This Piece of Parenting Advice Changed How Mindy Kaling Interacts With Her Baby

Mindy Kaling is one of our all-time favorite actresses. But since giving birth to a daughter, Katherine Swati, back in December, she’s kept pretty mum about her experience of becoming a mom. Until now.

In a interview with TODAY Parents to promote her new movie A Wrinkle in Time (which also stars Oprah and Reese Witherspoon!), Kaling joked that a lot of people have been perplexed by her super secret initiation into the parenthood tribe. “People say, ‘Did you even have a baby?” she said. “I’m keeping her under wraps for now. I would kill someone who said anything about her.”

But she did open up about a couple things—one of them being some excellent parenting advice she received from none other than comedian James Corden.

Kaling explained that, because she’s a single parent, she’s really relied on her friends and mentors for advice on how to make the whole “working mom” thing, well, work. In addition to seeking out advice from people fellow working moms Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, she says it was Corden, a working dad of three, who really impressed her with his parenting knowledge.

“He has a baby who is my baby’s age,” Kaling explained. “I did his show a couple of weeks ago. He told me the best thing you can do for a baby is constantly talk to them, even if you feel like you’re babbling to them. Since he told me that, I’ve been talking to her so much. In the couple of weeks since I upped my talking to her, she seems to be really reacting and listening. I do feel foolish doing it. I’m babbling like a lunatic. It’s hard to come up with more things to talk to her about: ‘Last night I went to the premiere.’ I’m just a personal Wikipedia page for her.”

Kaling may feel foolish, but Corden is right. Studies show that by listening and responding to whatever you think your baby is saying, you’re letting your baby know he or she can communicate, leading them to make more complex sounds more quickly.

The Mindy actress also opened up about another experience that nearly every parent can relate to.

“I knew how much I would love her and love the experience of being with her,” she said. “I never understood how much I would worry and how much that worry is unceasing. Happiness for me, now, is just a feeling of relief. I’m in a constant state of worry, but I’m enjoying it too.”

Welcome to club, Mindy. You know how people say becoming a parent is like having your heart walk around outside of your body? Yeah, they say that because it’s true.

In addition to her new film, Kaling also co-created and stars in the NBC comedy Champions, in which she plays a single mom. It’s a lot, but she makes it all work by bringing her daughter to set with her, coupled with the fact that she’s fortunate enough to be able to pay for help with child care.

“I work harder because of the kid,” she said. “I want to do things she’ll be proud of and tell her friends about. Both of these projects are things I hope she’ll watch when she’s older.”

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.