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Baby Signs
A Conversation Creating Lasting Bonds By Nancy Cadjan
How Baby Signing Works
Over 20 years of research shows that children naturally gesture to obtain things they want. Who hasn't seen a baby lift her arms up to be picked up? By tapping in to these natural tendencies and teaching your baby some basic American Sign Language (ASL) signs, you can open a line of communication with your baby and learn her needs, fears and wants.Some parents worry using signs will slow speech acquisition. Studies conducted over the past 20 years show 
babies who sign generally speak at the same rates as babies who do not, but actually have an easier time learning to communicate. When they begin to speak, they already understand the communication game and generally learn to talk faster once they begin to speak.
babies who sign generally speak at the same rates as babies who do not, but actually have an easier time learning to communicate. When they begin to speak, they already understand the communication game and generally learn to talk faster once they begin to speak.Additionally, the research shows that babies who sign have a 12 point increase in their IQ. Extended research shows this IQ increase lasts through the child's educational years. Children who sign as babies also have larger vocabularies and greater interest in books. Plus, you get the benefit of being able to communicate with them while they are still learning to talk.
Four Steps to Start
You and your baby don't need to learn a new language. You are just borrowing some basic ASL signs and adding them to your conversations. These signs give your baby a way to communicate back. You can learn as few as five signs or as many as 100 to 300 signs to enrich your relationship. Here are some basic steps:
- Start with three to five signs. Start with signs for the things babies do and need most like "milk," "more," "eat," "bath" or "sleep." Start when Baby is between 6 and 8 months and can hold your gaze for a few seconds. If Baby is older, start right away. If you have older children, involve them in teaching the baby and learning themselves. Most children love learning signs and get a real kick out of being able to communicate with babies.
- Talk! Since yor goal is to help your child become verbal, speak with your child as much as you can. When nursing or giving a bottle, make eye contact and say, "Do you want some milk?" and sign milk.
Then, as you feed your child, open a dialog about the milk: "We're having milk. Milk is good!"
