Baby sign language is one of the most common communication techniques used by parents all over the world during the pre-verbal years. And for good reasons!
Common questions are “When should I start teaching Baby Sign Language?” and “Where do I start?”. In this article, we give you the Baby Sign Language basics like:
- What are the benefits of Baby Sign Langage (for you and your baby)
- When should you start
- What words should you start with (the Baby Sign Language Basics)
- Is it for all babies?
- How long does it take to learn Baby Sign Language?
The benefits of using Baby Sign Language
Bonding with your child
In order to remain healthy, active and contented babies need the shower of attention and a strong bond of understanding and love from their parents. For this they need a method of communication that would foster their relationship and help them clarify their needs to their parents. Forming a bond with the baby is an important factor in his nurture as it helps keep the insecurities and lack of confidence at bay. Baby sign language is the perfect solution to build a connection of trust and devotion with your baby. Research has proved that it is better to respond to an infant’s wailing rather than ignoring it and lavishing him with attention to prevent the streak of crying and stubbornness from forming in his nature.
Baby sign language helps the parents to understand their baby’s needs and fulfill their wants at a moment’s notice. For example, if the baby is feeling hungry he can immediately sign that he wants to eat or through manual cues can convey that he wants to have his milk followed by a nap. No fuss is created nor is any crying or wailing necessary for the baby. The matter is solved without even articulating a single word.
Efficient communication between the parents and child through sign language assists in maintaining the stability of nature and creating a peaceful environment in the house as frustration outbursts of the baby are reduced and the parent’s exasperation is virtually eased. Baby sign language allows babies to enjoy the experience of communicating with their parents.
Easier communication with your kid
Have you ever experienced that time when your baby cries his heart out in the middle of the night? This is a scenario that often happens to new parents, and this is due to the baby trying to convey and express what he really feels through crying. Although this is a hassle in the parent’s part there is something you can do about it.
The use of baby sign language has been beneficial to many people taking care of babies. Teaching sign language in order to convey messages or ideas can really help both parent and baby to communicate effectively. This way when a baby needs something to hug, he can make a sign of stretching his arm and pressing it towards his body. This sign language signifies the baby’s need for a cuddly bear or other soft toys to hug. A parent will immediately have an easier time understanding the needs of the baby.
Another example of a baby doing sign language is when he is thirsty; he would then sign by placing his hands all over his mouth. There are other important signs that can greatly ease your burden of communicating with your baby. Practice now and teach your baby as this also helps him improve his mental capability and vocabulary.
Parents Benefit from Baby Sign Language
Imagine that it is 2 in the morning, and your infant has started crying without any apparent reason. He is crying non-stop, and his voice is getting louder and louder with every passing moment. This is a very common situation and many parents are familiar with it. This becomes a very distressing condition both for the parents as well as the baby. The baby will find it impossible to communicate with their parents about what is wrong with him.
The ultimate solution to this problem is baby sign language. You can get rid of such situations only when your baby is able to communicate with you effectively. Moreover, teaching baby sign language has the advantage of being a permanent solution. With every passing day, your baby will be communicating more effectively with you.
Teaching baby sign language will result in a stronger bond with your baby. The methodology of teaching baby sign language will give you a better insight into his mind. Moreover, spending some extra time with your baby and trying to teach him different signs will lead to a relationship full of affection. Interestingly, when you notice that your baby has started to sign back to you, it will be a very rewarding and happy experience. Baby sign language is said to add a lot of fun to the lives of both parents and the baby.
By teaching baby sign language you will notice that your baby has developed a higher level of trust in you. He will appear more satisfied and happy and the annoying situations mentioned at the start of this article will become a rarity.
When should you start Baby Sign Language?
Sign language for babies works as a part of communication. It is not surprising that babies will use sign language for babies first. They will eventually develop a more active physical nature before they even learn how to use their verbal abilities. When babies reach the age of six to seven months, they develop more physically active capabilities. This is the right time for parents to teach sign language as this can help develop the learning of an alternative to verbal speech that babies need. Come to think of this, when babies tend to point at things, they often make signs and gestures that mean something in return. They might not know what that thing is, but surely they will keep repeating the motion of pointing at it every day. This would certainly mean that they are ready to be taught sign language immediately.
Sign language for babies is the best alternative for verbal communication and is quite simple. Babies are born without the capability of speaking yet and parents need to find a solution for this lack of communication between them and their baby.
Picking sign language for babies is a wise decision to make. As a result, your baby’s language and communication skills will improve! This makes communication possible all the time. When babies develop the capacity of speech, it will be much easier to communicate since they have had lots of practice with sign language already. Sign language for babies works like a charm and makes life easier for babies as well as their parents.
Baby Sign Language Basics: which signs should you teach your baby first
The first few signs that you could begin teaching your baby are:
- Food signs like eat, drink, milk, more, and done
- Utility signs like hot and cold
- Family signs like mom and dad
Is Baby Sign Language for all babies?
There are many ways to produce smart and proactive babies and using baby sign language is one of these ways. As parents, we are our baby’s first teachers and a huge influence all throughout their lives. What our babies learn from us reflects our capabilities as parents and also shows how much we care and provide for our baby’s needs.
Baby sign language has been highly recognized by a lot of professionals as well as parents all over the world to show signs of advancement in a baby’s physical and mental ability. It has also been said to make babies very interactive in their communication and interaction preferences so as to make them proactive individuals.
Experts have also noticed that babies who are engaged in baby sign language at an early age outsmart other babies who have not been taught baby sign language. As parents try to teach their children baby sign language, they spend a great deal of time interacting with their children and setting a good example that their children can follow. If not, they can just have repetitious teaching that can improve their children’s abilities until they get acquainted with it.
Baby sign language may be hard to comprehend for young children as well as first-timer parents, but knowing and understanding it is very possible. It will just take a little time and effort to learn baby sign language well. Teaching baby sign language to your children is surely one of the best things that parents can do to make their babies grow into smart and upbeat individuals.
Is it only for deaf babies?
There are many benefits of sign language babies in every parent and child’s life. This is all brought out by the uniqueness and simplicity of sign language babies which makes it one very useful and highly rated form of communication. It is not only used by deaf people but also by those who are late in acquiring their speech abilities.
Sign language babies are one of the best options that parents can teach their children while they are still young and unable to speak. This in time will become their only source of communication and interaction with the people around them before they develop their speaking abilities. The benefits of sign language babies include improvement and advancement in both physical as well as mental abilities. Another benefit would be advanced speech.
With sign language babies, your children will have advanced communication interactions that will broaden their vocabulary as much as their cognitive abilities. It can make them much wiser and more aware of certain hand signals that will correspond to a simple thought or action. Most importantly, it can make your babies understand emotional expressions very well and vice versa. This will lessen certain emotional problems that can produce frustrations for a baby as well as for the parent.
Being emotionally aware can make both the parent and their babies able to spot things that are out of the ordinary and be able to act on them accordingly. Using sign language is not a one-sided form of communication, which is a common problem nowadays.
How long does it take to learn Baby Sign Language?
Learning baby sign language takes both time and focus. Just like studying for class, we need to put in time and effort just to have the right knowledge to get the right information we need. When it comes to baby sign language, we, as parents, need to be more understanding since babies are fragile and in need of guidance. Until the day when a baby becomes developed enough for verbal communication, you have to teach sign language so you can talk to your baby today. Parents and babies alike must use sign language if any discernible communication is expected.
Parents need to be extra patient when teaching baby sign language. It is no secret that teaching a language takes up a lot of time. This problem becomes a lot more troublesome when dealing with a baby. It will not be surprising if you have to devote days or even weeks of nonstop language lessons for your baby to learn some signs. Parents need to become highly familiar with the intricacies of baby sign language. It surely will not be the same as regular sign language though they are similar enough to comprehend. Once familiar, parents can now move on to actually teaching sign language to their babies.
Learning baby sign language takes both time and focus. Just like studying for class, we need to put in time and effort just to have the right knowledge to get the right information we need. When it comes to baby sign language, we, as parents, need to be more understanding since babies are fragile and in need of guidance. Until the day when a baby becomes developed enough for verbal communication, you have to teach sign language so you can talk to your baby today. Parents and babies alike must use sign language if any discernible communication is expected.
Growing up is a process that will require your attention on a daily basis.
