The Benefits of Baby Sign Language extend way beyond the toddler years as the research is now showing.

Baby Sign Language can be used from as early as birth although most children are ready to begin signing back to their parents by the age of 6 months. The signs are often borrowed or modified from traditional sign language and are based on gestures that symbolize the action or meaning of a word. It is a simplified version of sign language designed to be easy enough for baby’s to begin using from 6 months of age.

NIH Funded Experimental Studies discover the Baby Sign Language Benefits

Baby Sign Language is not a new concept, although it still receives much media attention. The first studies were conducted as early as 1989; one of the most referenced experimental studies is an National Institute of Health (NIH) funded study conducted by Drs Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn. The study was designed to determine the benefits of Baby Sign Language and to determine if Baby Sign Language would delay speech development in children. The children were assigned into two groups in this study; the first group consisted of children that used Baby Sign Language and the second group consisted of children that did not use Baby Sign Language. The children were recruited for the study at eleven months of age. Their speech and language development was followed up until they reached three years of age.

The study regularly assessed the speech and language development of the children recruited into the study. The language assessments were designed to measure language comprehension and language production. These assessments were conducted at assigned intervals during the study. The assessments measured the children’s ability to put words into sentences. The child’s intellectual development was also measured at 24 months to determine the long term baby sign language benefits.

The average scores of children in the study that were in the group that used Baby Sign Language were found to be higher than the control group who did not use Baby Sign Language. By the age of twenty-four months, the signing children had a developmental advantage of three months over the non-signing children. By the time these signing children reached the age of thirty-six months, this advantage had increased dramatically. The advantage had now increased from a three month developmental advantage to an equivalent twelve month advantage in their overall language skills and comprehension by the age of thirty-six months.

Since this research was conducted in 1989 there have been many families that have begun to use Baby Sign Language in their home. To date there hasn’t been a single study that has shown there to be any disadvantages to using Baby Sign Language. Many childcare centres are also beginning to use Baby Sign Language, either through song or as part of a dedicated program.

Some parents seem to have a concern that if they use Baby Sign Language with their children that this may delay their speech development. The results of the NIH funded study demonstrate quite clearly that this is not the case. Baby Sign Language facilitates communication between baby and parent earlier in life and is thought by some to be an essential step in the learning process as it aids in the comprehension of words through actions that they understand. By providing a communication method to the baby earlier in life they understand the benefit of communication as they are rewarded with some control over their environment and their needs. This only leads on to a thirst for a more complicated language which is thought to be the reason that baby’s who sign with their parents speak earlier than those who do not. The benefits of baby sign language are not only reflected in the intellectual development but also in their social ability and the bonding of the baby with their parents. If you would like to experience the same baby sign language benefits as many thousands of parents worldwide, download your free baby sign language chart today or go to Toddler Interpreter for some affordable baby sign language resources.

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart  available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.

The first thing you should do is investigate some simple possible causes for your babies broken sleep routine. Most bad sleep patterns can be associated with feeding problems so this article will discuss the following issues:

• Complimenting breast feeding with bottle feeding.
• Using feeds to get your baby to sleep
• You are what you eat – and so if your baby if you are breastfeeding
• Do solids help babies sleep

Complimenting feeds and the relationship to sleep problems.

Some believe that combining a mixture of bottle feedings with breast feeding could be a potential cause for some sleep problems. There are many reasons why parents would want to compliment their breast feedings including going back to work, becoming pregnant again or just for convenience. If there is no change between your babies sleep patterns compared to when you baby was breast fed exclusively then this is unlikely to be the cause of your problems. There is a risk that your milk supply will lesson if you are not breast feeding at least once every four hours. If you milk supply is diminishing then this could be a cause of your babies poor sleeping problems as they may be waking up hungry.

Using Feeds to get your baby to sleep.

Feeding your baby to sleep is a dangerous path to go down for two reasons. The main reason that this causes trouble is that the baby doesn’t get a chance to burp before going down for their nap. This causes wind pain that will likely wake your baby before they have had enough sleep. The second reason that this is not recommended is that your baby will associate sleep with food. This may lead them to expect a feed every time they need to go back to sleep including in the middle of the night. Try to establish a routine where the feed is given upon waking. This will allow time for the baby to expel their wind and will help to break the trend of associating a feed with sleep.

You are what you eat – and so if your baby if you are breastfeeding.

A breastfeeding mom will need to consider what they are eating and drinking as everything they consume has the potential to go through to the breast milk.  A healthy balanced diet will defiantly help you keep up a great milk supply for your baby but you may want to reconsider some types of food s that may cause tummy upset in your bub. Some foods that are known to cause wind pains are garlic and chilli, but these need to be consumed in large amounts to have an effect. Also consider how much caffeine you are having as this could be helping to keep you baby awake. It is a common myth that your baby will wake if they are not getting enough food. This might be the case if they wake because it is time for another feed but a severely undernourished baby is more likely to sleep for very long periods of time because they lack the nutrition to stay awake.

Does introducing solids help your baby to sleep?

This is another myth that many parents will hear. Many people think that the baby will sleep longer once they have a more satisfying meal in their tummies. The truth is that introducing solids too early may cause a tummy ache and prevent your baby from getting to sleep. Doctors usually don’t recommend solids to babies under the age of 6 months.

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart  available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.

Toddler Interpreter, Not Just a Baby Sign Language Dictionary

Toddler Interpreter, A Parent’s Guide to Baby Sign Language for Hearing Babies and Toddlers is more than just a Baby Sign Language Dictionary though. Unlike many Baby Sign Language resources, Toddler Interpreter has a structure so that you know which Baby Signs are more relevant to teach first. Rather than just providing a Baby Sign Language Dictionary where it is left up to you to navigate and choose which Baby Signs you need to teach first, Toddler Interpreter also provides the Baby Signs broken down into 5 Stages of Learning. Each stage contains 12 Baby Signs.

The First Stage of Learning contains all of the most basic Baby Signs, such as Milk, Mommy, Daddy, Eat, Sleep – these are all very relevant for a baby who is just starting out with their communication. Stage One focuses on all of the babies needs, this helps the baby understand that this form of communication is beneficial to them, encouraging them to take it further.

Stage Two completes all of the basics of communication such as naming things and people, ownership and looking for something. Stage two also introduces the concept of putting two signs together such as ‘more milk’ and ‘where’s Daddy’ to enable the baby to communicate the concept of asking for more and looking for someone or something.

The remaining Stages of Learning, Stages Three to Five aim to provide more vocabulary and expand on the concepts already learnt. The signs progress at the same pace as the baby’s language skills which is a perfect lead into for the baby’s speech development.

Toddler Interpreter is the only Baby Sign Language resource that contains a Baby Sign Language Dictionary as well as easy to follow Stages of Learning making it an easier learning path for both the parent and baby.

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart  available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.

The movie Meet the Fockers was the first mainstream introduction to Baby Sign Language around the world. Before this movie, baby signing was still a well kept secret amongst the few. Luckily for parents worldwide, little Jack, the one year old grandson, became a wonderful example of how you can communicate with your baby using Baby Sign Language. The movie certainly started quite a stir when it was first released in 2004 and could almost be considered to mark the beginning of worldwide exposure for Baby Sign Language for hearing babies.

Although the movie Meet The Fockers relayed a slightly tongue in cheek version of baby signing, it did do something wonderful for increasing the exposure worldwide of this fantastic communication tool. I just wish that it had done more for demonstrating how easy it is to incorporate baby sign language into your home and how beneficial it is to have your baby be able to communicate their basic needs to you.

There is no doubt that the use of Baby Sign Language movie ‘Meet the Fockers’ has had an influential impact on the number of parent’s worldwide that have begun signing with their babies however, don’t be misled by the Hollywood movie – this is not a passing fad. Baby sign language is becoming household across many states and many countries and has been researched and used for over 30 years.  

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart  available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.