baby signing- DIY or Sing and Sign classes? DIY tips?

[milkpudding]

Hi,

I would like to start teaching my baby signing and am wondering if I should do it myself or go to classes? We already go to enough classes, I only want to do another if it is going to help her learn more quickly.

She is five months.

If I DIY, can you recommend a resource to baby signs? Would prefer an 'official' one for childcare.

When am I supposed to do the sign for milk- when I am wondering if she is hungry, when I am about to latch her on, during feeding?

Thanks

The Sing and Sign DVDs are great - I used them with my DD2. The classes cover more songs but you get all the basics/ important stuff in the DVDs.

The key to success is to perservere even if you feel a) stupid and b) that your DC isn't remotely interested. One day she'll suddenly do it and then you'll both be away.

I always did the sign whenever I said the word - so just when was natural. The thing with baby signing is to make sure the sign supplements speech, and doesn't replace it. So if you'd go to the cot and say "Is it time for your milk?" sign it then.

The first signs we did are more, milk, all gone, some animals, bed. By the time DD2 was 20 months old she had over 100 signs to support her emerging speech. She could even sign in little sentences "Open (cupboard) biscuits please" and "dog all gone outside" (when the dog went out) I loved it.

Sing and Sign do a book that you can share with childcare.
www.singandsign.com/products/vocabulary-book

Gosh, that sounds fantastic, having signed conversations.

I have read there are a few different signing languages, for a baby would I be best to go with the sing and sign method as Maybe childminder will be most familiar with that, or an adapted bsl for babies, or makaton?

Can I ask, if you are meant to do the signs in conversation with your baby, was is the point of the sing and sign songs? If I signal "milk" whenever I feed her, but also when singing, won't that confuse her as to what the sign means?!

Oh, also does your baby only sign with you, or would they try and sign with other adults too? Do they try and sign to other babies?

Sing and Sign is very similar to Makaton. I'd tend to stick with the types of signs which are intended to support spoken English, rather than BSL which is a language in itself, but that's just my personal preference.

My DH signed with both of our children, and we taught their nursery key workers the most important signs (milk, change nappy, please, no, all gone, more, hurt, etc) so the DC wouldn't be frustrated on their two days away from me.

The songs teach the signs in a totally natural way - you learn the signs really easily like an action song. It feels less daft at first to be signing as you sing - no different from doing any action song, like Twinkle Twinkle.

Just as children don't get confused that you're singing about a spider when there is no spider (incy wincy) they don't get confused when you sing the songs either. The most important thing is always always to say the word when you sign. DD2 used to sign along with the video (which has lots of lovely images and actions to reinforce the meaning of the words) when she was a toddler.

DD2 was slightly later speaking than DD1 but it was far easier to understand her because she could express herself with signs. It was also easier to work out those early attempts at words and she got the pleasure of positive feedback from being able to communicate. At about 22 months she would 'read' books to us by pointing to the pictures and signing what she could see as well as trying to say the words.

She's now 11, and never shuts up, with a highly developed vocabulary!

Makaton and the baby signs are (in the UK) derived from BSL individual signs, just put together one after another like in English, rather than in 3D space like BSL. So as long as you don't buy American resources, any UK ones will be fine.

Some of the Sing&Sign class teachers make it great fun for the adults too, but the DVDs and some books will be fine - just sign at the same time as saying important words, when ever you have a hand free. Libraries often have some of the My First Signs books.

I did diy signing with 10 month dc. She can now do please/thank you and all gone, cat and we are working on sorry/more