No baby talk for dads

Mary Bruno

Mary Bruno Jun 27, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>No baby talk for dads</h1>
                <h2><p>Consider the Modern Dad. Washington State University researchers did. They found that while he may change a diaper or give a bottle he draws the line at baby talk. No. According to results from a new WSU study, moms speak "motherese," using those high-pitched baby talk tones and</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/mary-bruno-crosscut-com/">Mary Bruno</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Consider the Modern Dad. Washington State University researchers did. They found that while he may change a diaper or give a bottle he draws the line at baby talk. No. According to results from a new WSU study, moms speak "motherese," using those high-pitched baby talk tones and sing-song cadences to address their children. Dads, not so much. They prefer to talk to junior like a grownup. Is this a bad thing? Not at all, WSU's Mark VanDam told <a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/science/modern-dads-may-do-diapers-but-not-baby-talk-study-finds/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org"><em>The Seattle Times</em></a>: “We think that the fathers are doing things that are conducive to their children’s learning but in a different way. Moms provide the link to the intimate or the domestic. Dads provide a link to the outside world.”</p>
          </article>

Consider the Modern Dad. Washington State University researchers did. They found that while he may change a diaper or give a bottle he draws the line at baby talk. No. According to results from a new WSU study, moms speak "motherese," using those high-pitched baby talk tones and sing-song cadences to address their children. Dads, not so much. They prefer to talk to junior like a grownup. Is this a bad thing? Not at all, WSU's Mark VanDam told The Seattle Times: “We think that the fathers are doing things that are conducive to their children’s learning but in a different way. Moms provide the link to the intimate or the domestic. Dads provide a link to the outside world.”

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By Mary Bruno

Mary was Crosscut's Editor-in-Chief and Interim Publisher. In more than 25 years as a journalist, she has worked as a writer, editor and editorial director for a variety of print and web publications,