Baby Sign Language Part Two

in #parenting6 years ago (edited)

Babies are often more capable than adults would believe. They learn so rapidly in their first year of life and are eager to absorb the information given to them. After watching a few friends teach their baby's sign language, I knew this was a communication strategy I was going to use when the time came.

Teaching babies sign language can seem futile in the beginning but if you just stick with it you'll be glad you put in the effort. Babies develop physical skills faster than verbal language but just because they can't yet speak doesn't mean they don't comprehend words.

I believe the first step the cultivating a strong bonds within a family is to have strong communication skills. How can we expect to have any of our needs (hunger, comfort, love, etc...) met without the proper ability to communicate. Plus, if a child is able to efficiently relay their needs to their caregiver, at any age, the chance of a tantrum can be drastically reduced.

A quick review:

Communication Milestones

4 - 6 Months

  • Begins using consonant sounds in babbling
  • Makes different sounds to express feelings
  • Listens and responds when spoken to
  • Uses babbling to get attention

7 - 9 Months

  • Increases variety of sounds in babbling
  • Recognizes the sounds of the names
  • Shows recognition of commonly used words
  • Participates in two-way communication

10 - 12 Months

  • Meaningfully uses "mama" or "dada"
  • Responds to simple directions
  • Says one or two words
  • Imitates speech sounds

Source

Since babies physical and cognitive development happen at a faster rate than their verbal communication, I decided to capitalize on these skills to help open the doors of communication. At six months we began giving them solid foods and by seven months, when food was becoming more routine and less novelty, we started introducing sign language.

5 Simple Signs for Babies

Using American Sign Langue (ASL), we chose to teach our twins five signs that not only had daily application and were easy actions but could also be used beyond the dinner table:

  1. More
  2. Milk
  3. All Done
  4. Eat
  5. Please

In our last post, I shared the first three signs we taught our kids. Today, I am going to cover the last two signs, how we taught them, and how they've helped us on our parenting journey.

ASL: Eat

EatTo sign eat pinch your fingers and thumb together. Starting with your hand slightly away from your mouth begin to tap your lips. Our babies made this association quickly since it mimicked how they often eat with their hands.

At one point, my twins began to become cranky everyday around 2:30. Initially, I thought their nap time might be shifting but that wasn't the case at all. After trying a few things to remedy this regular occurrence, my mom suggested introducing a snack. Low and behold, this is what they were looking for! My babies don't just get hungry, they get hangry.

Now that I knew their eating needs were evolving I decided to teach them the sign for "eat". I wanted them to let me know when those tiny tummies started rumbling. Their activity level changes from day-to-day so it only made sense that their hunger would too.

One day we decided to meet some friends at a park for a BBQ. We knew this event would completely disrupt our normal routine because it fell right at naptime. We rarely deviate from our schedule but decided to go anyway; we didn't want to live life as hermit simply because kids entered the equation. Our kids handled the day amazingly and even used the "eat" sign with Matthew for the first time! They recognized that we were in a new setting and that they would have to find a way to communicate their needs. I am 100% convinced that we avoided a total meltdown this particular day because our kids were able to communicate their needs.

ASL: Please

PleaseTo sign please place your hand flat against your chest and move it in a circular motion.

Now that our kids were able to communicate some of their basic needs, we decided to teach them how to ask politely. We believe that we can set boundaries with our kids with kindness. Teaching our kids to ask instead of demand is one of those boundaries. Plus, manners go a long way whether you're a child or an adult.

Maybe it's because of where they are developmentally or because they've had practice with other signs but "please" has been their easiest learned sign. We started by asking, Can you say please? while demonstrating the sign and have progressed to being able to ask, What do you say? or Can you ask nicely?

This sign has taken over for some of the signs they learned earlier, but with consistency we're able to remind them how to ask for different things specifically.

Matthew even mentioned how our boy got his attention one day to ask him for milk. Matt could tell he wanted something so he asked, Do you want milk? at which point little H combined two signs resulting in Milk, please!

Different Applications

Introducing "please" at mealtimes made sense because that is where they learned all of their other signs but this is the most versatile of all. If they approach us for something in anger or frustration we can usually remedy a bad attitude by having them ask nicely. They've already begun to recognize that asking nicely generates faster and more positive results than fussing.

While our kids are not tantrum free, they are incredibly well behaved especially in public and in company. I am not naïve to the reality that a public meltdown will most likely happen at some point in our parenting journey, however, I do believe that giving our children the proper tools to communicate has minimized tantrums. As our kids begin to develop words I will continue to look for tools to identify their needs and feelings so we can keep our lines of communication open.

There are a few more signs our friends have used successfully with their babies that we haven't had a chance to teach yet. Although, that's not to say they can't still be learned. In Part 3, I will cover several of these additional ways that you can start to communicate with your baby before they develop speech.

 
If you are finding the photos difficult to understand, let me know. If there is enough feedback I would be happy to make an accompanying video to further explain these signs.

And if you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy: How to Grow a Renegade: Baby-Led Weaning.

All photos and illustrations in this post are original work by Mrs. Canadian Renegade.


Canadian renegade Logo


20180516_002249_0001.png

Thanks for reading everyone! Please upvote, follow, and resteem to support this work. As always, comments are welcome.

Sort:  

This post has earned the #healthy-home seal of approval!!

Excellent post!

Yep, we signed to all our kids before they could speak(voice). It is a win, win, win.

You forgot "poop" or "dirty diaper". That is a great one. It is a good one for practicing facial expressions(a super key component of ASL). I have seen it as two fingers pinching the nose and making a scrunched up face(from the bad smell).

ASL (American Sign Language) is a fascinating language. It is much more rich than just "English by hands". And a great skill for life.(though, unless there is a deaf person nearby, it is hard to really progress)

Very cool that you did your own photo illustrations....bravo!!

Swing by my blog when you get a chance. I just celebrated 1 year! :-P

Peace

That's awesome that you signed with your kids too! Wow, I didn't even think to try "poop" or "dirty diaper" but those make so much sense and I think I'll start incorporating them. With twins, routine is crucial to maintaining my sanity and staying on schedule. They get bum changes so regularly that I never thought to just ask them.

Truthfully, I knew there were other sign dialects but I hadn't heard of "English by hands". My mom and I took a beginner ASL course years ago because we're both hard of hearing. I really wish I had continued. Our teacher was deaf and, you're right, you learn so much more in that setting. The emoting is really important and I forgot to mention that in my post. Thanks for the reminder.

Congrats on 1 year! I will be sure to stop by!

-Aimee

Awesome that you had a deaf teacher! So, are you really h-o-h? Using hearing aides? Getting progressively worse? Sorry...too nosey!

"English by hands" is just my way of saying: some people think that sign language is just spoken language...but with gestures. But it is not. It is so much different and so much more.

Yes! Our teacher was amazing and we spoke with her through TTY a few times. I wish we had kept in touch. I we are truly hard h-o-h! My mom has Meniere's disease and my left ear has significant hearing loss. I actually tilt my head to the side as a result. If you look at my photos you can see it but I do try to correct my head position if a camera is pointed at me. I also have a lazy eye on the same side of my head which I had to work really hard to control. Both are a mystery but I have my hunches.

My parents used to take me to a hearing clinic on a regular basis where I would be put in a soundproof room for hearing tests, like the beep test. They recommended a hearing aid but I could sense that money was tight so I told them I was fine without one. Since grade 3, I would strategically pick my school desks so I could hear the teacher.

"English by hands" is just my way of saying: some people think that sign language is just spoken language...but with gestures. But it is not. It is so much different and so much more.

Thanks for this, sometimes conveying idea through type can be hard. I completely understand what you're saying. I am an extremely expressive personality. Someone once told me that if they could hit mute on me they'd probably still understand what I was saying. LOL! This is probably one reason why I enjoyed learning sign language so much. -Aimee

So interesting... I believe @goldendawn also has Meniere's disease. And my wife, may have it...but with some different symptoms than typical/average.

Haha....if only my great aunt had had a good reason to learn ASL. The 'joke' said about her was, she was so expressive with her hands and body, if you held her still then she wouldnt have been able to continue talking. Her hands were moving constantly while she spoke!!

Peace

Brocks niece was taught asl (she is 2 now) right from the start and its been incredible to see how she communicates and put signs together. It seems to reduce a lot of frustration because she can convey her needs and wants. We all (her parents, grandparents and uncle/auntie) both sign and talk with her and she has one or two friends the same age that also knows how to sign.
We plan on teaching mini elf as well because its such an advantage for her to have, being able to communicate with us

Welcome to this crazy beautiful place called Motherhood @elfmyselfandi! I have been thinking about you and mini Elf and wishing you both well.

Wow, 2 years old and signing with so many people, including other babies? That's incredible. But I have to say, seeing babies sign first hand is what sold me on the idea. Their skill and comprehension is undeniable. I haven't been able to do as much as I'd like because managing two is a handful but I am so glad we have done as much as we have.

So, how are you enjoying motherhood? If you ever need anything, any kind of support, just reach out ok?! I was showered with so much kindness and support when I transitioned into motherhood and it meant the world to me. I would be so happy to give you the same support I was blessed to have. -Aimee

Thank you <3 and sorry for the very late reply, inbetween sleeping, the chronic fatigue being intense and getting things done i somedays dont even know where my phone is :p

Yes, its quite something. When i first heard of teaching babies to sign i didnt think much of it, but seeing her use it before she could speak, how she was able to make us understand her needs and wants was incredible. And even now when she does speak she still uses sign as she speaks, sometimes to clearify when we dont understand her words. And if kept up she will have two languages right of.
I learned some of the swedish sign language in high school so im leaning towards teaching mini elf that as im talking swedish with her, and Brock will talk english and use the english sign language. But we'll see.

Thank you! My computer died on me but as soon as i get a new one ill install that program again and add you on the friends list :) it seems we have a lot of ideas on what we want for our kids in common, so having someone to talk to would be great :)

No worries on the delayed reply. As a busy mom, I can promise you never have to apologize to me for delayed responses. Sometimes I respond to people in my head and wonder why they don't acknowledge. Whoops!

Oh boy, I can't even imagine dealing with intense chronic fatigue at the same time as being thrust into motherhood. I feel like mother's instincts are so strong that we develop a kind of superhuman drive to care for our little ones. I have been navigating some challenges over the past year as well. Life might look messy and you may feel like you can't do it all but I believe that's because we weren't meant to raise families alone. Give yourself a huge part on the back every night because being a mom is ahard gig and it's easy to feel overwhelmed.

Wow! I love that you're going to use Swedish and Swedish sign in addition to English and ASL! Babies brains are so flexible and ready to absorb information. I hope you guys are successful. Whatgift you are giving mini elf!

Oooh! Dead computers are the worst! Don't feel obligated, but if a phone is more convenient for you, they have an app too. I agree! We seem very like-minded for raising babies. Feel free to reach out and connect any time! -Aimee

Oh this is interesting, @canadianregenade! I have never come across ASL and it is my first time learning it from you. It is amazing how they can "speak" and communicate with you after you have taught them, especially in asking politely and "please"! Truly enlightening, thank you!

#steemitmamas

You're welcome! I am glad you were able to take away some good information here. Hopefully this come sin handy for you. Thanks for stopping by. -Aimee

Been away a couple days so trying to catch up. This is FANTASTIC! If I didn't know better I would say my husband put you up to this @canadianrenegade. He has been going on about baby signing for the last few weeks. I keep blowing him off. I'm the hippie mama with these wierd eye rolling ideas. Signing with baby? What WAS he thinking. Ummm. Ok. So if you are doing it. I will too. Shhhh. Don't tell my husband

Ha ha ha! What serendipitous timing! I made sure to include photos of my kids signing to show mama's that it really is possible and so handy to teach. Oh, husbands they have god ideas from time to time. 😉 -Aimee
ps. your secret is safe with me!

We love sign language at our home too. I do believe along with you, that it does help with meltdowns and helps tremendously with communication. I love watching them trying and eventually seeing them being able to use it themselves. Your photos were very clear and readable. But I bet videos would be awesome as well. :)

I love that so many parents are getting on board with sign language. If you knew you could communicate with yours kids early, why wouldn't you? I am glad the photos worked well and I am still thinking about doing a video. -Aimee

I found most of the photos very clear and showing just what you sought to show. Wish I had heard of this nearly 30 years ago, when my son was born...

Thank you! Yes, when talking with friends and family I have said a few times how lucky we are to have kids during this age of information. There is so much knowledge at our fingertips. Some days it's a blessing, others a curse but all in all I am glad to have so many resources. -Aimee

Every child is important very day. Because the kids are the most beloved. your post is great. Which has a good idea and information. In which people can learn form your post

Thank you! I hope others find this information useful as well. -Aimee