Talking During Care

Safety

On a raised changing table, keep one hand on the infant at all times, including while talking to them or reaching for supplies.
Never leave the infant alone in or near water, even for a moment.

Presentation

1
Before touching the infant, bring your face into their view and say what will happen: "I am going to pick you up now." Wait a moment, then pick them up.
2
During the routine, name each step as you do it, in full sentences with real words: "I am taking off your wet diaper. Now I am wiping you with a warm cloth."
3
Name the body part you touch and the object you use: "Here is your foot. This is your sock."
4
Speak slowly and clearly in a calm, kind voice, looking at the infant's face. Use the real word ("bottle", "blanket"), not a made-up word.
5
Ask for the infant's part and wait for it: "Give me your arm." Hold the sleeve open and pause several seconds before helping. This is the point of interest: the infant begins to move toward the sleeve or lift the leg.
6
When the infant makes a sound or a face, stop, look at them, and answer it: "You are telling me something. The cloth is cold."
7
Tell the infant when the routine is finished and what comes next: "We are done. Now I will put you on the mat."

Extensions, easiest to hardest

Use the same words for the same steps every day so the infant can predict them
Add describing words once the routine is familiar: warm, wet, soft, clean
Hold up two items, name both ("the blue shirt or the striped shirt?"), and follow the infant's look or reach
As the child begins to talk, pause before a familiar word so the child can say it: "Now your…" "Sock."

Control of error

None in the material. The adult watches the infant's response: if the infant startles or stiffens, the adult spoke too late or moved too fast, and slows down the next time.

Ready to move on when the child…

Quiets or turns toward the adult's voice when the adult begins to speak
Moves a body part in answer to a familiar request (holds out an arm, lifts a leg) before being touched
Looks at or reaches for an object when the adult names it during care
Makes sounds back to the adult during the routine

Guide note

Families should speak to the infant in the language they know best. A family that speaks another language at home should keep using it; current research finds that learning two languages from infancy does not cause language delay, and that a bilingual toddler's words, counted across both languages, are similar in number to those of a child learning one language. At school, staff ask each family for a few care words in the home language (such as the words for milk, diaper, and sleep) and use them. Montessori sources advise against baby talk. Mainstream research supports infant-directed speech ("parentese"): real words and correct sentences in a higher, slower voice with more pitch change. The two agree on what matters: real words and full sentences. A slower voice with more pitch change is fine; made-up words are not.