Toddler Signing is a wonderful method for early communication development.

When I first started to sign to my baby, she was only 4 months old. I have to admit, at this age it seemed like it would be a long time before she would be signing back to me. Now she is 16 months old and I am so glad that we did engage in teaching her baby signing from such as early age, the benefits are just amazing. Ian has been signing for many many years, he has worked in the disability sector as a sign language instructor. I am a research scientist and as a parent I am very proactive in researching what the best thing is for my kids. In fact, it was Ian’s idea and goal to have his baby daughter learn sign language; he has had this dream for a long time now. You should see how he is with her toddler signing now, he is so proud.

When we started our sign language journey with Scarlette she was so little. There had been some complications but she was a very healthy but a very little baby. I remember her little innocent face, taking it all in as we talked to her. I have always been really animated with my little ones, I know how much they love to read your facial expressions. Introducing toddler signing just gave us another medium for interaction. It was met with a little bit of curiosity to begin with but I am sure that she understood us after 2 weeks of consistent signing. We followed the principals of Toddler Interpreter, where you only begin with the first sign until they shown a ’sign’ of recognition. For us, it was very clear. We would sign for ‘milk’ and she would get excited. At this very early stage we knew she understood because she would squeal, flap her arms and look pleased. That really is all they can do at that early age. It was only a short while though until she was old enough to look around the corner and make sure that I had in fact prepared a ‘milk’ for her. I will always remember this day because I was walking down the hallway explaining to her after she woke that it was time for ‘milkies’. She tipped her head around the corner as I approached the kitchen to see that her bottle was waiting in the warmer. I rang Ian so excited…she had got it! My signing and talking was actually making sense to a 5 month old baby and I was just amazed.

This really was a small step now that I look back at our toddler signing journey. It was going to be a long time until she could sign to us however I didn’t care, it had already proven to work for me. As long as she could understand me we were half way there. The thing that grabs me the most is how much these tiny little babies understand. It isn’t until you provide them with a means of communication that you actually get to see how much of what we say makes sense to them.

Looking back at how far she has come I am so proud of her. She uses her toddler signs every day to let us know what is going on in her world. There is such a big personality in there that I am sure wouldn’t have developed as much it it weren’t for the fact that we introduced toddler signing to her at such an early age. Now when she sees a puppy dog she furiously signs for ‘puppy’, when she needs to go to the toilet she does the sign for ‘toilet’ and when she is hungry or thirsty she also signs to us. She has about 20 toddler signs that she can do very well now and there are new ones each day. In fact the other day, she did the sign for ‘baby’ which is one that we hadn’t shown her for many months. She also gives us loads of kisses and cuddles which is all you can ask for as a parent. We are so lucky to have a healthy and happy little baby and even luckier to have one that is so clever with her little hands.

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.

Ian Creaser , Author of Toddler Interpreter, talks about his journey with his daughter Scarlette as she learns to communicate with baby sign language.

It has been a fascinating journey watching our little girl growing up, her larger than life personality, her energy and her infectious laugh. Her baby sign language skills are wonderful, and every opportunity she has to communicate she does.

We have a routine, weather permitting, where we take a walk along the street and Scarlette has the opportunity to investigate the amazing world around her. When she sees a bird she will point, make a cute little noise and then do the baby sign for bird.

It’s the same with dogs, there are a few in our neighborhood, when she sees or hears a dog (we say puppy) she taps her hip signing for dog (and sticks out her tongue because that’s what the puppies do!).

One of the mothers in the street was walking her dog past the other day and Scarlette was patting her hip frantically, I said “good girl Scarlette, It’s a puppy”. The lady was amazed when I explained to her that Scarlette was doing baby sign language, she had never heard of it. I then said to Scarlette, “how do we say toilet”, she then put her finger in the middle of her palm (the baby sign for toilet), we then went on to show the lady the signs for shower, brother, thank you, baby and quiet. By this stage the lady’s jaw was on the floor. She could not believe the level of skill and understanding that our little 16 month girl had. I explained to her that we had been using baby sign language from the age of 4 months starting with just one baby sign, ‘milk’, then progressing on from there.

All our friends comment to us about how happy Scarlette is all the time, she always seems content. Well, she always asks for what she needs, and we provide it for her. There is no guess work in our parenting; it has made our lives so much easier allowing us to have two way communication with our daughter through baby signs.

We have started the journey of toilet training now, when she signs for toilet, we scoop her up and sit her on the toilet, sometimes she has already done a wee and she is letting us know that she is wet, either way her needs are met and she is happy.

We are introducing a new baby sign language sign every day now as Scarlette shows more and more interest in everything around her, it really is a wonderful experience watching our little girl learn the importance of communication, and more importantly, through baby sign language, that communication is about much more than just 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.

Imagine a world without speech; where you knew exactly what you wanted but had no way of expressing these needs to the people around you. This is the reality for our babies and toddlers before they learn to talk. They suffer the limitations of a world without speech. By 6 months of age they know exactly what they want but have no means of communicating this to you. There is no wonder they become frustrated. Even when they do begin to talk, it is some time before they are able to get their little mouths around all the words that they will need to express themselves effectively. Baby Sign Language can help to ease this frustration by providing a means of communication to bridge the gap.

Baby Sign Language is based on ‘keyword signing’ and involves the use of simple gestures for words that are important to the baby. Each gesture is to be used with repetition of the associated spoken word making babies more interested in the meaning of keywords from an earlier age. It should never replace the need for the spoken word.

Baby Sign Language is becoming increasingly popular. Many people won’t realise that its use is supported by over 30 years of research. Some people who do not recognise the long term benefits of signing with their hearing babies may be excused for thinking that it is a fad or the latest passing trend in modern parenting. However the research is clear and the parents already using Baby Sign Language are united. It is a very simple solution to a very frustrating problem.

Infants already use an extensive range of facial expressions and body language to communicate with their parents and Baby Sign Language is a natural extension of this behaviour. They squirm when they are uncomfortable; put their arms up to be picked up when you walk by and later they learn to point at things.

Babies are fascinated with movement, especially when the movement is performed by a parent. In the beginning the baby will associate the movement with the word. In the case of ‘milk’, this association is made easily as they are rewarded with their favourite comfort and associate this with the gesture. This ties it all together; the use of the gesture and the spoken word followed through with the actual item.

The first step is having them understand what you are signing to them. It is suggested that you only use one sign such as the sign for ‘milk’ at this early stage so they don’t become confused. You can begin this as early as 3-4 months of age. With the sign for ‘milk’ it is easy to recognise that you have been understood when they go into flapping frenzy and get excited. By about 8-9 months of age they will be able to ask for ‘milk’ by replicating the sign. As a parent this is just as exciting as any other milestone they reach. Once they are able to sign back to you, slowly introduce another sign or two until you develop a vocabulary for all the important things you would like to communicate.

Growth and brain development during these early years, especially the first 2 years is more rapid than at any other stage of a child’s life. One of the most crucial milestones in a child’s development is the development of their social skills and the ability to interact appropriately with others. The basis for appropriate social interaction is effective communication. The benefits of Baby Sign Language also include earlier communication, reduced frustration, increased language comprehension and further opportunities for bonding between parent and baby.

Teaching Baby Sign Language also teaches your child that there is more to communication and social interaction than just words. Effective communication does involve hand gestures, body movements and facial expression. Being a visual language it is fascinating to children as it stimulates their curiosity and attentiveness towards further communication.

Some parents express concern that using Sign Language may inhibit the speech development of their child. There is no cause for concern however; because you are using ‘keyword signing’ you are enhancing the comprehension of the word not replacing the need for spoken language. It is very important that you continue to use the spoken word with the gestures to enhance the speech development. National Institute of Health funded research demonstrated that babies who were using Baby Sign Language were able to communicate with spoken language 3 months earlier than babies who were not. Even more astounding was the fact that these same children went on to develop language comprehension skills that were 12 months ahead of their peers by the time they reached school age.  The easiest way of teaching toddlers to talk is using Baby Sign Language from a very early age.

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.