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Baby Sign Language

brooke152brooke152
in Austin Babies

What do you ladies recommend for teaching baby sign language, is it Baby Signs?  When did you start with your LO?  I am looking to put this on the Christmas list but am not sure what's a good, easy to use book or dvd.  Thanks!

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Re: Baby Sign Language

  • Mrs.FroggiannaMrs.Froggianna
    Luke loved the Baby Sign Time DVDs.  He actually still asks to watch them from time to time.  A few of the libraries around here have them, so you could always check out a couple before buying.
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  • amyliisaamyliisa

    Personally I don't get much out of books that teach sign language.  I need to see someone doing it, in order to learn, so videos are much better for me.  We started DVRing "Signing Time" on PBS when DS was a baby.  It stopped airing for a while, but it's back now and we record it still (Fridays at 1230pm, I think it is). 

    Also, if you have an iphone I highly recommend ASL Baby Sign app.  It's pricey, as apps go, but it was totally worth it to us.  Has a list of words, and when you choose one, a short video of a lady signing that word plays.  Super easy and simple.

    ETA:  Forgot to mention, we also have the Baby Einstein My First Signs DVD, which is really good too.  It's with Marlee Matlin, whom I love!  (and HOLY CRAP!  We didn't pay that much for it, but I can't remember where we got it or how much we paid.  In fact, I think we got it from a garage sale...)

    ETA: again.  To add the linky.  Sorry!

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  • JJ&BB1146JJ&BB1146
    My 19 month old is so in love with Baby Signing Time it's both amazing and a little embarassing. We don't watch any TV, so that is all she gets to watch and she loves it! She's learned a lot from them, too. They do seem expensive, but she loves them and they've helped us communicate, so I think it's worth it.
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  • ditzydi_2000ditzydi_2000
    There are baby sign language Youtube videos that DS loves.  And so MIL and DS watch them on the iPad we take over to her house.  He knows how to sign more, food.  He's made up his own signs for a few things but it's not too far from the actual sign and we can usually figure out what it is he's wanting.  
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  • august8080august8080 member

    This is an area that I do a lot of parent education on.

    I prefer to teach kids in a real life situation than to rely on a video for many reasons, including the fact that they will more readily learn the signs that are relevant to them and their life. For example, why should cat or dog be in your first 10 signs if there are no pets in the home? On the other hand, if you do have a dog, it's a great early sign! They can also get immediate feedback from a person teaching them, which is the whole point of communication--it's a two way street. Immediate reinforcement/feedback helps them learn faster and more robustly.

    I encourage parents to start with the signs that will be most high use and will help relieve communication frustration the fastest.....what do you want your child to be able to tell you? Eat, all done, mine/my turn/I want, drink, milk are all great first signs. I actually have them stay away from the sign for more until the child develops other signs first because otherwise they tend to walk around like little seals asking for more and no one knows what they want more of, which negates teaching signs to help alleviate communication frustration. 

    Kids will really start to be aware of you doing signs around 6 months. Some will sign back as early as 8 months, for others, regardless of intelligence, they may be a year or older before they really start clicking with the sign. If he doesn't do them back right away, don't get frustrated.  Don't feel like you need to teach sign for months for him to "get it." Once kids realize what signing is (a way to communicate, a way to get what they want, to comment, etc), a child of normal intelligence can pick up a sign after just a few exposures to it and often they will even create their own signs for things. (My son created a sign for the squeezable fruit/veggie baby food things--they're in foil and they can suck the top like a straw.)

    I often recommend this website--you can look up a word that you want to teach and there's a video demonstration of the sign. Like pp pointed out, learning from a book can be challenging--it's a lot easier to see someone do it. Also, don't be afraid if you're not doing the sign perfectly. Unless your child is deaf and will be learning ASL or Signed English as their primary means of communication, it doesn't matter if the sign is perfect or not! 

    https://mybabycantalk.com/content/dictionary/dictionaryofsigns.aspx?letter=A

     Hope that helps! I'm happy to answer any other questions. 

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