Why do humans use ‘baby voice’ when we speak to pets?

AJ Watt/Getty Images You walk in a park. Children are playing, people are walking their dogs, and then you hear someone: “Who’s my little sweetie?” You turn around expecting to see a pram. But someone is sitting beside a dog, speaking in the same voice they would use with a baby. It’s not in your head. The way we speak to babies is very similar to the way we speak to our pets – and research confirms this. So why do we do this? And do pets even care? The useful features of baby-talk For pets and…