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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

Baby Signing

37 replies

peacemakeruk · 31/01/2007 14:19

Hi,
Was wondering if anyone is doing this with their baby? Is it all pro's or are there any cons to doing it?

Thanks
Sue

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auntymandy · 31/01/2007 14:21

i always worried it would stop them from talking!! but think I am very wrong! whish I had done it with DS4 as he doesnt really talk yet!!!

Troutpout · 31/01/2007 14:29

i did it with dd
She dropped the signs as she learnt the words except a few which she did and signed at the same time.
She doesn't do any now...but we both enjoyed it ...and she loved learning songs to sign to

AitchTwoOh · 31/01/2007 14:31

we have a few completely useless made-up signs (lion, anyone? raaar.) i've been thinking of getting a signing dvd, is there one that anyone would recommend? sorryfor slight hijack, i was going to start a new thread but thought this one looked similar enough.

rarrie · 31/01/2007 14:33

The only con I noticed was that initially she took a bit longer to speak - but once she did, her vocab was huge! She was able to communicate well beyond her age using a mixture of words and signs and now age 3 yrs 2 months, her language is vast...

"no daddy, that's not my last go, its my penultimate go"! (aged 2 1/2)

CanStarveWillStarve · 31/01/2007 14:35

Only con I can think of is that you pay lots of money for classes and then forget to sign at home, so you end up giving it up, or was that just me then?

AitchTwoOh · 31/01/2007 14:36

no, that was me! hence the need for a dvd...

rarrie, what's the sign for penultimate?

Kelly1978 · 31/01/2007 14:42

ds1 actually initated use of signs himself, and didn't say his first words until he was 3.
I use odd bits of makaton with the babies, to emphasise what I am saying but they don't sign back to me, they talk back.

I don't tink it is really necessary to fork out for dvds or classes. Something special is great, and there are signs on the cbeebies website and a bit for baby signing too, though I haven't looked at that.

TeeCee · 31/01/2007 14:47

Signing is a bridge to the spoken word. It won't stop your child speaking, it helps with the frustration they feel when they can't get talk.

I use signalong

VoluptuaGoodshag · 31/01/2007 14:48

Don't see the point myself. They will learn to point to something if they want it and if they don't they will learn to speak. Unless a child has special needs then I wouldn't waste my money and just talk to them and read books instead.

poppiesinaline · 31/01/2007 14:53

I did this with DS2 (wish I'd known about it with my others). I did not attend one sign class but bought a sing and sign DVD. DS2 and I were able to communicate brilliantly. He started signing when he was about 12 months (started it at 10 months). He is now 21 months. His speak is excellent and is now beginning to drop the signing. I have found it well worth doing. Having an 18 month old being able to tell you what it wants was so nice rather than the whinging and getting cross.

It was easy to learn (the older children also learnt it due to the DVD) and easy to teach.

poppiesinaline · 31/01/2007 14:56

oh and what I also found was that I picked up on his speech much more quickly. I would have missed what he was trying to say to me if he hadn't signed at the same time. For example - out on a walk one day he suddenly got very excited and started saying something. I had absolutely no idea what he was trying to say. Then he did the sign for 'dog' at the same time as saying the word that I couldnt understand. I then understood that he was saying dog as he had spotted one in the distance.

So I have been able to pick up on his incoherant speech much much quicker.

Original poster

peacemakeruk · 31/01/2007 15:00

On all the websites I've looked at today they've said that baby's who sign talk earlier than other baby's.

The website that I think looks best is:

OP posts:

Original poster

peacemakeruk · 31/01/2007 15:01

sorry, I can't get links to work
www.tinytalk.co.uk

OP posts:

rarrie · 31/01/2007 15:02

I never did any classes with DD, I just bought a book off Amazon and we did our own thing. I wouldn't waste my money on classes, as I don't think they necessarily teach you much.

However, the pros are amazing, and a child can really communicate beyond their age with signing. For example, my 13month old was able to tell me through sign she didn't like the dark - but I don't know many 13month olds who can vocally say light or dark! If you haven't done it, then you probably won't get it, but once you've done it, the difference between the way your child can communicate through sign and what other children can't say verbally is amazing! It also cuts down on the toddler tantrums too!

Original poster

peacemakeruk · 31/01/2007 15:08

This all sounds so good, I can't wait to try it. Pity I hadn't heard of it when I had my other 2 children. Looks like the DVD is the way to go.

Whats the youngest anyone started doing it with the LO's - is 6 months about right?

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TeeCee · 31/01/2007 15:27

The point is that all childrens comprehension is ahead of their spoken vocab when they are young.

My 9 month old was able to tell me she wanted a drink. I was being asked by my kids for a sleep before they could speak. How fab is that? Rather than them just grunting at me and me sayiong 'what, what do you want?', they can sign 'book' so I knew to sit and read with them for a bit.

That's the point. I loved signing with DD1 and did it LOADS. Haven't done half as much with DD2 and feel sad about that.

It's a fun way to learn new words, whether you have special needs or not, imo.

WeaselMum · 31/01/2007 15:31

I am going to classes at the moment - I agree with those who have said you don't need to, but I don't really go to any mums and babies type groups so it's a bit of a social thing for me - if you have the time it can be fun.

Weegle · 31/01/2007 15:47

I don't bother with classes I just have a few books and use a few signs at home with LO (8 months). We plan to introduce more as he learns to sign back. He just this week started signing bottle (i think!) but it is no use to me because he does it when the bottle is already firmly in his mouth, but hey I guess it's a step in the right direction! I've read that it can aid speech development, or at least not hinder it (we say the word with the sign) and can help reduce frustration at their inability to communicate before they learn to speak. We are primarily doing it because my nephew (same age as DS) is deaf and so figured we'd learn all together as they grow up.

TeeCee · 31/01/2007 15:48

Exactly why not weasel mum. I din't need to go to baby yopga either but it was a nice thing to do while I was off work with my girls.

It's a fun thing to do and you'll both get soemthing from it.

I never went cos I had my own speech and language therapy sessions to attend each week and that was enough for me!

mamama · 31/01/2007 15:48

I did/ do sign with DS. I began when he was ~6 months and he didn't do one back until he was 1. It was really frustrating but well worth it. He has learnt to sign:

milk
more
help
finished
drink
dog
cat
mouse
bird
poo
wee

and some others that I can't recall atm

I wasn't very consistent with teaching him though and I think if I had made more of an effort, he'd have signed much more. He's now talking (16 months) and I sign less and less although I thing it would still be worth the effort if I remembered!

I didn't do classes but used a book and this website , which is fantastic.

Troutpout · 31/01/2007 16:00

I didn't do classes. i used sing and sign and websites.
dd started signing back at 8 months, saying single words at 10 months...at 13 months she started putting words together..so don't think it delayed her language at all. As i said earlier though, she dropped the signs as soon as she learnt the words.

bobsmum · 31/01/2007 16:09

Research has shown and every speech therapist worth their salt (no pun) will tell you that baby signing does not delay speech and will most likely encourage early and v articulate speech.

I did s&s classes for 10 wks with ds, for the signing and the social aspect. It waas just a baby music class with simple signing.

BSL and ASL signs IMO are quite complex for little toddler fingers but Makaton is great. Never sign in silence and always say the word at the same time. both ds and dd followed troutpout's dd's speech development. by 17/18 months their spoken vocabulary was in the hundreds. It may or may not have been signing that triggered it, but we had fun doing it anyway.

AitchTwoOh · 31/01/2007 16:17

what is Makaton, exactly? and where does the word come from, does anyone know?

TeeCee · 31/01/2007 16:23

Makaton is the town it originated in or something obscure like that.

AitchTwoOh · 31/01/2007 16:25

really, how interesting, TC. i wonder where it is... must go and google.

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