THE SEVEN CORE SIGNS TO TEACH YOUR BABY

Sign language is an incredibly useful skill to teach your baby. Let’s take a look!

Though it has been around for years at this stage, baby sign language is still an underappreciated method for communicating with your little one. As babies move through the phases of sounding everything out, understanding what they actually want can become confusing. Baby sign language is a way to clear up this communication while your child is still learning how to speak. It enables them to tell you how they’re feeling and ask for something they need, while hopefully avoiding the feelings of distress (and the accompanying tears) when they can’t get their message across.

Frustration is one of the main reasons that babies burst into tears and begin to wail. Many parents report a reduction in flare-ups and tantrums when they incorporate baby sign language into their household. Similarly, lots of mothers feel more in control when using signs, as they can truly understand how their little one is feeling, instead of trying to decipher a barrage of cries. Sign language is obviously not to be relied on forever but it provides a foundational approach to interacting with your child, especially while they’re still getting to grips with speech.

Baby sign language is based on traditional sign language, with the focus being on words that are relevant to young children. Some parents fear that using sign language will stunt their little one’s development but the evidence points to the contrary. Research suggests that children who learn to communicate in this way often start to speak earlier than their counterparts.

GETTING STARTED