I love using Baby Sign Language with our 7 month old daughter so much I wanted to share a lesson with you today so that you can get started with your baby. We have found that Scarlette at 7 months already recognizes the sign for milk, she gets so excited and it really makes you feel wonderful as a parent when you are able to communicate with such a little person and know that they understand exactly what you are telling (and gesturing) to them. So I thought that it would be most appropriate to share the sign for milk with you as well as the basic principles of teaching Baby Sign Language.

I know when I first came across Baby Sign Language I thought it was going to be too difficult. I was actually inclined to leave it all up to Ian, he has a background in sign language and so the idea of signing with Scarlette was originally his. I have since found out that we actually use ‘baby sign language’ naturally as a parent and this is just a natural extension of those gestures. For example, you walk past baby and they put their arms out signaling that they wish to be picked up… Baby Sign Language. You are looking for something and you put your arms out asking the baby ‘where has it gone’…again, this is Baby Sign Language. Most commonly of all, you wave goodbye to Grandma at the door, well that is technically Baby Sign Language as well. You see, using simple gestures is a very important part of communication. Teaching your child that communication is not just about words but that it also involves the use of body language is actually a very important part of their development.

So how do you get started? Think about what you would do if you are trying to teach your baby to wave goodbye. First of all you would wait for a relevant situation. Then you would gain their attention; make sure that they are looking at you. Then you would use the words ‘bye bye’ and you demonstrate the action. Then you would perhaps take their little arm and wave it about whilst also using the words ‘bye bye’. Teaching Baby Sign Language is no different; these are just some of the basic principles. Remember we are not trying to teach them sign language per se; we are actually just giving them some gestures to use for essential keywords until they develop the ability for speech. To get you started signing with your little one today we will start with the Baby Sign Language for ‘milk’. We find this to be the most rewarding sign to begin with. The gesture is similar to milking a cow. Take either one or two hands and open and close your fingers as if you are milking a cow. I prefer to use one hand as I am usually holding my baby when I sign to her. You may wish to include a movement up and down with your hand that is up to you. My six year old Liam does this, but he has been on a dairy excursion for school recently and is usually reciting to her ‘squeeze and pull’. We prefer that you talk to her and say ‘milk’ repeatedly so that they see the connection between the gesture, the spoken word and the end result. Make sure that you follow through and provide the milk so that they get the connection.

 These are just a few of the many tips on signing with your baby, we have another 20 keys to signing success in our book Toddler Interpreter, A Parent’s Guide to Baby Sign Language for Hearing Babies and Toddlers.

Baby Sign Language