Learning how to teach baby signs is easy; it really isn’t as difficult as it may seem.

If you are able to teach your baby to wave hello or goodbye then you have all the necessary skills required to teach your baby some baby sign language as well.

Sign Language for babies is based on keyword signing and is not the same as adult sign language. There are many systems that provide baby sign language based on ASL, BSL or AUSLAN but these are all based on adult sign language. Baby Sign Language should be specifically tailored to suit the age level it is aimed at which is 3-30 months. By 30 months of age most children are able to communicate and be understood by their families and the signs are no longer required. These Baby Signs should be used as a temporary bridging gap between pre-verbal and verbal years.

If you have decided to start teaching baby sign language there is one very important thing you need to remember. Signing does not replace speech. This is the largest difference that separates baby sign language from sign language for adults. You are trying to encourage communication so flood your baby with words. When you speak certain keywords, include the sign, don’t emit the spoken word.

Apart from that, there really isn’t much to it. If you follow the same pattern you would use to teach your child to wave hello or goodbye then you will pick it up in no time at all. Here are some simple tips to get you started.

Make sure that you use the baby signs in relevant situations. If you are signing for milk, make sure it is just before their feed time and reward them with the milk to enhance the comprehension.

Ensure your baby is in the mood when you are about to teach baby sign language to them. If they are tired or hungry they are not going to be interested. If this is the case, just sign to them for consistency and provide them with their needs. Don’t make it a negative experience or they are likely to want to forget about doing it.

Make sure you sign to them while they are watching and so that they can see your hands clearly. Don’t make it too complicated. Although they are attracted to movement, you want to make it as easy for them to copy as possible. This is why baby sign language is specifically designed to be within the capabilities of the baby and shouldn’t involve finger spelled signs.

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 you have started using infant sign language with your little one, you may be wondering how long it will be until your baby can begin signing back to you.

Each baby will follow their own unique development timeline so the answer will be different for each child. In general, babies can begin signing back to you somewhere between the ages of 6-12 months.

If you started teaching baby sign language really early on in their life, don’t despair. Even though this seems like it is a long time to wait, you have already provided them with a valuable head start. Some parents have reported that they started signing with their babies at a really early age but gave up because the baby wasn’t able to do the signs back to them at that point in time. Interestingly, the baby started to sign to them 5 months later, even though it had been months since they saw that sign. If you started early, just relax knowing that at least your baby can understand you.

By the age of about 4-6 months, the baby will be able to respond to your signs. They may not be able to replicate them or specifically ask for something using baby signs but they will be able to understand your signs. You will need to rely on their body language and facial expressions to see if you have been understood. If you sign to your baby for something and they bounce around, flap and get all excited it is a pretty good indication that you have been understood.

The signing progress follows this simple path. At first, when you begin using baby sign language, it will be foreign to both of you. At this stage only introduce one or two signs. The next stage is where you are comfortably and unconsciously performing the sign every time you speak that word. Shortly following this phase you may realize that your baby understands you.

This phase will continue for a little while until your baby develops the ability to have some control over their hands and limbs. At this stage the baby will be eager to show you their signs every now and then but it may not be consistent. Make sure you offer a lot of praise and encouragement during this phase. If they have signed for something, reward them by giving them what they signed for. If this is not appropriate, re-direct them to something else using a different sign. Let them know they have been understood. This will be a great bonding moment for you both and the excitement will be shared equally. Don’t be alarmed if it takes another week or two until they sign to you again; if you are patient it will come. The next stage will keep you on your toes. Once they have worked out a few signs they will want more and more. Keeping up with them will be your biggest hurdle; they may even make up a few signs of their own.

Remember that the signs are a temporary solution and will be replaced by speech when the time comes. Always sign to the baby and speak the word at the same time to re-enforce the association between the sign and the word.

So it might seem like a long wait until your baby can sign back to you, but the reward can be as exciting as watching them take their first steps or speak their first words.

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 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.