As you reach the latter part of your pregnancy you're reading tons of books and trying to figure out just how to be the best mother you can be. All new mothers, even those having baby number 2 and beyond, face the internal struggle of how to be the best mom to baby. Music and contrasting colors are two suggestions for improving your baby's IQ, but being chatty may be just as important. 

Chatty Mommies and Baby's Vocabulary
Baby's may not be able to understand what you're saying in those first few months, but that doesn't mean they're not listening. Infants born to chatty families tend to learn words more quickly, have higher IQs and score higher on standardized tests. Even if you're family isn't the chatty type, you can make a few changes to ensure baby's vocabulary is constantly growing. 

Talk Early, Talk Often
From the moment baby is placed in your arms for the first time, start talking, reading and singing. Despite the fact that newborns cannot talk, the brain understands sound. Remember, you've been talking for the past 40 weeks. 

Maybe Baby Really is Communicating
Just because your new baby cannot talk doesn't mean she's not interested in the world around her. If you catch her looking at a picture on the wall or pulling at her diaper, tell her about those things. Baby's explore the world around them with their eyes and hands well before they learn to talk. 

When in Doubt, Read
One of the easiest and best ways to communicate with baby when you're not a chatty mommy is to read. It doesn't matter if you think up the words or an author wrote them, words are words and more words leads to a smarter baby. 

Communication starts in the womb and it shouldn't stop there. The end result of a healthy pregnancy is a healthy newborn, but your work is just starting. Talk, read, sing and communicate with baby often and you'll notice just how smart your child can be.