The kiddos are almost 5 months old and Papa and I have decided that we will attempt signing with them. We think this will be a good way to communicate with our babies until they can talk.
For those worried that signing with their young ones will hurt their development, take these points into consideration.
1) All babies sign naturally... we just don't always realize it.
2) When you wave goodbye or hello, or shake your head when saying yes or no... you're signing!
3) It is important to SPEAK to your child while signing.
4) To say you are afraid that your child will not speak after learning to sign is like saying you are afraid your child will not walk after learning to crawl. It is a natural transition.
The babies may not understand signs or begin to sign back until they are around 9-12 months old or so, but I have begun signing now because I need to develop the habit and learn the vocabulary.
Here are my resources:
1) The book "Baby Signs" by Linda Acredolo PhD and Susan Goodwyn PhD.
2) A set of flash cards called "Sign Language for Babies" from the publishers of Parenting Magazine.
2) An iPhone application called "My Smart Hands". Read more about it here: http://www.mysmarthands.com/Site/Baby_Sign_Language.html
I hope our journey with signing is both fun and rewarding.
I love all the points you made and completely agree. We signed with our first two children, and they spoke much earlier than their peers. Their vocabulary continues to surprise people, especially since they are boys.
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