Baby Signing Basics

The Immediate and Lasting Benefits of Teaching Baby Sign Language

By Melinda Copp

For many new parents the idea of learning sign language to use with their baby may seem a little overwhelming. They can't imagine where they would find time to study and learn the signs well enough themselves, let alone teach it to their infant. But according to experts, this is one of the biggest misconceptions about using signs with your baby – it doesn't require any extra time at all.

"Using baby sign language is not nearly as complicated as learning a language," says Dr. Linda Acredolo, co-creator of the Baby Signs and Potty Training Made Easy with the Baby Signs programs. There are no verb conjugations or grammar nuances to memorize, and signing with your baby doesn't require complete sentences. "It's no different than teaching baby to wave bye-bye," she says.

Research has shown that children understand language well before they can physically talk, and babies naturally use some hand signs to communicate what they want – pointing is always a favorite. Babies desperately want to communicate. They gain a sense of pride in their ability to express their needs, share their ideas and make associations with the world around them. These factors make signing an ideal mode of communication for babies.

Using signs with your baby has a number of immediate and long-lasting benefits. First, you get to communicate with your child before he or she learns how to talk. This reduces your stress and your child's frustrations that are associated with poor communication – in other words, it reduces the tears and tantrums.

Charmaine Trus, a mom from Ontario, Canada, started teaching her son, Nicolas, how to sign when he was 3 months old, and by 6 months he was able to sign back to her. "It became so helpful before he could speak," says Trus. "He would sign everything to us – when he was hungry, thirsty, ready to go home, even just casual conversation, like 'Pappa's kitty cat.' Instead of crying to get what he wanted, he would sign to us."

Want to see more?

• Baby Signs: A Conversation Creating Lasting Bonds
• Got Sign? 10 Tips to Help Teach Your Baby Sign Language
• Building Bridges to a Verbal World: Using Sign Language to Help Children with Impaired Language
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!