Baby Signing

I'm thinking of learning this.

Has anyone here done it, and has it been any good?

Gah, Just spent ages typing out a reply and lost it

Anyway...

I signed with both my girls. My brother and sister both have Downs Syndrome and use a simple form of signing called Makaton in order to communicate. I use a mix of Makaton and ASL (American Sign Language) and choose the easiest signs to replicate. Babies don't have much dexterity so the simplier the sign the better, plus they tend to do what is known as "sign approximations", this is where they try and do the sign as you do but struggle to get it right. Be watchful for these.

When Tia was born, baby signing was a new fad in the US but it was producing good results so I decided to try it out. As it happens, she ended up having severe speech delay due to a hearing problem and went to a special nursery where they used makaton anyway It turned out brillianty. We missed the fustration tantrums and at one point it was the only way Tia could communicate.

When lil miss was born, I did the same and started much earlier at 4 months. At this time she was already babbling, but used to say mummum a lot when she wanted me/boob. At 6 months she said mummum and did the sign for mum so we knew she was talking. At one point lil miss had around 50 signs, but as her vocab out grew that she started dropping signs because she found it easier to say the word than do the sign. She now picks up words almost instantly, but struggles to sign, and be a lazy bones, she will much prefer speaking to signing. She still uses a couple of signs for more complicated words, but in generally she talks more now.

Some of the things that they say about baby signing is that it delays speech. It doesn't. If your baby has delayed speech then they were always going to have that. The signing is always used with the words. Tia had speech delay because she had 90% hearing loss, and lil miss started speaking around 6 months.

The one thing I will say though is that you need to be consistant and constant with your signing. It needs to be second nature to you. Also you need to get all the caregivers on board. I was lucky, my mum takes lil miss when I am working, and she signs all the time. My mum forgets and even signs with me

I love signing with my babies, its incredibly empowering to know exactly what your baby wants before they can even say their first words and thoroughly advocate it. If you have any questions just let me know. Taking into account all the years of signing with my brother and sister, have about 24 years of practice

I agree it is very effective - Makaton is the reommended signing to support speech rather than replace it - it aids understanding.

It is the signing on 'Something Special' on Cebeebies with Mr Tumble.

Several children I have taught used it and a friend of mine whose child was slow to speak said it was very empowering for her child who had previously been very frustrated.

I think you can find a range of Makaton signs on the internet.

I'm going to try this this time around I wish I had known more about it when Brody was small!

Brody does all the signs from Something Special it's his favourite programme He is at the stage where he copies everything people do and say!

Yes Jools I have one of those too!! It is great when they have an older sibling to copy from aswell.

ldnug wrote: Yes Jools I have one of those too!! It is great when they have an older sibling to copy from aswell.

I bet that can be interesting

if you have a video player you can get a baby sign course at the library ,save on lessons.

A friend of mine took classes & said they saved her sanity and her two little ones never have tantrums!!

Thanks everyone. Makaton sounds great. My daughters school do this so she can teach me

I no that some surestart centres do free baby sign classes. I have waited months for ours to do one and they are going to start one in september (although may be getting a bit too late for bethany now but will be good when next baby comes along). We go to a music class at the centre too and they do some baby sign songs i also have a sing and sign dvd i bought online.

hello, im new here. i just joined today. im browsing.

i personally didnt know how to sign and then when my first son was born i wanted to teach him basic signs, like the sign for: more, milk, cereal, eat, thank you and please. my reasoning behind it was so he could communicate with us better , instead of cryng for some "more" cereal until i figured out what he wanted he would beable to sign it to me.

the signs were easy for me to learn and with a little consistancy my son picked them up really quick. theres nothing more awesome than seeing your baby sign for the first time after a week of trying to teach him. its wonderful.

also we had the Baby Einstein (sp?) DvD for signing and my son learned ALOT of signing even before i did just from watching that. it was a great buy. id suggest it to any mom wanting to teach their baby to sign.