At birth, babies are not producing language, but they are learning a lot about language by listening to the speech of their caregivers. Reading aloud to babies exposes them to the sounds and intonations of speech, laying the foundation that will enable them to speak as they gain greater motor control over their articulators. At this stage, babies are doing most of their learning through their senses and reflexes.

Listening attentively, gazing at people and things, and putting objects into their mouth are ways in which they attempt to understand the world around them. The youngest babies do not have well-developed eyesight, but as they get older, they become able to focus on and visually track objects. The infant brain is also wired to learn the sounds of any language, so this stage is a good time to expose your child to an additional language, for example, by reading dual language books or listening to audio recordings of stories and songs in the target language.