Baby sign language

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We've been signing to dd for a couple of months, she is now 8mo. Not had any signs back yet but she definately understands them, opens her mouth like a fish when we make the food sign! We're hoping that once she gets a bit more dextrous (she's not waving or clapping yet) we'll see a few signs.

What are other people's experiences? Did you introduce a few signs at a time? (we're just doing milk and food) Or go for lots? How long did it take before your baby made signs back to you?

She goes to nursery 3 days per week and the staff don't sign to her, despite me asking several times! Do you think this will delay her use of signs??

I have gone for one of Joseph Garcia's books and a practical parenting set which has cards in it. I'm really going to go for this because I think the whole family will benefit from it. Thanks.

I'm glad to read this thread too. Have to show it to my DH. The DTs are about ready to have more signs introduced. I think it's wonderful, esp. as I'll have 2 babies trying to communicate and I would rather have sign than 2 screamers. The big kids are all really excited about the prospect of communicating properly with the DTs. Anyway, whatever any one else wants to do, we'll continue signing in our house. What attracted me to signing is the fact that children of deaf people learn to sign from the beginning and so I never felt that it was an alien concept or that it would hinder language development in anyway.

That's exactly it, Rarrie, I'm not saying for one minute that signing takes away all frustrations from my child. Even a small reduction is great. The first words he learned were those that could identify people, animals, and toys, so in past months he couldn't even begin to verbalize most of the things he wanted, especially in regards to food. And I think his signing has helped steer him in the direction of other kinds of words, although I certainly could be wrong on that.

Very helpful thread, thanks all! I've been to a few TinyTalk sessions with DD (13mo) since she was 10mo but haven't been convinced about the particular signs they taught. DD now has about 10 vocal words, and her use of them in different contexts makes me realise her potential for communicating and makes me think signing could be useful.

I'm amazed and encouraged by your experiences Rarrie. Can I ask, what system did you go for in the end? I've got the TinyTalk signing pack but it's not particularly comprehensive.

I started off with Garcia's and also looked at Sing and sign. However, I found them both to be quite complicated and dd could not manage them. So I read a book by Linda Acropoleda (or something like that!!) and her theories are that you should make up your own signs... as long as there is a visual clue to link back to the action / event. So for example, a cat is tracing the whiskers along the face. In the back of her book, Baby signs are about 20 or 30 signs that they suggest. They also do some board books. I have mainly worked from these books as my basis. We sit and read the books together, and I show her the signs... and now she knows so many, I am much more confident to make my own ones up!

Sorry, a long and complicated answer!

This site shows you lots of signs

In reply to bluemoon's question: Speaking requires a lot of fine motor control that signing doesn't. So signing means that a kid can comunicate when they are mentally ready to talk but not yet physically able to articulate.

Thanks Rarrie. I know what you mean about being able to connect signs to their meaning. They're the ones I remember best anyway. (We're doing "hot" at the moment - hand on sweaty brow.) I hadn't thought of looking at sign books with DD, but that could work well considering all she wants to do at the moment is have books read to her (quite difficult when you're trying to wrap Christmas presents and generally run a house!)
Thanks also Tigerlillies, that site looks good.

So ... does anyone have an older child who still uses signs?

I'm just wondering if it's worth teaching DS now or if it's better to leave him alone....

BR

Thanks Rarrie - really inspiring post! Will keep plugging away and hope we see some signs soon.