Teach Baby Sign Language – When Should You Start?
Baby sign language is a way of communicating that is designed to be used with hearing babies and toddlers before they can talk.
Just because babies cannot effectively speak yet doesn’t mean they aren’t trying to communicate with their parents. Baby sign language is a very effective tool for understanding and communicating with your child at a young age.
Parents who begin teaching their babies signs find themselves talking to their babies more than ever, labeling things, asking questions, searching for opportunities to sign.
Giving your baby the power to communicate can eliminate common frustrations babies have, and reduces many temper tantrums because your child is not so frustrated because they can’t make you understand what they want or what they feel.
Once your baby can start waving or using gestures such as clapping, they are ready to start using baby sign language. However, you can start using signs with them from a much earlier age, because babies are absorbing information even when they can’t physically make the signs to you. By the time they are old enough to start using sign to communicate with you, they will already have a large vocabulary of baby signs if you have been signing with them regularly and consistently.
Use the sign before, during and after the activity. For example, as your baby is about to finish her food, as if she would like some more. You can also use the word “more” for activities and objects such as more kisses, more stories, more milk and anything else you can think of.
The most popular signs to start teaching your baby are:
- bed/night-night
- milk
- want
- food/eat
- more
Once your baby begins signing you’ll see for yourself how the ability to use signs makes daily life with your baby easier and much more fun.
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