Sign language for babies

So like me, you are probably wondering if sign language works for babies, right? Guess what? Tried and tested!

An image of a child doing a sign for I Love You — I Love You

Baby sign language lets babies as young as six months communicate their needs so they don’t need to cry all the time, which I know, can be a bit frustrating and at the same time can be very overwhelming to many moms and dads. Especially at like 2 or 3 in the morning when you are trying to guess what’s wrong with your little miracle.

So, what I will be doing in this post is help you teach your baby to tell you when he or she wants to eat, drink some milk, needs a diaper change, is all done doing what they doing, communicate its bath time and my favourite, helping her say please and thank you. Plus, I even added a few extras to add to the fun.

I tried this with my daughter, and I have to tell you that it’s the biggest blessing in your life. No tantrums, no episodes and chatting and communicating before she can talk, is the best gift you can have. My daughter started her signs at 8 months already and is now 5 years old. Pop past my Facebook page for a few videos as proof.

Did you know that sign language boosts brain development?

Yip, studies show that sign language for your baby could help your baby speak sooner, it also helps increase their vocabulary, it also gives your baby a higher IQ advantage over other kids and also, helps achieve better grades at school.

Did you know that teachers can actually tell which kids in his or her class have done sign language before? They actually can, while kids sit around a table, your kid will be talking in sentences while other kids point and grunt. #NoJokes

Other benefits include less frustration, a closer bond between you and your child and it improves his or her communication skills. Which is vitally important in today’s world with social media and making friends.

These are just a few benefits; I cannot list all of them otherwise this article is going to be waaaaay to long but all you need to know is that it is a HUGE advantage for them, especially in the long run. Plus, how fantastic would it be to know what your baby is saying without having to go through the whole crying communication scene.

But what you need to do first, is remember these principles when you start teaching sign language;

FUN - REPETITION - ENCOURAGE - EXPAND

Fun – You need to keep signing as playful and as fun as possible.
Repetition – You need to do this on a daily basis and incorporate signing into your daily routine.
Encourage – This you do with small little rewards, and you do this with praise and attention.
Expand – Help grow your baby's vocabulary based on your baby's interests.

So, how do we open the lines of communication you ask? Easy! See the illustrations below and remember, make them fun.

A person signing to eat

EAT - Every time you are going to feed or busy feeding your little one, all you need to show is the sign for eating and then talk to your baby and say something in the lines of – We’re going to eat | Do you want to eat? | Let’s eat another bite. And remember... repetition and FUN.

A person signing for milk

MILK - Context is very important. Try sign ‘milk’ while you are feeding your baby with a bottle or while nursing. Try not do this sign when you are doing anything else because this will probably be your most valuable and most used sign in the beginning.

A person signing to change diaper

NAPPY CHANGE - This is also a very important sign because it gives your little one a heads up that you're going from playing to diapering which is something he or she probably won't want to do at all. Unless they know they need a change because its uncomfortable and wet for them. This sign will also help your little one to know or understand that this little break is just temporary and it’s time to quickly get dry and come back doing what you were doing. What's important to know after you have done the whole diaper change is to sign ‘ALL DONE’ and to tell him or her that you are done changing the nappy. Just by doing this, studies show, the struggle of diaper time goes away.

A person signing that its time for bathing

BATH - Like washing your chest. Quite simple.

A person signing that things are done or finished

ALL DONE - This sign helps babies transition from one activity to the next and it also helps parents explain that something is all gone.

Don't worry about teaching all the signs at once... just try a few to start. When you think your baby is getting the hang of it and signing back, you can slowly add more signs to her repertoire.

So, here are a few extras I think might be useful to you.

A person signing to ask please

A person signing to say thank you

A person signing that they want a book

A person signing that they want to play

A person signing that they need help

So don't be surprised that your baby can learn to sign. Both their understanding and their motor skills develop much faster than their ability to speak. They also love to mimic, and most babies discover how to wave and point long before they can say ‘bye-bye’ or ‘look at that!’.

Studies also discovered that sign language for babies made babies appear less demanding than those babies that don't know sign because they could express their thoughts and needs more easily. So why shouldn't you be benefiting from sign and knowing what your baby wants instead of screaming? I think everyone in the family should be happier.

What you need to know too is that baby signing doesn't promise to cut out the tears and those little tantrums they tend to throw. But signing could make it much easier and better and know that there are actual baby signing classes and organizations that actually do this for a living... so google it and enjoy! The only thing is, sign cards come at a price.

A special note from me... be patient! Don't expect your baby to be the champion signer in her nursery class. It does take some babies longer that others to have the ability to sign but, keep at it!

About Martin Grobler

Martin is a digital marketing specialist, a producer and always online. His educational background is Digital Marketing and has given him a broad base from which to approach many topics. His little girl comes first and in his spare time he really enjoys making music and creating content.