Baby Signing Information

You and your baby can have so much fun communicating before your baby can talk.

My 8 month old baby learning to sign "more".

What is baby sign language?

We all teach our babies some basic sign language, very simple signs, like waving ‘bye-bye’, clapping to express delight, pointing, or head shaking for ‘no’. While our little ones have a desire to communicate their needs and wishes, they lack the ability to do so clearly because the development of speech lags behind cognitive ability. Hand-eye coordination develops sooner than speech, therefore gesturing is a natural way for babies to communicate.

Baby sign language builds on this natural form of communication, allowing babies and toddlers to effectively let us know their needs, thoughts, and desires. Infants can learn simple signs for common activities and objects such as: eat, sleep, more, milk, play, and teddy bear; months before they are able to produce understandable speech.

What are the benefits of baby sign language?

One of the most fundamental human desires is to be understood, research has shown baby sign language can reduce frustration for babies and parents by providing a means for babies to communicate before their vocal cords have developed for speech.

Research shows baby sign language has numerous other benefits too, such as, accelerating verbal development and strengthening cognitive skills. It also enhances child-parent bonding by reducing frustration and through fun time spent teaching signs to your baby.

Is baby sign language an official language?

The Baby Sign and Learn system uses keyword signs taken from American Sign Language (ASL). The major differences between ASL and baby sign language is that spoken language is used in conjunction with the signs.

Baby signing doesn’t teach babies a new language, it simply supports and enhances the spoken language babies are already in the process of learning. In fact, speech and language therapists often recommend signing if a child's speech or language development is delayed.