 |
| Ledoux is signing "mommy you need a glass of wine!" |
I used to think (before I had a baby!) that people who talked about teaching babies sign language were loco. I mean seriously, its a baby. What do you expect it to do? Start signing at you in a way to communicate?
Well, yes.
Until this point, the only way for her to really "talk" to me was through her cries. I studied Dunstan baby language when Ledoux first arrived (and downloaded the app) so that I could learn what her cries mean (if you haven't read/heard of Dunstan Baby Language, you MUST GO HERE NOW: Dunstan Baby Language) Doo and I are in a groove, and I know what her cries mean and what she needs... now I am ready for the next step: sign language.
It is official...I have jumped on the baby sign language band wagon. I am that mom that repeats the same words and phrases over, and over, and over... and attached signs with those words/phrases. My hubby sometimes looks at me like I might have finally lost it, but after just a few short weeks, I can tell Ledoux is already starting to pick up on it. I mean, she isn't sitting there signing at me, telling me about her day or anything...but its clicking in her little baby brain. "I can communicate with my mommy." When I say something, and show her that I am doing the same sign every time I say it, she is putting the two together. I read that they probably won't start signing back until after 8 months old, but they are processing it now.
So, here it is. I am not sitting with my baby for hours a day teaching her the entire English language. I have picked out a few words/phrases, attached a 'sign' to them, and every time I say that word/phrase, I am signing too. These are the signs we do right now... and if it goes well, I just might start adding a few more!
Soooo what do you think? I think even at the chance of Doo being able to communicate with me is worth it! Don't forget to let the hubs, the grandparents, and the teachers who interact with your babe everyday know you are doing this... consistency is key! :)
We did sign language with our first one and started as soon as we started feeding her solid foods. We had always done "all done" at the end of a diaper change, but we added, "more" "please" etc. for eating. It took a very long time for her to catch on and start doing it. But it finally clicked for her. She is quite the talker now, but she still makes the sign for "please" when she asks for something. It is wonderful to be able to have this early communication.
ReplyDeleteLeah @ simplehomeblessing.com
P.S. I have some posts about our sign language for meals in our One Year Old Preschool Series
Llynya learned signs from us, and at school. So every day, the school would share with me what they were teaching her. Once she could vocalize the word, the sign went away, because she just loves to talk, but they were useful. She would do "milk" "eat" "more" "all done" and "thank you" consistently. She still does "thank you" "please" "eat" and "all done" when she says the words out loud.
ReplyDelete