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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Calling all baby signers.

39 replies

poppiesinaline · 18/01/2006 20:09

Thanks to MN I started baby signing with DS2 about 4 weeks or so ago. He is 9 months. Last week he signed 'milk' a few times (ahhh) but has not done it since. Is this normal? How old were yours when you started? How long did it take to kick in? And were they intermittent like this?

PS Today he signed 'drink' 3 times. (Ahhh, it is sooo cute!)

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

DissLocated · 18/01/2006 20:11

Yup - dd is like this. She's 21 months now and we have signed with her for ages. She will pick up a sign and then drop it then pick it up again.

'Milk' is a popular one, rest assured you will see it many more times!

QE2 · 18/01/2006 20:13

We use signs with ds3 who has a speech delay. He has no clear speech and he's just turned 3. Seems to run in the family as his older brother was similar.

I find that he will use a new sign then "forget" for a while before picking it up again. The key is to use the sign consistently and they eventually get it.

Keep it up!

HRHQueenOfQuelNoel · 18/01/2006 20:15

Don't do signing, but I should imagine it is pretty common - a bit like when they start to talk. Often they'll say a word a few times and you'll get all excited - then you won't hear the said word for another couple of weeks (months?) and then they start using it again all the time.

mummyhill · 18/01/2006 20:56

Where can I get information on baby signing? I have heard of it and would like to try it with ds when he is old enough.

DissLocated · 18/01/2006 20:58

tinytalk.co.uk will tell you about local classes. You can also get 'learn at home' video packs by some American chap with a large moustach, that's what we used. We got ours from NCT but loads of other places have it.

mummyhill · 18/01/2006 21:06

Thanks disslocated will have a look for the work at home pack I think.

Racers · 18/01/2006 21:11

I am going to try to give it a go but have only bought a book - nicely illustrated, just a few tips and comments on how to go about it. DD is 7m. I expect it will be a while before she makes the association - she looks at me as if I'm mad.

Racers · 18/01/2006 21:15

should have added a link

Original poster

poppiesinaline · 19/01/2006 12:56

mummyhill. I used a DVD recommended by someone on MN. Really good. DS loves watching it with me. I have two older kids too and they watch it and learn the signs as well.

www.singandsign.com or tel 01273 50587 I got the one with the farm scene on it as recommended. Brill.

OP posts:

tribpot · 19/01/2006 13:05

We've just started Sing and Sign classes, ds of course taking absolutely no notice yet but I have hopes! My friend's dd would appear to learn signs and then not use them for months.

chelltune · 08/10/2006 22:03

\link{http://www.chelltune.co.uk}

ThomBat · 08/10/2006 22:19

Funnily enough it's signs like 'biscuit' that are learnt very quickly and never ever forgoten!

PS - remember to make up your own for words you don't know the sign for or play with ones that don't quite work for you. For example some signs require 2 hands and quite often you have a baby or something in one hand.

chelltune · 08/10/2006 22:30

If anyone needs to know a sign then post here and I will try to describe it. Its not always easy to write down a sign though.

mamamaaargh · 09/10/2006 01:12

I sign with ds (Baby signs/ American sign language) and there are a few websites that show the signs being done, so are easy to pick up.

DOes anyone know if british baby signs are different? (Most of our signs come from the Baby Signs book by Linda Accredo).

Can anyone describe the signs for biscuit & cheese, please? (or tell me where I can find them - are there any online signing dictionaries?)

chelltune · 09/10/2006 08:14

mamamaaargh,

Biscuit is BSL - tap your left elbow woth your right hand.

Cheese, there are several in BSL. I use left hand palm up, right hand onto left hand to form the shape of a cheese wedge.

ASL is very different to BSL. In BSL the alphabet uses two hands, ASL uses one.

The Joseph Garcia books use ASL but for £5.50 you can buy the BSL compnaion which has the same signs but in BSL rather than ASL.

I use all BSL except for milk, I use ASL for that as its an easier sign and its one which is well used with babies.

angel22 · 09/10/2006 09:34

I went to Sing & Sign classes with my DS (now 3 3/4 yrs) and he did his first sign at 10 months (told us he needed his nappy changed in the middle of a wedding ceremony!). He was quite late in starting to speak and it was a great help. He still uses the sign for 'sorry'(!) and has started to use signs a bit with his baby twin sisters. They are 15 months old and I haven't taken them to any classes yet, but they do watch the Sing & Sign DVD's, and have just started doing quite a few signs - milk, all gone (when they've had enough of something!) cuddle and sore (they're teething just now and keep pointing at their mouths!). I think it is well worth doing!

mummysgirl1 · 09/10/2006 09:47

I started signing with my little one when she was about 6 months old. We are at 15 mths now, and she uses about 6 different signs everyday. Favourites are drink and cuddle at the moment.

I was not too happy with the cumulative cost of classes, I found that the book pack (Joseph Garcia), was very good as a reference point that we could refer to when needed. I also have some quick-reference cards somewhere (which are excellent, and up on the kitchen wall!)

I think this is in ASL sigm format, and we are happy with this for the moment, although might consider the BSL upgrade when she is a little older. We also found that the signs are 'better learned' when we use them alongside running commentary of the day, a little over a long period as opposed to a 30 minute class twice a week. We have a lot of running commentary at the moment - helps me to keep sane as I have some fun with adult puns (that of course go straight over her head)!

sunnydelight · 09/10/2006 10:58

I did sing and sign classes with DD and lasted all of three sessions. They were the most boring, cringe-making activity I have ever done with any of my three children, although obviously it depends totally on the teacher. I did a "taster session" first with a different woman and thought it was great. I really wish I had just stuck with the video!

chelltune · 09/10/2006 11:45

mummysgirl1, do you not think it will be harder to change the BSL the longer you have been siging?

Fodders · 09/10/2006 12:22

Been signing with dd2 for a couple of months - "more" is invaluable as are "drink" and "help", animals are currently in vogue - though she insists on singing fish when she sees a bird!

Still sign with dd1 who just turned 3 - she loves getting dd2 to sign to her and we all enjoy watching Something Special on CBeebies.

IMHO I recommend any signing system that's UK oriented (ie. NOT Garcia). Tinytalk, Singandsign and Makaton (as used on Something Special) are all BSL oriented and share some common signs.

Luvk

chelltune · 09/10/2006 12:42

My DS is 3yrs too, we stopped using signs once he could talk. We then started to sign with his younger sister, DS has picked up all the signs he had forgotten. He now asks on a daily basis what the sign is for objects, foods etc.

Animals have always been a favourite in this house too.

chelltune · 09/10/2006 12:44

Lets's Sign by Cath Smith is also BSL. Cath was (is?) an interpreter for the Deaf.

GirlySquare · 09/10/2006 13:15

dd 2 yrs did Sing & Sign from 8 months, talking now though she still does the occasional sign. Initially just dd and I went to the class, then dp and dsd started too so we're all signing addicts now. She loves her DVD's (we have both) and her Sing & Sign CD in the car, and Something Special - Mr. Tumble! Mr Tumble! Don't start using the CD in the car unless you want to hear it all the time! Highly recommended.

KES3 · 09/10/2006 15:46

We have been doing babysign for four weeks now and my dd (9 months) is just starting to pick it up - although not necessarily in context yet (she tends to sign 'where' when we have just found whatever we were looking for!)

Our teacher is very good, she has a website and she has added an online course recently which is on offer at the moment. The website is \link{http://www.babysign.co.uk}

lilstarry1 · 09/10/2006 18:16

I've used sign language with my DD for a few months now, she's 8 months and can sign for milk, food, cat and thank you... She understands other signs but can't use them yet. I read that for a 6 month baby it will take a month for a sign to be recognised and potentially another 2 months for it to be used regularly. I think it is perfectly normal for a baby to use a sign and then not bother... I agree with what others say, just try and be consistent and use signs as much as possible. I know how difficult it is to remember to sign something (I keep forgetting to sign nappy), but the more you do it the more natural it will become.

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