For years I have heard about babies who learn sign language before speaking. I always anticipated that when we had a family, signing would be something we would also do with our children. It’s like learning another language. Being married to a bilingual husband with immigrant parents that would speak mostly Polish to our children I thought what the heck, let’s add sign language too!

After Olivia was born I was rocked with the change (aren’t we all?) and nearly gave up on the idea of teaching signs to our daughter. It just seemed like one more thing to add to my overflowing plate. We had a little book and began teaching her the basic signs round 7 months (Milk, all done, more, eat and drink) however I found it challenging to be consistent with the signs. Amazingly, she still managed to pick up on the “milk” sign (go figure!) but that was pretty much the extent of our signing. When she turned 12 months we decided to add the Baby Signing Time DVD that came to us highly recommended.

I’m personally not a fan of “educational” videos for babies so letting Olivia watch a video was a tough decision for us. We are generally a no TV family (except when NFL season starts) so adding a video at just 12 months was certainly not in my plans. Despite my reservations, Olivia’s signing exploded as soon as she began watching the DVD to the point where she now signs constantly. It’s been simply amazing to watch.

There were a few things that I liked about the video right off the bat: The signs are taught using fun catchy songs, there is a diverse group of babies & toddlers doing the signs in their own individual way, and the DVD’s were created by a Mom who’s daughter is deaf.

The other night while I was making dinner she was unusually fussy and hanging around my legs. I asked her to show me what she wanted. She did not show me a sign, so I figured the fussing was due to the 4 incisors she is finally pushing through. She continued to fuss, refusing any suggestions that I offered. Generally, she is content to play quietly during dinner prep so this was not her usual behavior.

She finally started to sign to me:

I saw “hurt ” and so I cuddled her and asked if it was her teeth again?

She continued to fuss and shake her head.

She signed again and I asked if it was “bear” she wanted?

Nope, she shakes her head.

She tried to sign again. Very upset and persistent.

“BLANKET??”

Her eyes lit up, and she grinned so wide.

I had overlooked how important the dinner prep time was for her to rest with her blanket. This is a new thing of hers lately. Her beloved blanket was upstairs and I was clearly messing up her ritual! We ran upstairs and reunited the two of them. She was giggling with joy the entire time. I looked into her eyes, signing “mommy sorry” and congratulated her for showing mommy what she needed. She was so proud of herself. It just melted my heart. She knew she could use her signing to tell me what she needed and she did not give up until I understood her.

We normally do not have communication breakdowns like this. I know the signing has made a huge difference with this. The signing seems to have seamlessly integrated a whole new level of understanding between us. Our sitter also has some signing experience from working with special needs children and we have found it to be an amazing asset for both of them. (The official website has many testimonials, including amazing special needs stories)

If you are considering signing with your baby but wonder if you can handle the commitment to see it through, I highly recommend the Baby Signing Time DVD’s Volume 1 and Volume 2. Although it’s great to start while children are around 8 months+, I have heard of many parents who began signing with their children at amn older age. The Baby Signing Time DVD series created for older children is perfect for this.

Looking back and remembering how close we came to giving up on the whole thing because it seemed like a lot of extra effort, I’m SO GLAD we didn’t. Even if it was a video that taught us how to sign.

Any other signing parents? What has been your experience with it?

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Show Me The Sign