r/ParentingOutLoud

Today, I learnt that babies, until 6 months, can distinguish between the sounds of every language that has been invented! Isn't that amazing? So, their ability to absorb languages is exceptionally good during this stage.

That got me thinking about how many languages my kid is already exposed to inside the womb. I speak Tamil and a bit of English at home. I speak Malayalam (my mother tongue) to my dad over phone and I'm learning Spanish via Duolingo (I practice aloud few words and phrases almost everyday).

I've never really been good at picking up new languages. I struggled to learn Hindi at school. That sort of traumatised me for life haha 😂

But, my husband knows quite a few languages. So, betting on his genes and my baby's language absorbing capabilities to do the trick :)

https://preview.redd.it/43fop5c3rd9h1.jpg?width=899&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6896f9121af5458fc1a8da8f2be98dcdab83a950

I have recently taken to mandala colouring. Needless to say, it was therapeutic and helped calm my anxious mind.

During my maternity break, I have been trying to keep myself occupied with mentally stimulating and creative tasks.

• I have started solving Sudokus again. I enjoyed doing them as a teenager.
• I have been learning Spanish at an extremely slow pace via Duolingo. I fell in love with the accent after watching Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, hence took it up.
• I’m currently reading Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I like to balance non-fiction with some fiction :)

I am not sure if these activities can actually improve my baby's cognitive capabilities, but these are definitely helping me keep my anxious thoughts away.

I must acknowledge how privileged I am to be able to do these and I am very grateful to my husband and my mother-in-law for their support.

Would love to hear if you have taken up any new hobbies or revisited your old hobbies during your maternity break :)