Baby Signs

 We’ve hit the big year mark with Jackson and there is still no walking but there’s plenty of “talking”! I use “talking” a little loosely. There’s definitely signing and attempting words. I’m grateful for the small bits of communication that are starting to come together. I’ve had a few Mommy friends ask me how we teach our signing. We were actually introduced to baby signing by the Occupational Therapist who treated Sofia as a baby and I’m so grateful that she showed us the ropes! Here’s how we do it.

When and to get started

We try to start as early as possible, between 6 to 8 months. Don’t expect any response from baby, except maybe a few laughs from baby thinking you are crazy. This is as much practice for Mom and Dad as it is for baby.

Where Do I Start

We downloaded the Baby Signs app on our iPad. It was recommended by the OT. It’s free, it’s easy to navigate and it teaches you as much as it teaches them. You can even use it as a learning tool for yourself if you don’t want to hand the device over to baby. That’s what we’ve done because even if we did give it to Jackson, big sister would take it over if she saw him playing. I had to brush up on my signs before we got started. I then go through and pick out about 5 signs to get started.

Our Top 5 Starter Signs

1.    More

2.    Milk

3.    All Done

4.    Please

5.    Thank You

How to Practice

You need baby’s attention to really get good practice in. Our favorite times are while eating and in the bath. This is when Jackson is most attentive for us. I will give him a small piece of food and when he seems to be looking for more, I use this as a signal to start. I ask, “more, Jackson? More?” I over enunciate the word “more” and over exaggerate the hand gesture. For a few months, it just elicits some smiles and laughs but we continue. We even have Sofia doing the same signs we give, Daddy joins the fun and even Grandma and Poppers join in. Consistency is key and we always pair the sign with the verbal word.

Over the last week or two he’s mastered “more”, “milk” and “all done” signs. He says “mo” for “more” and “tan ta” for “thank you” and “da dun” for “all done”. We give him big praises and encouragement even if the verbal is a little off or if there is a sign with no verbal. I’m so proud of this little guy for his hard work learning and I love seeing how proud he is when he realizes weunderstand him! Now we get to pick out some new words to start adding to the mix.