Any mums here who signed with their babies? I need your input.

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Hello.

I have been teaching signing to hearing babies for a little while now.

After a really good start I have found that my numbers have started to dwindle quite alot despite lots of promotion and demonstrations at various meetings and groups.

I found out today that there is a group of mums who frequent the local social circle who have been criticising signing in general saying amongst other things that it delays all speaking in babies and is only for special needs children and no others I live in a semi rural area and word travel fast

What I would like to find out here is what your opinion of baby signing, with hearing children, is? I'm sure there will be a mixture of comments and I would like to show them to mums who come to talks in the future.

I really don?t want to give reams and reams of information from experts which is why it would be interested to hear from you.

All of your opinions would be gratefully received be they positive or negative.

Thank you.

My ds is 12 months and can sign:

Milk, more, eat/ hungry, bath, book & 'where is it?'(he made that sign himself).

I think it's great - he walks up to me and tells me exactly what he wants & saves us both a lot of frustration. I know several older toddlers who went from signing to speaking and had a huge vocabulary far greater than their non-signing peers. If I had the time & money, I would take a class. Failing that, I use online dictionaries & my Baby signs book.

Which is the best route to go for BSL, don't really want to use ASL.

BSL is used by over 70,000 Deaf people in the UK, it is now recognosied as a national language so in my opinion I would go for that. You are teaching your LO a second language.

The Cath Smith Let's Sign series also uses BSL, as do the Child's Play board books and the Tinytalk Amazing Baby book.

Thanks chelltune. Definitely going for BSL - would like DD to continue with sign as she gets older, a useful second lanugage!

Good luck with it!