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Original poster

Baby signing

23 replies

JodieG1 · 10/05/2007 13:12

Can anyone recommend a good book on baby signing and any decent websites? I've had a look but there are so many so I'd rather get one someone else had used and liked. Many thanks

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Original poster
JodieG1 · 10/05/2007 13:56

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Woooozle100 · 10/05/2007 14:05

Took my dd to \link{http://www.singandsign.com/Sing and Sign} classes and got her the dvds. She really liked

Also recommend watching Something Special on CBeebies (think its on BBC2 at 10.30am also). It shows you basic Makaton signing. Their website is here

Woooozle100 · 10/05/2007 14:06

Sing and Sign

iwouldgoouttonight · 10/05/2007 14:07

Me and my DS go to Sing and Sign which is really good - they sell DVDs too if you didn't want to go to the classes: www.singandsign.co.uk

iwouldgoouttonight · 10/05/2007 14:07

sorry x posted!

Original poster
JodieG1 · 10/05/2007 14:46

Thanks for those links, I'll take a look

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ProfYaffle · 10/05/2007 14:51

We used this which we found quite good. A bit American but other than that very comprehensive.

Cazee · 10/05/2007 16:31

What age should a baby be to start signing?

HenriettaHippo · 10/05/2007 16:34

I did sing and sign with DS1 and now with DS2, both from 8 months or so, once they could sit and participate a bit. DS2 is hilarious, he jiggles on his bottom, and LOVES it when they get to rattle instruments themselves.

rarrie · 10/05/2007 19:03

Hi!
I tried lots of systems, but eventually decided on...

Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk (Positive Parenting) by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn

The best bit is that they do baby board books to go with them, to help the babys learn to sign.

I found the sasha felix system (sing and sign) okay, but it just didn't have enough vocab for my DD (who had literally over a hundred signs!) and some of them were too complicated for little hands. The joy of the system that I used is that it is a specific baby system, and uses the whole body (so flower is a wrinkled nose pretending to sniff etc). Also, as it has not been adapted from a sign language, there are no signs that are too difficult for a 1 year old to manage!

I would highly rate it. It was developed by a child psychiatrist and a SALT too, so they really know what they are talking about

rarrie · 10/05/2007 19:04

Cazee,

They say a baby can usually sign when they learn to clap and point. My eldest DD learnt to sign at 12 months. My youngest DD is almost 6 months. She can't sign back, but gets very excited when I sign food (which is very cruel if there is no food around - bad daddy, he does like teasing her!)

Original poster
JodieG1 · 10/05/2007 21:15

Thanks for that info, sounds very interesting. I'm really keen on doing this with ds2 but dh isn't that into the idea. Any ideas on how to pursuade him that it would be good for all of us?

OP posts:
MaPickle · 10/05/2007 21:20

I did a TIny Talk signing course at my local library (I think they have a website) (Tiny Talk, not my library) starting when DS was 3.5 months - he is now 6.1 months, recognises the signs for milk, food, bath, sleep and nappy and can sign milk to me which is pretty darn good. He also gets annoyed if I sing the nursery rhymes we did in class without the signs and grabs at my hands!

MaPickle · 10/05/2007 21:20

I did a TIny Talk signing course at my local library (I think they have a website) (Tiny Talk, not my library) starting when DS was 3.5 months - he is now 6.1 months, recognises the signs for milk, food, bath, sleep and nappy and can sign milk to me which is pretty darn good. He also gets annoyed if I sing the nursery rhymes we did in class without the signs and grabs at my hands!

MaPickle · 10/05/2007 21:21

oops. Hey everyone look at me i'm so important i had to post twice ...

bobsmum · 10/05/2007 21:29

I did a mix of Sing and Sign and used a book by the same authors that Rarrie mentioned called "Baby Minds" which I enjoyed.

I didn't get on with Joseph Garcia stuff - it's based on American Sign Language - so not gestures that little hands can manage well IMO. He also says you can teach "too many" signs which I don't agree with.

Ds used his first sign/s at about 9/10 months and dd was 7 months. They both had about a dozen or so spoken words around their first birthday and dropped all the signing by about 18 months as they learned the words instead. but they still lovee the songs with signs at 4.5 and 22 months

Good Luck!

pickledpear · 10/05/2007 21:32

i have one important message to you all.
I signed to my son now 2.2 he has only just started talking which is pretty late he never even babbled very much he signed everything i was the only one who knew what he really wanted and so this made him frustrated too.
it was a brilliant thing but it can have drawbacks.
He now talks alot he understood everything that was being said but just would sign everything he now mixes words and signs doing both at same time normally

mawbroon · 10/05/2007 21:33

I just bought the Sing and Sign vocab book and did it myself with that. I agree with rarrie that there isn't a big enough vocab, but we have just made up our own signs. DS also makes noises for animals and for example will blow when it is windy or sniff for a flower. I am so pleased that we did this as it is such good fun for us. DS is now joining up signs eg "aeroplane" and "gone". Good luck, whatever you decide.

bobsmum · 10/05/2007 21:37

Pickledpear I'm sorry that you experienced drawbacks. But actually what you describe sounds like signing was a real benefit for your ds.

All the research shows that babies who sign have a better start at spoken language than those who don't. Ask any speech therapist.

Your ds talking at just over 2 sounds within the normal boundaries.

The signing won't have delayed his speech at all. He's started speaking when he would have anyway, just with the added bonus of having been able to sign beforehand.

Lots of 2 year olds are later to speak, but haven't got the resource of signing to draw on so it can be even more frustating!

Well done for equipping him with the signs! Even though others found it hard to communicate with him, he must have known from very early on that you got where he was coming from and that's vital

pickledpear · 10/05/2007 21:47

thanks BM - he has taken off with his speech amazingly as if he knew the words all long.
My 2 dds were very early talkers so i used to compare this but realised he was a boy and 3rd child so together people say these are also reasons why he never needed to talk
this is soooo true.. lol
plus i learnt to sign through my work previous to kids so this helped

bobsmum · 10/05/2007 21:54

PP - I think you're right. I bet he did know the words all along and was just dying to get them out, but maybe the messages just weren't getting through until he hit 2 IYSWIM.

My dd's similar - I keep comparing her to my ds - who was amzingly fast at picking stuff up and assuming she's slower and then she'll suddenly come out with whole sentences - like she's been saving them up for the right time

boo64 · 10/05/2007 22:27

I didn't do signing with ds (22m) but he has invented some of his own signs and we made up a few of our own and it has really helped him a lot - he has been so much less frustrated since we have been 'signing'.

I really wish I'd done it sooner! Good luck - I think signing is great!

chelltune · 07/06/2007 15:09

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