Read and talk, talk, talk to your baby. For young babies, hearing language means learning language. Here are some things you can practice now:

• Learn how to turn pages in a book. 
• Look at and recognize books. 
• Understand the story and pictures in a book. 

• Talk or babble as you read. 

Keep books out and at your baby’s level and let baby explore the books. For a 6-month-old, this may mean mouthing the book while a 1-year-old may enjoy stacking the books. 

Talk all day to your baby, even newborns. This is how babies learn to speak. Narrate your actions as you interact with your baby. For example, “Mommy is going to change your diaper,” or, “It’s time for our walk, let’s get your coat on and put you in the stroller.” It might seem odd to “talk to yourself” without a reply, but the more words your baby hears, the more their language will develop. 

Make reading part of your baby’s routines. 

You can consider labeling the places and things that your baby sees often like “door,” “bathroom,” “toys.” Place the labels at the child’s eye-level. 

Point out the written word in places other than books. You can point out letters in your child’s name when you see them or things like stop signs when you’re on a walk. 

Read books that appeal to infants and toddlers.