Play is one of the best things children can do with their time. In fact, pretend play has a role in language learning, as babies develop 'theory of mind' where they learn they have opinions, thoughts, feelings and knowledge separate and distinct to their parents. In this episode, we explore what makes babies tick and how understanding your baby's brain can help you get through the next toddler tantrum. 




Host: Jamila Rizvi, author, presenter and political commentator

Producer: Caitlin Gibson




With expert advice from:

Dr Karen Mattock

Dr Pratyusha Senagavarapu

This season, we've looked at how babies understand language, bilingualism, the importance of play and how parents play a vital role in their children's language development. And we've received a lot of questions along the way from our listeners, so in this last episode of the series, we've set out to answer as many of them as we can.




Host: Jamila Rizvi, author, presenter and political commentator

Producer: Caitlin Gibson




With expert advice from:

Dr. Mark Antoniou

Dr Christa Lam-Cassettari

Dr. Karen Mattock

Dr. Sandra Garrido

Your Questions Answered

The Importance Of Play

It's not all about babies! Parents play an important role in infant's speech development. How does a parent's emotional wellbeing, stress levels and availability affect a baby's ability to learn to communicate and develop? Should we be taking more time off from work? We also look at the impact does post-natal depression have on your baby's speech development.




Host: Jamila Rizvi, author, presenter and political commentator

Producer: Caitlin Gibson




With expert advice from:

Dr. Christa Lam-Cassettari

Dr. Karen Mattock

The Parent Factor

Once young children learn to communicate through speech, they then have to tackle the challenges of learning to read. What is the right age to start teaching your child to read? And why is it that some kids struggle? Is there a way we can diagnose dyslexia earlier than ever?




Host: Jamila Rizvi, author, presenter and political commentator

Producer: Caitlin Gibson



With expert advice from:

Dr Marina Kalashnikova

Professor Denis Burnham

Dr Christa Lam-Cassettari

Assoc. Professor Chwee Beng Lee

Learning To Read

There are plenty of benefits of raising a child who learns more than one language at a time. In fact, bilingualism has an incredible effect on the brain. Bilingualism might just give your baby their best shot at being a musical child genius - and making the world a better place! We explain all ...



Host: Jamila Rizvi, author, presenter and political commentator

Producer: Caitlin Gibson



With expert advice from:

Dr Liquan Liu                                              

Dr Karen Mattock

Dr Mark Antoniou

Professor Cathi Best

The Benefits Of Bilingualism

When you speak two languages at home, it makes sense to teach your baby both languages. But many parents worry that raising their baby to be bilingual will actually confuse them. Will learning two languages cause language delays? Now we bust the myths surrounding bilingualism. 



Host: Jamila Rizvi, author, presenter and political commentator

Producer: Caitlin Gibson



With expert advice from:

Dr Liquan Liu

Dr Karen Mattock

Dr Mark Antoniou

Raising A Bilingual Baby

Anticipating baby's first words is exciting business. But understanding where those first words come from might just be the clue we need to unlock the evolution of human language itself.



Host: Jamila Rizvi, author, presenter and political commentator

Producer: Caitlin Gibson



With expert advice from:

Professor Denis Burnham

Dr Karen Mattock

Dr Marina Kalashnikova

Dr Liquan Liu

The Origins Of Language

How do babies learn to talk? And why do parents naturally fall into baby talk when they're communicating with their little ones? We dig deep into the science of how babies develop language and why silly baby talk isn't silly at all.




Host: Jamila Rizvi, author, presenter and political commentator

Producer: Caitlin Gibson




With expert advice from:

Dr Marina Kalashnikova

Professor Denis Burnham

Dr Christa Lam-Cassettari

The Secrets Behind Baby Talk

Babylab is a new podcast that digs through the science to answer questions you might have about how babies learn to communicate. 

Where does the first word come from? Do bilingual babies think differently? What age should you start teaching your kid to read? 

Join Jamila Rizvi on Babylab. A fun, informative, deep dive into the unknown science behind how babies learn to communicate. 

Produced in collaboration with Western Sydney University

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