One of my favorite parenting writers, Gwen Dewar, shares in this article how parents can help their baby’s language development even before the baby says his first words. A few of her tips seems particularly helpful for Catholic parents. From their first months, we can help our babies develop a language about God.

1. Take a cue from your baby’s curiosity.

Gwen points out that when babies reach for or gaze at objects they are interested in, these are our cues to engage them in conversation. We can name the objects or just talk to them about what they’re looking at. When we’re playing with or reading to our child, we can pause and allow them to lead us in conversation in this way. When our baby’s curiosity drives our time with him, he not only develops increased language skills, but he becomes more comfortable exploring the unfamiliar.

We can have these kinds of conversations with our baby about our faith–long before his first Catechism class! The first stage of faith development (infancy to age 2) is all about drinking in the language of faith and hearing stories about God. Help your baby “name the faith.” When we’re at Mass, we can point to the crucifix, to the priest, to the Eucharist, and name for our child what he’s seeing. We can read picture books about the saints and the life of Jesus, talking to our baby about he’s seeing in the pictures. When we are amazed by what we’re naming, our child will be, too!

2. Be flexible and spontaneous.

Routines in family life are important; they give kids a sense of security because they know what to expect. Routines make my life easier as a mom. My kids tend to “go with the flow” because they know exactly what’s happening on every day of the week in my home.

But Gwen points out that sometimes when our child is interested in something, it’s okay to “veer off-text,” because the child is open to learning at that moment. This is a great tip for Catholic parents! We grown-ups can become fixated on doing things the “right way,” but following our child’s lead on occasion provides opportunities to clarify for our child what she’s seeing or hearing. This is extremely important in faith development. Pausing and allowing our child to touch and explore and talk about the Mary statue in our garden or the photo of his deceased grandfather is setting the stage for sensitivity to the divine. When these moments present themselves, the routine can wait.

I think our own flexibility at these moments really impacts our child’s emotional development over time. She develops a sense for when it’s important to stick to the routine, but she doesn’t become anxious when we don’t. This kind of emotional flexibility is helpful as older teens begin to learn to discern God’s will. Sometimes God doesn’t do things the way we expect or when we expect them. By incorporating some spontaneity into their lives at a young age, perhaps our child will be more comfortable with the unexpected on the path of discipleship.

It seems to me that all of Gwen’s wonderful tips are geared toward building trust between parent and baby as they communicate. This trust creates a foundation for our child’s trust in God later. Time well spent!