I was very excited about teaching our first child to use baby sign language. I say “was” because, after trying for a week or so, at 6 months old and not getting anywhere (go figure), I lost excitement and decided it wasn’t worth my time. I was missing a few key points of information that I have since learned and want to share with you. So fellow moms, let’s talk about the why and how of teaching our little ones to use their hands to communicate long before their speaking ability grows.
Why Teach Baby Sign Language?
For me, this changed over time. When I made my first attempt at 6 months old, I think I was operating more on a “this would be really fun if baby could talk to us” mentality. Once I actually decided to teach signs, it was more of an act of desperation because my nerves were not handling the screeching toddler very well. Needless to say, we all have different reasons for teaching sign language, but let’s talk about some of the benefits!
- Communication
- Cognitive Development
- Bonding through Meaningful Interactions
- Emotional Stability (for everyone)
Communication is an obvious one. If the child can communicate in ways other than talking, they can start to express needs and wants and feelings much sooner than they may learn to talk.
As far as Cognitive Development, they say that learning sign language can boost memory and attention. I would say, at the very least, it gives a really great outlet for those growing minds to learn and use something really useful to both them and us!
Bonding is much easier when we can communicate. Just think of language as a whole. It is much easier to connect with people when we speak their language. That includes babies!
My personal favorite is Emotional Stability. A baby who can communicate in ways additional to crying… and crying more… learns to regulate and or use emotions appropriately. As a mom, I sure appreciate being able to figure out what my baby needs without playing the guessing game of “what will help you stop crying”. I am certainly more emotionally stable when there is more communication rather than crying and guessing. I think we all are!
When to Teach Baby Sign Language
I was not wrong to start teaching sign language to my 6-month-old. My mistake was expecting them to sign back that early. MOST kids start signing back at closer to 12 months (some are as early as 5). That doesn’t mean the time we as moms spend signing up to them early on is a waste. They will learn and respond when ready, and surprise us with how much they retain.
I started teaching my first child sign language at 15 months. He picked it up SO FAST! It was like he had been waiting to have a way to communicate and, while he wasn’t quite ready to talk, signing caught on real fast. We taught him several new signs a day AND the best part? He used his signs to talk to us instead of having to yell and point and whine. Hallelujah!
How to Teach Baby Sign Language
The thing that really got me at first is that I DIDN’T KNOW SIGN LANGUAGE EITHER! So I also had to take the time to learn a new language. I didn’t have any books or apps or anything, so anytime I wanted to use a sign, I had to first look it up on my phone, and then I could show the baby. You can see how I wasn’t the best at sticking with this… Later, I learned if I had a quick and simple resource to go to, I was a LOT more likely to use signs and learn them myself.
I recommend finding a book or an app that works well for you. Something that you can have on hand, open up quickly and use. I used the book Baby Sign Language Made Easy: 101 Signs to Start Communicating with Your Child Now and found it really helpful! It is not a comprehensive book for sure (only 101 signs), but it categorizes the signs by when they might be used and gives great explanations of how to do them along with pictures. Huge help to a novice like myself.
ASL dictionaries work great too! You can check books out from your library, buy them online (what I did) or find another way to purchase or borrow a book that works for you. An app is another great way, although I prefer not to have my phone all the time while I am around my kids, so I didn’t go that route.
My Favorite Baby Signs
I am just going to share a list and brief reasons with you on these. Everyone will have their own favorites and their own reasons. Here is mine!
- Milk – a cup of milk before bed was a staple for us and this was a great way to prevent whining even when tired
- Please – we use this for “hold me” as well, and it saved me from all the frustrating tugging on shirts and legs that was happening!
- Cracker – great for when a baby wants a snack… they basically eat a large variety of crackers
- Diaper Change – great for getting them ready to potty-train and building awareness of the need for a change
- Bird – mostly because it was so cute to share in the excitement of seeing the birds on walks
- Socks and Shoes – helpful for telling them to get ready to go and for them to get to sign back
- Outside – great to be able to ask to go outside
