Baby Signs

I've had a lot of comments/questions about Robby's signs so I thought I'd do a post about it.

I started "teaching" him a few simple signs (more, eat, all done) when he was about four months old. I would just do them to him, ask him questions and use the signs, and sometimes make his little hands try to do the signs as well. He didn't sign back to me until 9 months. And as my sister Tabitha describes it, "then you feel like a genius!" It's true. Watching your little infant communicate with you long before speech is even possible is truly amazing.

While I started doing them super early I don't think that's necessary - but the earlier he starts signing back the better! Once he got those three down we tried to increase his vocab more and more, a couple of signs at a time. We STILL learn new signs each week. He loves it!

What did I use? Experience from watching my nieces and nephews sign showed me how awesome and useful it would be. We rented the book Baby Signs from the library and there are a ton in there! We got a few Baby Signing board books which are fun. For his birthday I got him the Baby Einstein My First Signs dvd which he loves. Then there's a great series called Signing Time that you can catch on cable or rent the dvds.

I know it can depend on the child how much they take off with signing but every little bit of help in the communication department helps! Especially with a frustrated toddler!

Some people have asked me if signing delays speech - statistically it's been shown to help kids talk earlier. Robby does not have very many actual words - fewer than some other kids his age I know of (LILY!) - but he could just naturally be a late talker (not that I'd call him that - yet!), in which case I'm even more glad he signs so well! He does try to say words when he signs them now and I'm not worried about speech - it will come.

I think it just means a lot to kids to understand that they can communicate with you - it's great when they start making up their own signs! And we've made some up for friends and family.

Here's a little video of him doing a few:

I kept trying to get more on tape but no such luck. And his signing is a little sloppy here cause it's one handed and he's not really trying but the point is he's communicating!

I don't mean for this to be such a brag about Robby as a plug for baby signs in general! It's really easy to teach them and it's actually a lot of fun! And so helpful! It's something I think we'll continue learning even as he starts to talk more and more - it'd be a great second language to have.

Sorry for the overload! Let me know if you have any other questions about it!



just seemed like there was too much talking and not enough pictures...