Baby talk

I may have been relegated to the position of Maushi 8 weeks back but I got to get a taste of the tasks that come with it only last to last weekend. I was in Bangalore for a few days during which I got a chance to give company to my then 7 week old niece Mandavi.

Mandavi has turned out to be a morning person much to my father's delight and he has been telling everyone that they have similar waking up timings. So during our stay every morning between 6 and 7 she would be handed over to Daddy and me. On some occasions she would be active, on some lethargic and on still others she would fall asleep cosily in Daddy's arms. Any discomfort caused because of a slight movement or a noise like opening of doors would be met with disapproval.

The one question that has always kept me wondering is "how to talk to babies?" Thats why the first few days Mandavi would inevitably get bored in my company. But then my sister gave me a book to read and on Monday evening I took ideas from it and managed to keep my niece's attention for 45 minutes! It was a big achievement to get her to excited enough not to miss her parents absence who taking advantage of the situation could eat dinner together. Once during the maushi-niece session Daddy came and tried talking to Mandavi but she completely ignored him! It turned out that my success wasn't a fluke. I gave a repeat performance the morning we were leaving for Pune.

Here are a few tips for the novices:
1. Always call the baby by his/her name.
2. Address yourself by a particular relation, for example, Mummy, Daddy, Maushi, Ajoba, etc instead of using "I".
3. Every time you recite a nursery rhyme or poem use actions. Remember twinkle twinkle little star and machli jal ki raani hai?
4. If you are seeing the baby after a long break you can describe what all things you did during that duration. Like I told Mandavi about where I had gone, what all the shopping I'd done, what were the colours of the clothes I'd bought and what I ate for lunch. :p
5. You can tell the baby stories. Since I couldn't remember the old tales I told my niece about "Finding Nemo".
6. You can ask questions to babies and give them some time to respond assuming they have started making sounds. "What is baby going to do today?" "What does baby want to eat?" "What should Mummy cook today-baigan or bhindi?" "Should Daddy go to office?" are some examples.

I have to admit that my niece was so taken by all that I was talking that she was excitedly kicking her legs. By the end of my nonstop chatter, she was at the peak of her energy while I was completely drained. My sister finally took possession for her and I got to have a well deserved dinner.

As I watched my sister and brother-in-law take care of my niece and not just for 45 min but every minute of the day, it instilled in me a greater respect for all parents. I can now picture what all my own parents must have done for me back when I was like Mandavi and so can't help but love them even more today.