Signing Tips

Watch for babies approximations. They may be trying to communicate to you, and you might miss it. I had two signing boys and they had different amounts of signs by the same ages. Same mom, same teachings, different developments. My second, Nashville, who is now 14 months had less signs, but more words and walked sooner than Geran my now 3 year old. Geran had many more signs for his age than average, but didn't make up very many signs. I have to watch my imaginative Nashville carefully, cause he loves to make up new signs.

His sign for HELP is arms up in the air, as if wanting to be picked up. But he knows the word for up, so he just say's,"Up" when he needs that. I try to teach him the right sign by saying, "Oh, you need HELP." I sign and say the word together as he looks at me, and then I go help him. Maybe he will catch on and do it my way, maybe not, but it doesn't matter, what does matter is that we understand each other. There are no tantrums, tears or frustrations when both parties understand each other. Baby gets his needs met and mom doesn't have to guess all the time, while pulling out her hair.

Nashville bounces his torso for MUSIC, instead of the hand waving over his arm sign. He never changed this sign and I don't think it will change.
He signs CRACKER by clicking his tongue like a dolphin... it's so cute. My Geran signed it correctly by tapping his palm into his elbow.

I see Nashville's mind working and making up signs he doesn't know yet. Sometimes he has used his sign until he watches me enough to use the proper sign, but mostly he sticks to his signs and we have learned as a family what his signs mean. We are only using baby signs temporarily until he starts talking, and don't have intention to carry on ASL in their future, so for our family, this signing suites us just fine.

For more vocabulary on signs check out this great link:
http://www.babysignlanguage.com/dictionary/

Good Luck and happy signing!

Here is the sign for HELP