Baby Signs

I got this little board book called Baby Signs for Bedtime from the library a few days ago, both because she loves books with pictures of babies in them, and also because I thought it might introduce/reinforce some signs for her. It's a very cute book with lots of great pictures, and it's fun to read. But more importantly, it's really working to teach her more signs!

There are 10 signs in this book: moon, stars, sleepy, bath, toothbrush, quiet, book, blanket, love, and light. After having the book for less than a week, Madeleine is making the signs for moon, bath, quiet, blanket, light, and most adorable of all: love! Mind you, she makes them mostly when we read through the book, but you would not believe how sweet it is to see her little finger go to her lips to signal "quiet".

Frankly I'm amazed at how well this baby sign language thing is going--her "vocabulary" seems to be growing daily. Today, over lunch, we had an incredibly full "conversation":

We were in the bedroom reading books when she started to make the sign for "cereal" (putting thumb & forefinger together in a circle), and putting her fingers to her mouth. "Oh!" I said, "Do you want some Nutrios?" (note that Nutrios are *not* Cheerios--not at all!! They are "nutritious" not "cheery"--good marketing for mama & dada!!).

She doesn't nod yet to signal yes, but she kept on making the sign so I brought her into the dining room, strapped her into her high chair, and gave her some Nutrios. I then cut up some pieces of cheese and ate some in front of her. She stretched out her hand, which obviously means "I want!" so I gave her some cheese. So it went through the meal--she also ate a piece of potato and a couple mini spoonfuls of applesauce.

She looked bored a couple of times so I would ask her "All done?", making the sign for it, which is brushing your hands like you've completed a task, but she would pick up another Nutrio or piece of cheese and keep eating. Once she'd had enough applesauce, I asked her again, "All done?" and she looked at me and clapped her hands--her version of the sign. "Okay," I said, "All done," and I wiped her face and took her out.

It might not seem like much--just a very normal meal--but to me it was extraordinary. It was so calm, and at the same time, exciting, to be really communicating with my daughter! It was the first time I felt like there was such a confident give and take between us, with no frustration at all.

I don't know why baby sign language is such a new thing, as it seems so natural, but I would recommend it as a standard practice for every family. I know this isn't scientific proof, but our limited experience is so positive, I'm publishing the results anyway!