We’ve all had those moments where we’re at a total loss for what our baby or toddler is trying to tell us. They are clearly trying to communicate, but for whatever reason, it’s literally lost in translation.
Cue frustrated baby.
Cue discouraged parents.
But, and I don’t mean to sound like an infomercial, it doesn’t have to be that way. Baby sign language is something you can teach to babies from a very young age and it will not only help with communication breakdowns, but will strengthen your bond, and give your baby’s brain a boost!
You can start teaching signs to your baby at a very young age, but if you haven’t started yet, don’t feel discouraged. You can start at anytime and still enjoy the benefits- including a serious decrease in tantrums because your child will be able to tell you what they want or need or saw out the car window.
You’ll start to get a magical insight into what your child is thinking, wayyy before they can speak to you with words.
In a nutshell? It’s pretty awesome. And it’s not hard to do!
Keep reading to find some great resources for teaching your child to sign!
The Signing Time DVDs were a favourite for us when my daughter was learning her signs. They have fantastic resources and you can choose to pick up the DVDs to have at home or an app for streaming their awesome content.
The app is the more economic way to try Signing Time and you can get it free for 14 days to see if you like it! (Not sponsored, just something we LOVE!)
The brand new book Baby Sign Language Made Easy: 101 Signs to Start Communicating with Your Child Now by Lane Rebelo is a great resource to read either once baby has arrived or even while you’re still pregnant. You can start using signs with baby even as a newborn. As the book says, “your baby will recognize and respond to your signs well before he ever makes his first sign”, so feel free to start early as practice for yourself!
This book is also great for older babies if you haven’t started yet. There are so many helpful signs and tips on how to incorporate them in to your life in these pages.
If you’re expecting, be sure to add this book to your registry.
Another resource to keep handy is BabySignLanguage.com. I love the signing dictionary feature available here gives you an illustration of the sign, as well as a short video, AND a free flashcard that you can print out to use at home. Their wall chart is handy too!
Recently I found this video posted on the Playfull Facebook page and it makes for a perfect introduction to baby signing. Just 25 simple signs that you can work on with your baby or toddler.
Choose the ones you want to learn first and keep adding new signs each day or week. You’ll be amazed at how quickly they pick it up!
If you have any other resources that helped you in your baby signing adventures, we’d love to know! Be sure to pin this post or share it with any friends who’d love to learn baby sign language too.
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1 comment
Thank you for this! I always tell parents to start signing early because you never know if your child will develop speech normally.
My daughter didn’t start talking until she was 2 years old and I was so thankful I had started signing with her as a baby! She had a way to communicate even though she couldn’t verbalize her thoughts until much later.