Signing with Baby
It’s bedtime for your 9-month-old, and as you lay him down and kiss him good night, the crying begins. So does the process of elimination. Is it too dark, too cold/hot? Is he thirsty, afraid of something, missing his favorite blanket? This scenario is familiar to all parents and most likely has happened more than once. Could you imagine being able to take some of the guesswork out of parenting or being able to understand your baby’s needs instantly?
Baby sign language is a great way to open the communication and help bridge the gap with your preverbal baby. Think of signing with your baby as a sneak peak into his mind.
Benefits of Signing
“The benefits of using sign language can be huge! It allows babies to communicate earlier, building vocabulary and comprehension skills,” Marci Inzer, a KC-area master Signing Time instructor, says. “Sign language can reduce frustration for both parents and babies by reducing tantrums and creating a bond between a parent and a child.”
- Bonding: Research also has found that parents who sign with their babies have a greater parental bond. The main key to signing is having fun. Tell stories, read books, use flashcards, watch DVDs and sing songs using signs. You two will feel closer to one another when you are able to know what your child wants or is thinking, and Baby can understand you as well.
- Reduces Fussiness: One of the main reasons for fussiness is babies’ inability to express their wants and needs to you verbally. They become angry, and the only way to get your attention is to cry. You are left wondering whether they are crying out in pain, from hunger or from being wet or tired. When you sign with your child, she will be able to give you one simple gesture letting you know what she wants.
- Development: Teaching your child sign language will pave the road to successful and early development, and it equips tots with a powerful educational tool of early communication. “I always heard that if I taught my son how to sign that it would impair his speech development, but it did just the opposite. It turns out that he speaks more clearly than any other 2-year-old I know,” says Meghan Bishop, Lee’s Summit. Sign language does not delay speech; it enhances the early development of speech. “Research has shown that ‘typical’ children who learn to sign as babies may have higher IQ scores, tend to be better adjusted socially, tend to read at an earlier age and it actually encourages verbal communication,” Inzer says.
Getting Started
You can introduce sign language as early as 6 months or as soon as your infant is making consistent eye contact with you and can focus on your hand motions. A good way to tell whether your child is ready for sign language is if Baby is using general motions himself, such as “hi” and “bye.”
The keys to success in teaching your baby to sign are repetition and timing. There are three times when you should perform the sign: before, during and after the event you are trying to communicate. Remember to repeat, repeat and repeat.
Be mindful that your baby will sometimes come up with her own version of the sign because her fine motor skills haven’t developed yet. Don’t dismiss what your baby is attempting to sign just because it’s not exactly the proper way.
Make sure you are signing where Baby can see you. You may have to adjust yourself so he gets a front row seat to the show, so to speak. If Baby is distracted, do not force the issue but try again when his attention is back on you.
Start out small with just a few signs, such as mommy, daddy, milk, all done or more. Sign consistently while using the item or pointing things out to Baby. “It amazed me how quickly our 7-month-old picked up sign language. We started out with more and all done, incorporating the signs every chance we could,” says Amy Vespa from Peculiar. ” If signing is consistent from the time you start, generally your child will be able to use her first sign within two months—which means a new window into your child’s mind!
Jennifer Duxbury is a SAHM from Olathe who enjoyed peeking into her toddler’s mind with sign language, which made the world a more pleasant place!