You spent an infinite amount of time choosing it. For this purpose, you have scoured the dictionary of first names, studied the symbolism of some of them, explored the field of possibilities with those who come from exotic countries. In the end, the name you give to your child is very important. You repeat it over and over again, and then you look for a diminutive to make it even more intimate. This is all very well, but for your child, is the process the same? Can he or she recognize the name when you say it? Is there an age beyond which you should be concerned if he or she doesn’t react when you call it?
Recognizing your child’s first name is a personal matter!
We can obviously try to determine at what stage of the child’s development he will recognize his first name. It is from about 4 months to 7 months that the toddler will turn his head when you call him by his name. Before that, he will probably be more receptive to the tone of your voice. Indeed, his hearing is very developed and he will identify them very quickly. Especially since throughout your pregnancy, you have spoken to him, you have exchanged with your spouse. He was able to perceive these sounds and during the first weeks of his life, they will reach him in an amplified way. He will obviously recognize certain intonations, your voice and those of your loved ones long before he sees them. You can test your baby’s auditory perception skills from an early age. You can do this by snapping your fingers or tapping lightly to one side. If you can see that your baby is pointing his or her head towards the place where the sound is coming from, he or she can hear perfectly.
How can you help your baby develop this recognition?
Nevertheless, responding to requests that are not necessarily a sign that he understands what his name is. From a few months, when he can remain in a sitting position, you can introduce yourself to him. You show him with your hand and simply refer to yourself as daddy, mommy… You can then do the same thing with all the stuffed animals that are next to him. You can then do the same thing with all the stuffed animals that are next to him or her. You just have to do the same thing by pointing to him or her. Try to call what is around him with the same name or first name so that he becomes familiar. As for his representation and the fact that he recognizes himself, remember that the mirror stage only occurs from 18 months.
What names to remember?
You should also know that the shorter the name, the easier it will be for your baby to remember. Even if the one you have chosen is long, avoid finding a nickname, you will then be able to find diminutives. As for babbling, it will occur around 7 or 8 months. During this preparatory stage for language acquisition, the baby will try out all sorts of sounds without necessarily naming things. It is then necessary to remain patient while waiting for him to be able to call you in a thoughtful way.
How to check if your child hears well?
If your toddler does not react to his name or any other sound, it is possible that he does not hear well. In this case, the first thing to do is to clean the ear canal. It is possible that earwax is blocking it and preventing him from hearing well. If this small cleaning does not bring any improvement, it is then necessary to make an appointment with an ENT specialist. He or she will be able to perform more in-depth examinations and possibly diagnose a hearing problem.
Your baby will react to many stimuli during the first weeks of life. Whether it is to sounds or images, his memory will gather a lot of information. Of course, you should give your baby time to organize this information before you become concerned.
