What is baby sign language?

Baby sign language has been around for decades but has gained much popularity in recent years.  You may have heard about baby sign language from a friend or maybe you saw it featured on a big screen motion picture such as meet the parents.  You may be wondering if it works and I am here to tell you that it does work! Imagine being able to communicate with your baby before he or she can actually form words.  No more trying to figure out why your little one won't stop crying and not knowing why.  The amount of signs a baby will make is dependent on how much time you are willing to spend with your little one.  Studies have shown that teaching sign language to a baby does not hinder their speech development, in fact it encourages babies to speak earlier than their peers who do not sign.  The logic behind it is that when you sign with your baby, you are stimulating auditory and visual senses.  For more information about purchasing baby sign language books go to Sign Language for Babies . 

How early should you start signing with your baby?

Research has shown that your baby may not respond to any signing in the first 3 months of their life.  During this time, their vision and hand coordination is still developing.  This doesn't mean that you shouldn't sign with your baby, it just means that your baby will not be physically able to sign back or be receptive to the signs.  Most parents use this time to bond with their baby and so should you.  When our baby was born we knew we wanted to sign with him right from the start.  We felt a bit aprehensive about having to remember so many signs so we only started with a few simples ones such as: milk, sleep, and diaper change.  As you get more comfortable with them you can incorporate as many as you'd like. 

It's time to start signing! (4 - 7 months)

When your baby turns 4 months old you should start signing with your baby.  Your baby should now be able to see you accross the room and will be very active.  During this time he or she will be more receptive to the signs as they smile and coo.  Most babies will not be able to sign back during this time but are definetly responding to the signs you make.  They are now learning to coordinate all senses and do not have the motor skills to sign back.  Our son was not signing back during this time but he always got excited when we made the sign for milk or food.  The main thing to remember is to sign with your baby as often as possible.  You should always say the word along with the sign.  Most parents usually find that signing with their babies is easier than they originally thought. 

During this time your baby's language skills are also developing.  Between age 0-3 months, they are usually not interested in specific sounds but rather tones, pitch and voice level.  He or she can now pick out specific sounds from sentences.  When signing with your baby you can have conversations with them about what's happening.  For example you can say: "It looks like you are enjoying your milk.  Mommy made this milk with love.  This milk will help you grow strong."  Do not worry about sounding silly because it helps babies put two and two together.  One important thing to remember is that babies do not understand the concept of future tense.  You should only sign for activities they are engaged in.  Your baby will not understand if you say: "I will give you milk in 15 minutes".  If you make the sign for milk and they don't receive it, they may not to be able to associate the action and the sign together.

Some of the easier signs to start with are as follows:

-Milk

-Eat

-More

-Diaper change

-All done

-Bath

-Sleep

If you feel uncomfortable with having conversations with your baby before he or she can speak remember that this will help them develop faster.  Most parents just incorporate signing into their regular interactions with their babies.  As you get more comfortable with some of the signs mentioned above, you can incorporate more signs as they begin to do new things. 

I can sign back now! (8 -12 months)

During this time your little one is probably starting to crawl and is very active.  This is also the time when they may make their first sign.  Some babies experience an explosion of signs if you've been signing with them since 4 months.  You baby's ability to do the pincer grasp (using the thumb and first finger) to pick up things will help them make more signs than ever before.  As they are more mobile than ever before you may have to get your baby's attention before making the sign.  Babies may be more interested in their surroundings rather than looking at mom or dad.  When you sign with them you should make sure that your baby is looking at you.  This can be accomplished by calling their name or touching them. 

Why should I continue to sign after 12 months?

Consider this:

1. Some studies have shown that the use of sign language has similar effects on the brain as learning another language.  This is because different parts of the brain are being stumulated. 

2. Most babies who their parents do not sign with them at 12 months can only speak an average of 2-3 words.  In contrast, babies who their parents signed with they may be able to make an average of 20-25 signs and/or 12-15 spoken words.  By 18 months of age, the difference is 5-15 spoken words vs. 75 signs and/or 100 spoken words.  By the time they reach 8 years of age, their IQ score is about 12 points higher than babies who did not sign. 

3. Babies who sign are usually more self-confident because they can communicate their needs to their parents.  This also means that parents are less frustrated.