The Benefits of Teaching a Baby to Sign

The Benefits of Teaching a Baby to Sign

The Benefits of Teaching a Baby to Sign

My daughter decided before her baby was even born that she was going to teach the baby sign language. I was skeptical and uncertain why you would want to sign to your baby. Would the little one depend on signing and not learn to talk? My niece did some limited signing with her little one and felt that it was a deterrent for him in beginning to talk (let me tell you - he is now three and he definitely talks!). So, when my granddaughter was about five to six-months-old my daughter started signing to her. She initially used three to four signs: drink, milk, more, and bath. As she got older, more signs were introduced: water, ball, duck, please, eat, and noises. This went on for months and months with seemingly no results. Once baby girl hit her first birthday, it all started to sink in! She started with the sign for more. More fruit, more milk and then more tickle!! We knew she understood exactly what more was when she wanted more tickles. It's one thing to want more food, but more tickles seemed to prove that she knew what more actually was. Her second "ah-hah" sign was airplane. My daughter lives near the Miami airport so when they go outside for a walk, they can always spot an airplane in the sky. She searched and searched the sky for an airplane and when she saw one the arm came out and she made the sign. It seems as if signing for a baby is kind of like talking in that the signs are not perfect just like words are not perfect at first. I often have to ask my daughter what sign baby girl is making. Just like a mom usually has to interpret baby's words for everyone, my daughter has to interpret signs. Baby girl is now 18-months-old and she has more than 60 signs under her belt! It's amazing. It's wonderful to see how she can communicate and how much more she seems to understand. She even knows the sign for toilet and we're hoping it will help when it's time to potty train. Gigi has learned quite a few signs, but not nearly as many as baby girl. Baby girl is going to be a big sister come January and it will be interesting to see how the siblings communicate when the new baby gets old enough to sign. I'll keep you posted! And by the way, she is beginning to talk so if the sign language slowed talking down a little, it was worth it.