In Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, Ms. Hogg reminds new parents often to respect their little bundles (p 140). Even at 1 day old, he's a person with thoughts and feelings, albeit unsophisticated ones. Why not tell Baby what you're doing to him? "OK, I'm going to change your diaper now... Lets lift you up onto the table... now I'm unbuttoning your pants..." That gives him a little warning so he can prepare himself. It also might result in a baby who doesn't cry so often.
The whole idea of putting a baby on a routine is to help give him a safe, comfortable basis onto which he can build the new things he's learning. Lots can be communicated to Baby simply by repeating the same activities - wake up, nurse/bottle, burp, solids, diaper change, play with Mommy, play alone, wind down, back to sleep - over and over again.
And yet, we really ought to be careful of the words we use around Baby too. Do you talk about him with others as if he can't hear you? Do you routinely talk on the phone while caring for him (ie, feeding or diapering)? What kinds of messages do those things send to your baby? They seem to say that you're ignoring him. Now, I'm not saying that Baby deserves 100% of your attention 100% of the time, but I like the idea of treating them with respect. I don't like it when people talk about me as if I'm not in the room. I don't think grocery-store-checkers appreciate customers who talk on their cell phones as they check out.
Talking with Baby as though he understands is a lot of fun too! Even before he can pick up any of the words, he'll learn that you like him. He'll learn how conversations go and how to be cheerful. I love to hear our son coo and talk to his toys or to me because his noises are so happy. As I think about it, that's often the tone I use with him. There's always the nature v. nurture debate, but I do think I've modeled cheerful conversation to him with all that "I'm going to pick you up now" talk. What a lovely thing to teach!
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