Imagine your baby being able to tell you when he needs a feed, if he wants a nappy change or is in need of a sleep. Bearing in mind that babies can’t talk, it sounds fantastical. But by teaching your infant a special form of baby sign language, it could become reality. The art of baby signing is increasingly popular, but what exactly is it, how does it work and is it safe for your baby to learn?

 

 

With baby signing, parents can teach their babies simple signs, so their infants can communicate their feelings and needs. The signs are all very easy to learn and involve simple hand movements. For example, squeezing your fingers and thumbs into an upright fist shape represents a bottle.

 

The method began to take off in the UK in the year 2000, but it’s based on years of research. Back in the early 80s, Dr Linda Acredolo and Dr Susan Goodwyn, from California University, realised that babies use simple signs to communicate before they talk. Between six and nine months of age babies grasp the concept of vocabulary and realise objects have names, but it’s not until 12 to 18 months of age that the vocal cords are fully developed and they can learn to talk.

 

In between these stages, it’s been up to parents to discover what their baby needs, from interpreting crying or facial expressions, which can be tough sometimes. But signing helps fill this gap and provides a more concrete form of communication.

 

There are various types of baby signing in existence, including Dr. Joseph Garcia’s method, which is based on traditional British Sign Language (and originally American Sign Language), as well as some methods which are more creative and combine, for example, singing with signing.

 

Signing offers a fun way for parents to interact with their babies, learn more about their basic needs and it takes some of the stress and guesswork away. “If mothers can get it to work, then it’s a good way for babies to make it clear what they want,” explained child psychologist, Dr. Pat Spungin. “From a mother’s point of view, it seems to offer a way to make her life easier, as a baby crying can contribute to her distress.”

Babies are capable of learning signs from the age of six months, when they’ve developed memory and co-ordination skills and have good control of their hands to be able to make the signs.

You can learn baby signing from books (such as Amazing Baby: A First Guide to Baby Signing), through watching DVDs or through going along to a class. Both books and DVDs explain how to use the signs and use pictures and images to take you through the step-by-step process.  

 

Saying the word as you sign helps support your child’s language development and avoids the impression that signs are a replacement to speaking. It’s important, though, to go at your baby’s pace, not push it if he’s not interested and make sure it’s fun. In the first instance, learning signs that your baby will be interested in helps, like milk and food, then you progress to more later.

If you’d prefer a more interactive approach, there are various classes on offer throughout the country, where you can go along and learn the method with other parents and babies.

 

“Parents can learn from books at home, but I think it’s more fun to have some regular feedback,” explained Sasha Felix, who runs Sing & Sign. “For instance, some parents might lose heart if they have expectations about early signing which don’t materialise.

My classes offer a chance for parents to discuss their baby’s communication with other parents and get expert advice on a weekly basis. The babies enjoy the musical activities, whilst the parents learn the signs,” says Sasha, who devised her own programme using songs and music.

“A lot of frustration comes about through an inability to communicate,” explains Dr. Spungin. “The other main way for babies to communicate their needs at a young age is through crying.”

Emma Finlay-Smith, who teaches Baby Signers classes based on the Joseph Garcia method, says, “Baby signing reduces crying, but it also allows babies to share their thoughts with you, to tell you what they’ve seen or, perhaps, just to tell you which toy they want to play with next. These are just brief moments in your child’s development, but you’ll miss so much if you wait until they can talk to tell you about it.”

Although some parents may worry that signing could delay the development of speech, experts believe it’s unlikely. “The relationship between gestures and speech is strong,” says Dr. Peter Willatts, a senior lecturer in developmental psychology at the University of Dundee. “Often the first spoken words follow shortly after a baby has learned their first gestures.” In fact, he says, learning sign language can help reinforce the idea in an infants mind that communication is a good thing.

This is a view held by Dr. Pat Spungin too. “Babies will sign briefly, but in the long term they’ll want to speak,” she says. “Also, a mother who goes through all the trouble of learning signing will probably be speaking with her child and communicating attentively.”

In fact, research by Dr Linda Acredolo and Dr Susan Goodwyn found that babies who sign tend to learn to talk earlier than non-signing babies, are more likely to develop larger vocabularies and are more self-confident.

 

“The age at which babies learn to talk varies, and girls are often quicker than boys,” says Dr. Spungin. Although your baby may be an avid signer when they’re young, as they gradually learn to talk, the need to sign will wear off.

 

In fact, says Sasha, “Your baby will use signs and immature speech together for a while. But as speech improves, the signs will fade away until they’re almost completely dropped.”

 

To sum it up, baby signing encourages lots of interaction between parents and babies, can be a lot of fun and could open up a new way of early communication with your baby.

 

 

 

Keen to try baby signing? Here are some DIY signs to get you going!