Sign Language for Babies involves the use of gestures to communicate with your baby while they are very young.

It all begins when they are very little by using some simple hand signals. These hand signals are universal meaning that they are the same in every language worldwide. These hand signals are often natural gestures that we use every day without realizing it. Many people begin learning sign language for babies only to discover that they naturally started this process without even knowing it. This process is just added to with some additional gestures through our Baby Sign Language program.

Communication involves the spoken word but much of what we say is also communicated through our body language. Using baby signing teaches the baby that there is more to communication than just words. It is really important that the sign is used with the word, signing does not replace the need for words, rather it compliments them perfectly. As you progress with your signing, it becomes a natural process that is used without thinking. It isn’t very difficult to get to this stage as the signs are easy to remember but also very natural hand gestures.  

Babies are fascinated with their parents and are naturally attracted to movement. Many think that they need to wait until the baby is nine months old to begin sign language however our personal experience was that our baby understood what we signed to her from about 4-5 months. This provided us with much enjoyment of course but it was also really practical. At this very young age there is little chance that she would have understood the spoken word for things like ‘milk’ ‘more’ and ‘sleep’. However, the use of these baby signs allowed her to understand us. When she woke in the morning, we would sign to her that we were making her a milk bottle and she would be both relieved and excited that we knew what she needed.

There is about a 5 month period where the baby understands your signs but can’t sign back yet, and this is when we found sign language to be very beneficial. From about 9-10 months of age she has started to sign back to us. No matter how in tune you are with your babies routine, there will always be a time when you need a little reminder that it is ‘milk’ time, and there is no doubt with her little hand opening and closing at us that she knows exactly what she wants. Sign language for babies can be a wonderful way to communicate with your baby and it brings many opportunities for two way conversations and shared experiences. 

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.

Sign Language for Toddlers is an invaluable tool for toddlers to communicate before they have fully developed their speech.

The toddler years are full of frustrations and tantrums; providing some mutual understanding can help to relieve some of this tension. Their speech development is especially important during these first two years and is more rapid than at any other time in their life. Sign Language for toddlers can be used to compliment speech development and fill in the gaps where they don’t quite have the words yet.

Toddlers are exciting little people. Everything happens at such a pace; it is a time for growing, developing and exploring. Parent interaction during this crucial period is so important. Proper speech development will allow them to engage in proper social interactions which will develop their social skills. Speech and social development are some of the most important milestones; how they progress these two vital skills will play a major role in the way their future plays out.

Sign Language for Toddlers is the use of gestures to convey the meaning of certain keywords. Some begin this sign language much earlier and refer to it as baby signing or baby sign language. There is no difference between baby sign language and toddler sign language, just the name. These baby signs are very simple to perform and are universal gestures that can be used in any country worldwide.

Although toddlers are able to speak a few words by their first birthday, they are still learning their language skills right up until their third birthday. It will take this long for some toddlers to be understood by their family members let along strangers and other caregivers. Toddlers are so demanding and expect everything to go their way. They also know exactly what they want and when they want it. By providing them a means to communicate these things without the frustration of not being able to speak properly, you can reduce frustration. Frustration, especially in boys can lead to aggression problems later on. It shouldn’t be considered as a means to give in to the toddler, in fact, sign language for toddlers can often be used to re-direct the behavior to a more appropriate solution.

Some parents report that their toddlers revert back to baby sign language when frustrated. Not being able to spit out what they are trying to say but still keen to get their point across. Sign Language for Toddlers offers them a release for their frustrations allowing the temper to dissipate.

Teaching Sign Language for Toddlers is easy. Toddlers are very keen to copy anything that their parents do. Providing that the gesture is always used with the word, it will be picked up on very quickly. Choose some keywords that are important to your toddler. Try to chose words that are not spoken by your toddler yet. Learn the sign language gesture for these keywords and use these simple gestures every time you speak that keyword. Only ever use the gesture in a relevant situation so that your toddler understands the relevance of the gesture. They should catch on very quickly and be able to mimic and replicate your signs.

Children that may be suffering from a slight language delay are also great candidates for learning Baby Sign Language. A visual stimulus enables the toddler to develop their language comprehension as the words take on shape and have more meaning to the toddler. Sign language for Toddlers has also been shown to improve speech development when accompanied with the spoken word. Parent’s who use baby sign language are more likely to spend quality time with their toddlers and take a vested interest in their development.

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.

If all of your friends toddlers are babbling away and your toddler is not talking yet you may have reason to become concerned. One of the things parents often use to gauge their child’s development is how early they start talking. Babies start off experimenting with noises from an early age, usually consisting of babbling noises, the typical “goo goo” and “gaa gaa” sounds, these will turn into “ma ma” and “da da”. These babbling sounds eventually progress into Mommy and Daddy. So how do you determine whether your child has delayed speech development and what do you do if your toddler is not talking yet?

On a daily basis your child will find different ways to shape their mouth and change the noise they are making; the first step in their speech development. Parents naturally spend a great deal of time talking to their baby’s but they do this instinctually and mostly to enjoy the social interaction it offers. Many don’t realize that this is also essential for the development of their speech and language skills.  

Babies recognize the sound of their parent’s voices from even before birth; they become familiar with us when they are in the womb. Parent’s voices are comforting for them, especially for newborns before their vision is fully developed. Babies and toddlers mimic their parents; that’s how they learn. The more verbal communication you engage in with your child, the faster they will learn.

By the time your child is the age of twelve to eighteen months your baby should be saying words like Mommy and Daddy. Over the next year of your child’s speech development, they will learn to put together small sentences and communicate their needs to their family members. By the age of 21 months most children can be understood by their family. If your child cannot communicate with family members and be understood by the age of 30 months there would be cause for concern. At any stage, if your child is not meeting the age appropriate developmental timelines you should seek professional opinion. Trust your instincts, more often than not parents know best.

If your toddler isn’t talking yet there are things you can do to encourage speech development. Keyword signing, otherwise known as  Baby Sign Language has been shown by researchers to increase language acquisition by up to 3 months. Children using sign language have the language re-enforced to them by the parent as the gestures are used in conjunction with the word. Parent’s who use sign language with their children are often more aware of their communication with their baby’s and flood them with language on a daily basis.

Gesture based baby sign language also improves word comprehension as the gesture is a natural movement that mimics the meaning of the word. Reading to your child is another important strategy that will go a long way to improving your child’s language skills. When they are exposed to reading at an early age they pick up on the way language ebbs and flows and are more likely to have an interest in books later on.

So if you are concerned that your toddler is not talking yet, assess the developmental timeline as make sure they are reaching the recommended milestones. Not all babies develop at the same rate and the normal range can differ by months. If you are looking for ways to encourage speech development because your toddler is not talking yet, keyword signing and reading are both great places to start.

Teaching a simple keyword based communication tool such as Baby Sign Language can help to accelerate your child’s speech comprehension and development. More importantly it can also provide an invaluable head start if you find out later that they suffer from a speech delay. For more information visit Toddler Interpreter.

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.