I recommend that parents start with 2-5 signs. This is not for the baby’s sake, but rather, for the parents. Because signing doesn’t come naturally to most people, it can be challenging to maintain the practice, especially if it takes a while for your child to sign back to you. You can sign as many signs as you’d like, but make sure to always sign your 2-5 chosen signs every single time you say the word. For example, if one of your signs is ‘milk’, then every time you give your baby milk, sign it as well. This will help your baby realize that your actions mean something. The signs I recommend are the following:
- Milk
- Mommy
- Daddy
- More
- Eat/food
- Finished
- Help
- Hurt
- Any food signs.
Pick a few of these signs and start signing!
For easy reference feel free to visit our free online dictionary to look up signs to use with your baby:
www.babysigningdictionary.com
Written By:
Laura Berg
www.mysmarthands.com
2 Responses to How To Begin Signing With Your Baby
I recommend using the video series Baby Signing Time, available from BabySigningTime.com. It shows the written word as well as the sign and it is done to great, catchy musical numbers. I’ve used it with my now 18 month old daughter and she knows over 100 signs. It lessens a child’s frustration because they are able to communicate
Thank you for all of your great advice, videos,and I think you should be the best blog.