to impact your babies' development
than commercially-prepared audiobooks.
If you do want to buy some commercially-prepared
items, I would suggest buying some music recordings.
Music (especially classical music) has been shown to
have beneficial effects on a baby's mood and
development.
Hope that helps answer your question!
Best wishes! And feel free to contact me anytime!
I'm always happy to chat with parents of multiples!
The following tip comes from Shelby, mother of adorable boy-girl twins and owner of Double Up Books:
Pick a bottle color or sippy color that you designate to each twin that way you’ll always know whose drink that is, who doesn’t finish their drink, and who is drinking out of the wrong cup. For example, my son always has orange, blue or green cups and my daughter always has red, purple, and pink cups.
