How to Speak with Signs to Your Baby

Infants often use nonverbal gestures to communicate with their parents. Recent research has shown that very young children have the ability to understand language on a pre-verbal level. However, since their vocal abilities are not fully developed, they are unable to express their needs and desires.

Across the world, parents and teachers are increasingly teaching their infants sign language to help them indicate basic common needs such as hunger, thirst, tiredness, etc.

Some common myths associated with sign language are:

• Teaching sign language is time consuming. On the contrary, just a few sessions every day are sufficient to equip your baby with the necessary vocabulary.

• Children who sign are not intelligent. Research has found the opposite to be true. Babies that learned how to sign scored higher in IQ tests compared to babies that did not.

• Children who sign learn to speak later than others do. Again, this is not proven. In fact, some researchers believe that children who signed as babies tend to have richer vocabularies as they grow up.

Tips for teaching your baby sign language:

• Use a commonly accepted sign language such as the American Sign Language (ASL). The advantage of doing so is that other people, including babysitters and daycare employees, can communicate with your baby in your absence.

• Start with basic objects and actions such as "blanket," "more please," "food," and "water."

• Repetition and consistency are extremely important. Use the same set of gestures for the same objects. Repeat them regularly.

• Use positive association techniques. A "Good job!" or any other form of praise is important to help the child view sign language as a nice thing to do.

• Use a lot of eye contact.

• Avoid teaching the child too many words in too short a time.

Teaching My Baby Sign Language

It's late at night and your baby refuses to stop bawling and go to sleep. You know your baby wants something but you just can't figure out what. After hours of tears and screams, your exhausted baby finally drifts off to sleep, leaving you frustrated and feeling guilty about causing him so much sorrow. How many times have you encountered this scenario?

Babies cry largely because they want their needs to be met. Problem is baby can't tell you what he wants so he will keep crying until you meet his need. However, teaching your baby sign language can help you communicate with your baby and minimize tears.

What is baby sign language?

Speech is a very complicated process and requires breath regulation, control of vocal chords, etc. That is why children do not begin talking until after they are a year old. Even then, most children are capable of speaking only a few words. Baby sign language gives your baby a non-verbal outlet to express thoughts and needs.

Aren't babies too young to be taught sign language?

Critics of baby sign language claim that babies are too young to learn communication. But if you think about it, almost every baby can wave goodbye in response to a person leaving. So a baby can communicate as long as he knows how. Teaching your baby sign language has an additional benefit. The American Academy of Pediatrics has conducted research, which monitored the verbal skills of children who were taught sign language as babies. The results were that these children's verbal skills were more developed than those who were not taught to sign.

When should I start teaching my baby sign language?

You can introduce your baby to sign language from 6 months. Remember that most babies develop the ability to sign only after 8 months so don't worry if your baby cannot sign back yet. If you are unsure how to teach your baby, there are plenty of baby sign language classes available. Here, a professional can guide you on the best way to teach your baby to sign.