Italian Cooking & Language Blog

Fare La Scarpetta means to wipe your plate clean with a piece of bread.

What else could you ask for?

Monday, March 11, 2013

Italian Baby Vocabulary

As we prepare for the arrival of a new baby this June, we're also thinking about baby-specific vocabulary. I'd like to speak to the baby in Italian as much as possible to help the baby become bilingual. Below is the list I've been working on. What else should I add? 


pregnancy (gravidanza)
five months pregnant (incinta di cinque mesi)
maternity clothes (abiti pré-maman)
I am expecting a baby girl (Aspetto una bambina)
I am expecting a baby boy (Aspetto un bambino)
beautiful, big belly (bel pancione) 
maternity leave (essere in maternità)

labor (travaglio)
delivery (parto) 
infant (neonate/neonata) 
hospital (ospedale)
to swaddle (fasciare)
onesie (tutina)

mother (madre / mamma)
father (padre / babbo / papa')
daughter (figlia)
son (figlio)
grandmother (nonna)
grandfather (nonno)
aunt (zia)
uncle (zio)
grandchild / niece / nephew (nipote)

diapers (pannolini) 
change the diaper (cambiare i pannolini)
to pee (fare pipì)
to poop (fare cacca)
to spit (sputare)
to cry (piangere)
to throw up (vomitare)
crib (culla / lettino)
doll (bambola)
bottle (biberon)
pacifier (ciuccio)
to breast feed (allattare)
to take a bath (fare il bagno)
lullabies (ninnenanne) 
sing or rock a baby to sleep (ninnare or cullare)
to kiss (baciare)
to sleep (dormire)
to adore (adorare)
to cuddle (coccolare)
nap (sonnellino / pisolino)
child (bimba/bimbo or bambina/bambino) 
to crawl (strisciare)
daycare (asilo nido)

terms of endearment for a baby:
tesoro
amore
amore mio
piccolino/a
piccino / a
when babies are butterball chubby, "che coscia!" (what a thigh!)


For more on raising an Italian baby, you might enjoy this video for the lullaby Stella Stellina

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