I've been meaning to write a post about baby signs for a while, so this guest blog could not have come at a better time. Thanks to Misty from babysignlanguage.com for writing this awesome guest post about baby sign language! Go check out the site- it is a great, FREE resource! And the blog has some really cute videos for how to sign nursery rhymes.
Life Made Easier With Baby Sign Language And How To Be Consistent
Baby sign language makes life with a young baby or toddler easier by giving you and baby the tools you need to communicate with each other. It can also help with baby’s sleep, mealtimes and weaning, and help combat toddler tantrums. The important thing is to make a start and be consistent and patient. Read on to find out more…
Life Made Easier: Communication
Baby sign language is a way of teaching your baby to communicate her needs by way of hand gestures. It is based on ASL (American Sign Language) and is a simplified version for babies and children. You can start at any time – even from birth. The sooner you start signing to your baby, the sooner she will begin to communicate back.
Verbal skills take a long time to develop – even pre-schoolers can find it hard to communicate with their parents sometimes. By using simple hand gestures, babies and toddlers have extra tools for communication – and so do their parents.
Life Made Easier: Sleep
One surprising effect of Baby Signing is that it can also help your baby sleep. Parents who sign with their babies often report bedtimes are less stressful – and that their babies or toddlers actually tell them when they’re tired! So how exactly does Baby Sign Language help?
Every parent knows the importance of a bedtime routine. A bath, followed by milk and cuddles, then a story, is the foundation of a good night’s sleep. Learning the signs for Bath and Milk are fun ways for baby to communicate with you at this important time of the day. When Mom signs that it’s bath time, your baby will understand what is to come, and feel more secure and confident. Babies love to know what’s happening – and their confidence increases every time they correctly predict what will happen next.
Life Made Easier: Mealtimes
By teaching the signs for various foods, parents can reduce frustration at mealtimes and make weaning fun. The key is to remember to make the sign every time you offer a certain food, saying the word clearly too. Limit your repertoire to four or five favorite foods, and repeat these often. It’s important when using Baby Sign Language to always be consistent – and patient. Soon your baby will learn the signs that go with their favorite foods and this make it easier for you to interpret their demands!
Life Made Easier: Toddler Tantrums
Signing helps your toddler communicate with you, reducing frustration and tantrums. Most childcare experts agree that many toddler tantrums are caused by extreme frustration. Toddlerhood is a time of new-found mobility, an increasing number of needs and desires, but a very limited range of communication – the perfect recipe for a frustrated toddler! Anything parents can do to improve toddler communication has to be a good thing. Teaching your baby to sign may have the longer-term result that when he reaches toddlerhood he has the tools he needs to communicate successfully, avoiding many frustration-based tantrums.
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