Just because your baby isn’t talking yet doesn’t mean you can’t communicate. In today’s blog we explore everything you need to know about Baby Signing.

At Noise Makers classes we teach signs to accompany each week’s adventure. This are often reinforced using familiar songs which can be sung outside class to help reinforce the signs. But why do we teach baby sign? When we talk, we often use gestures as part of our communication. Babies are very good at picking up on these gestures and are able to use them to communicate. Learning a few signs can really help with your baby’s communication skills, help to ease frustration and strengthen the bond you have with your little one too.

Why should I use baby sign?

From about 6 months, babies can use their hands for pointing, clapping, waving etc. This is their way of trying to communicate with you. Verbal communication won’t come for some time, so adding a few signs and gestures can make things easier. It can be both stressful and frustrating for you and baby not being able to communicate so it can be life-changing to use a few simple signs. Your baby’s understanding of language and ability to make gestures develop much faster than their ability to speak. As a result, babies will use gestures to let you know what they want before they can talk.

Where does baby sign come from?

Teaching babies a range of signs was inspired by Dr Joseph Garcia. He found that hearing babies of deaf parents easily copied their parents’ signs and used them to communicate. Dr Garcia also noticed that these babies appear less demanding than non-signing babies because they could express their thoughts and needs more easily.

Getting Started

If you are new to baby signing it’s a good idea to pick a few signs that would be helpful to you and use them as much as possible. It’s important to talk when you sign so that your baby makes the connection between the sign you are doing and the word you are saying. It may feel overwhelming (there are a lot of signs!), but baby signing is very visual and a lot of the signs will seem obvious once you’ve learnt them. The more you use baby sign with your little one, the more likely they are to copy you and sign back. Signing is about enhancing, not replacing language.

When should I start using Baby Sign?

Communicating with your baby begins from the moment they are born. You can start to sign at anytime, however, most children between the ages of 6 months and 18 months start to use a combination of gestures and sounds to communicate, so this is an excellent time to begin signing with your baby.

You may find that your child creates their own little signs within the signs you teach. They may adapt the sign to suit them and this is absolutely fine as long as you understand what they are telling you. The important thing to do is to reflect the correct sign back to them with the word at the same time.

First Signs

Here are a few signs to get you started. You can also watch this Noise Makers Introduction to Baby Signing Video, over on the Noise Makers YouTube, which demonstrates some of the basics for you.

More. Hold you hands open, palms facing towards your body, with one in front of the other. Move the hand in front forward a short distance.

Eat. Put your finger-tips to your lips.

Drink. Mime holding a glass and bring to your mouth.

Milk. Mime milking a cow. Make two fists and pull down.

Finished. Move your hands from inline with your shoulders down to your waist as if you are brushing crumbs off yourself.

Mummy. Three fingers tap twice on palm of hand. This is BSL for the letter M. M for Mummy.

Daddy. Take two fingers on each hand and tap one on top of the other. This is BSL for the letter F. F for Father.

Family. Take the same sign as you used for Daddy (two fingers on each hand on top of each other) to make the letter F and circle them around.

When you’re ready to begin teaching your baby some signs think about which words you and your family use the most on a day-to-day basis.

Good luck!