Looking to raise a confident little talker but not sure where to start?

You don't have to overthink it. According to science, your baby's brain is primed to join in on conversation from the moment they're born.

And there's plenty you can do to help boost that language development on a daily basis. Avoid the "goo goo ga ga" baby talk, for one – use real words to avoid confusion. And pause to wait for a response when you talk to them, even if it's a coo.

Cartoonist Navied Mahdavian illustrates advice from Roger Harrison, a child psychologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Jessica Rolph, a mom of three and the CEO of the early childhood development toy company Lovevery; and Amelia Bachleda, director of outreach and education at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences.

Navied Mahdavian is a New Yorker cartoonist and the author of the graphic memoir This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America.

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This comic was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is CJ Riculan. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at LifeKit@npr.org. Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or sign up for our newsletter.