Baby Sign Language

I wrote about my allegiance to baby sign language on the Baby Mama facebook page (a secret group that my friend Heather started - it's great! Such a great community-if you're not on it and want to be just let me know and I can invite you!) and thought I would share what I wrote here with some extra edits and pictures!

Baby Sign Language=AMAZING.

My sisters-in-law both did signs with their children and I thought I’d give it a go. I figured, what have I got to lose? You can start from the get go and I don’t see why it wouldn’t work if you started as late as one year old. I started around 5 months with the simple sign for milk.

Every time I’d nurse I’d make the sign. His second and third signs were food and more. Before putting him in his chair I’d say something like, “Let’s have some food.” and make the sign for food. Between every spoonful I’d say, “More?” and make the sign for that. It seems tedious at first because you don’t see them making signs back at that age but it’s so worth it in the end. The first time he signed “more” I was thrilled! He ended up using the sign “more” not just for food, but for milk, tickles, to be pushed higher on the swing. He even used it to mean “I want”, although he doesn’t use it for that any longer. He also doesn't do the signs perfectly but that's o.k. According to the book I read, Baby Signs by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn, they write that the child may not do the signs perfectly at first and that is fine. What is important is that we understand eachother. For instance his sign for milk was never exactly like the image above, it was more like twisting...a nipple with his thumb and forefinger! He usually does this with both hands at the same time. Not perfect but I got it. His sign for more is more like fists bumping together rather than fingertips bumping together...not perfect but I got it. My two favorite sign imperfections are when he does the sign for please and help:

His please is with two hands and he rubs his entire chest and belly in circular motions. Like he's rubbing lotion on his body..while saying, "Pease!" His sign for help is very different from the sign illustrated above. He actually clasps both hands together like so and says, "Howlp.":

image from: www.raisingyoungones.blogspot.com/

So, the child does not need to do the sign perfectly. It will work just as long as you understand one another. 

When he first used the sign for milk it was just as thrilling as when he signed more for the first time. Another great sign we taught him was all done which is simply putting your hands up in the air although the official sign for it is doing this:

Lately he has been standing up and raising his hands in the air at dinner when he's done. He's very enthusiastic. (At least he doesn't throw his food on the ground any more [at least not on purpose.]) 

We first started using the sign for all done for meals but it wasn’t until one day he was on the swing at the park that I realized how diverse this sign could be. Instead of crying he was able to put his hands up to say that he was all done with the swing. He has also used it while playing with the older neighbor boy who was pushing him on the tricycle too fast and Stanley signed all done with one hand, holding onto the handle bars with the other. He didn’t cry; he signed. 

When he does the sign for help I think it really cuts down on cries, whines and tantrums. Because he can’t verbally communicate very well he gets frustrated when trying to do things. If he starts to fuss I say, “Do you need help?” and I do the sign for help. He now will do the sign for help and say help instead of crying(most of the time)...even though I can tell he is frustrated. It’s really great. He is 22 months old now and we just recently looked up the sign for want because it seemed like something he was trying to communicate and couldn’t.

He is pretty laid back in general but I think that the use of these signs have really lessened the tantrums and cries due to the lack of understanding each other - which is what the experts say are the “Terrible Twos”. Other helpful signs we’ve used are hot, thank you, bye-bye, please, nigh-nigh (sleep/goodnight), and kisses. The sign for thank you is a good example of learning sayings. He doesn't reallydo the sign for that anymore but he almost always says thank you now when we give him food or when a playmate hands him a toy, etc. I think signing that first made him learn the saying more quickly. He has even made up a sign for his cowstar. You can see the video of him doing that sign here.

Of course in the beginning the child will not respond or sign back (because at first they don't have the coordination to do the signs nor do they have the verbal skills) but what is neat is that the child doesn't have to sign or speak back in order for it to work - their brains get it. So, if the parents are being consistent(I think consistency is key) and it doesn't seem to catch on, keep on keeping on, because holy wowzee is it cool to see it work...and to see it click right before your eyes! In the book that I read they gave a great example of a sign that all babies use and that is the sign for goodbye or hello - the simple wave - they learn that because if you think about it it is one of those signs (that we don't even consider a sign) that we big humans constantly do, even to children that aren't our own. Babies want to do what we big people do. Case in point, my son wants to wipe my butt when I'm sitting on the toilet, he wants to play the guitar like his Papa, he wants to put deodorant on like me, and brush his teeth with an adult size toothbrush, he wants to floss his teeth, grind coffee, put lotion on - and this is simply from observing his parents, and I feel like sign language is the same thing...if you do it, so will they.  

All illustrations from: http://www.mummypedia.com/

Except for the illustration for the sign want which is from here: http://sanespaces.com/