My husband and I decided before Baby C was born that we wanted to teach him basic sign language so that we can communicate more effectively with him. A few of our friends started signing with their babies around 9 months and we saw a difference in their baby’s language development skills. I think one of the cutest things to see are babies signing “please” and “thank you”.
We were planning to start signing to him when he turned six months…well, six months is already here and we don’t even know the basics! Yikes!
We found an online Everyday Sign class through the Wee Hands Warriors, a top baby sign language and language development program. We are enjoying it very much and it is great because it is an online class so we are able to complete the lessons and activities at night after baby goes to bed. We completed three lessons so far and have already have mastered the ABCs, numbers and basic foods. What I really like about the class is that the videos by founder Sara Bingham really help us understand how to do the sign correctly (handshape, body space and movement). It is also nice to access it over and over in case you are like me and have a serious case of mommy brain and forget how to do it.
We have been signing and saying milk, eat, drink, more, all done and calm everyday. I think it is pretty amazing because it seems like Baby C is starting to understand the signs associated with the action. My heart melted when I saw my husband signing eat, more and all done to baby while feeding him dinner yesterday…so sweet!
There are so many benefits to signing with baby and we can’t wait until he starts signing back to us! I’ll keep you posted once we see him do his first sign!
I’d love to hear if you sign with your baby. Any tips for a first time signing mommy?