So what's the deal with baby sign anyways? IS it the new fad? Haha like so many other things I've been into that might seem this way, trust me. . . this is NOT a fad.
People have been signing with their babies for years. Infants develops the fine muscles in their hands long before they develop those required for speech, so they are totally capable of communicate with you before they can speak. This is no super baby experiment. Think about it. . . even babies who are never taught to sign will wave bye-bye. They may reach their arms up when they want picked up. Or pat the couch when they want to sit next to you. Or point to an object they want. This is their way of communicating with you before they have the ability to say the words.
Most experts recommend you start with 3-5 signs and then expand from there. We started with "milk", "all done", "more", "eat", and "dog". They typically aren't able to form the signs until at least 6 months old, but I started signing with B when she was about 4 months just so I could get in the habit and I could expose her to it early. Her first sign was when she was just shy of 6 months at my friend's wedding. I was the photographer, and B was sitting with daddy in the pews. He said she looked at him, raised her hand, and signed "milk" for daddy. Like it was something she did every day. He was so excited! (And so was I!). She ran to get her a bottle, and she sucked down the full 6 ounces.
So imagine, if you will, having a baby as young as 6 months who could tell you when she wanted milk, when she was tired, or if she just wanted to show you something you missed like a bird. Baby sign language has many benefits. Mostly, it reduces fussiness because they can tell you exactly want they want. Research confirms that signing babies have fewer temper tantrums! Both you and your baby are less frustrated when they are trying to communicate to you what they want. No more playing guessing games. ("Do you want this? No? How about this? This?")
I've found baby sign to help us bond. It's like I get to peek into that little head of hers and see some of the things she is thinking. Those wheels are always turning!! It's amazing watching her, and even neater now that she will not only create her own signs, but turn to me and give me a look like, "Mom. . . what's the sign for THAT?!" and mimic right behind me. She seems confident and secure knowing that when she wants something, she can tell me what she wants, and I can quickly and easily fulfill her need.
Although I'd like to believe it, I'm not creating any genius prodigy child. Sign is normal and easy, although it does help her mental development. Studies show that babies who have early exposure to signing have larger speaking vocabularies earlier. Because we sign, I say the same words to her over and over and over and over. Instead of just, "Would you like a cracker?" She then will sign cracker. . . "That's right! Cracker". Then I sign cracker back again, "Cracker." Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
Now, Isabelle knows over 45 signs and she is learning new ones practically every day. She loves to read books that have lots of the signs she knows in them. Her favorite sign [right now] seems to be "bird". She is only 14 months old and I can carry on a conversation with her that would be close to that of a 2 or 3 year-old. This is amazing!
Isabelle's Signs: Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Jen, Luke, Nate, Book, Hat, Blanket, Ball, Light, Star, Balloon, Bath, Shower, Please, Thank You, More, All Done, Baby, Eat, Potty, Again, Girl, Rain, Flower, Milk, Cheese, Strawberry, Banana, Water, Cracker, Raisin, Peas, Green Beans, Carrot, Apple, Cookie, Dog, Bear, Elephant, Pig, Horse, Monkey, Bird, Fish, Cat, Mouse, Elmo, Red, Blue, Penguin.
In this video, the signing is about 1/2 way into it:
No comments:
Post a Comment