How to communicate with baby using sign language?

"What? But my child is not even deaf. Why teach him sign language? Does it really work?" When we discovered the idea, we asked ourselves the same questions. Spoiler: yes, it works! We tested it for you and tell you everything.

A crying, screaming, grumpy or unwilling baby is often a source of stress, sadness, irritation, exasperation or even despair (depending on the amount of sleep) for parents (and neighbours).

To avoid torturing yourself for hours wondering what's wrong with him, whether he's sick, broken, crazy ... (given the amplitude of sound that emanates from these little bodies, at some point, it is normal to consider everything), we initiate ourselves as a family to communication via sign language. An effective and fun way to communicate with a baby about his needs and desires even before he can speak.

It is always with great excitement that we wait for the first time: the first look, the first smile, the first handshake. We can now add to this list: the first time he will be able to sign. Thanks to their ability to imitate and their motor skills, which are becoming more refined by the month, babies under one year of age are quite capable of expressing their needs, desires and emotions (often their outbursts, in fact) even before they can say their first word. Amazing! Yes, but in the end it's not so surprising when you see how quickly these little beings evolve during their first year of life. This new way of communicating with babies is so practical that it is now used in some crèches, nurseries and pre-schools in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe.

How to learn sign language? 

By simply learning to sign yourself. You can buy a book or subscribe to various accounts dedicated to this topic on social networks( mainlyInstagram and Youtube ). Just type the keywords: baby sign language in the search engines to find a rich and sometimes free content. 

Personally, we were offered the book by Marie Cao, bilingual sign language professional, mother of two girls and author of the Great Guide to Signing with Baby. Very active on Instagram via her account @littlebunbao, she spreads her knowledge to her followers on a daily basis through small lessons. We are fascinated by the videos she shares showing little ones of a few months old asking for their bottle or expressing their refusal to leave the bath. So we wanted to try it with our daughter Lily.

All you need to know about communicating with your baby using sign language

The most important

Not to be afraid of ridicule. Not because sign language is something to be laughed at. But you have to admit that when you find yourself face to face with your baby, signing with gusto, gesturing, repeating words and mimics to emphasise understanding, and in response you get a frown or a laugh ... it can be a bit lonely. We have to admit it, we often have the impression that he's playing with our heads.

To teach a baby sign language, you need to be patient, you need to repeat it over and over again, but after all, it's only an appetizer for the years to come. If only we could get 1 euro for every time we say: "Be careful, don't put your fingers in the socket, tidy your room, etc.".

When to start learning sign language?

Whenever you want. From birth if possible, otherwise the sooner the better. All children are able to sign, but not all do so at the same time. 

We started with Lily from the age of 6 months, which is exactly the age when the child's brain becomes capable of retaining the signs it sees without being able to reproduce them because it does not have the necessary fine motor skills. Some children reproduce the signs before they can walk, others after this crucial stage, which requires a lot of energy and concentration. Some even do it after the acquisition of the first words and use it only to express emotions for example, concepts that are complex to verbalise (we think that it would be useful with some adults too...). It is never too late to start.

The most important thing is to respect the child's rhythm, without any pressure, to persevere and not to get upset. We try to associate communication with something positive and joyful.

"At twelve months Lily was not signing (she was just learning to walk) but she clearly understood some of the words she heard and signs she saw. When she cries because she is hungry and the word "bibi" is said with the sign "eat", she stops crying, understanding that it will happen. She often applauds or shouts with joy or laughs to show her satisfaction at having been understood. Once she has learned to walk, Lily starts to sign. She is able to tell us: again, sleep, bath, wash. We are very impressed. Marie-Noëlle, Milk Away MUM.

How many signs to teach him?

There are no rules, we do as we like, according to our time, our desire and our need. From primary needs (eating, drinking, being changed, dressed, feeling pain, fear, wanting more, saying stop) to whole rhymes mixing animals, verbs and emotions. And we guarantee that these little stomachs on legs quickly assimilate the signs linked to food...

What are the advantages of communication via sign language?

There are many of them and it is therefore surprising that the practice is not more widespread. By learningsign language, we will first of all work on theopen-mindedness of adults and children alike. It means discovering another culture, a community and becoming aware of the handicap of deafness.

A word of clarification: signs learned from a book or an Insta story are not enough to become bilingual in sign language. To achieve this, you need to learn by immersion alongside deaf people and through specialised associations.

Another advantage is that you create a very strong bond with your baby. A bond of trust is established because you are finally able to understand each other clearly. The use of sign language helps to reduce all kinds of crises, crying and the stressful moments that result from them.

It also allows for early bonding between siblings and other family members.

Finally, and contrary to popular belief, a child who knows how to express himself via sign language will not speak later than another. On the contrary, having acquired a taste for communicating, they will want to go further, faster. Moreover, when we sign, we accompany the gesture with the word it means, so the baby's brain makes links between what it sees and what it hears, which helps it to understand and retain what it is learning.

"Personally, we are convinced of the principle and are reassured to know that Lily now has another, faster way of telling us what she wants and doesn't want (even if the nods to say no are perfectly mastered). We realise that she already understands many words without being able to pronounce them. Our only fear now is that we won't be able to pretend we didn't understand when she insists heavily on having more ice cream... ". Marie-Noëlle, Milk Away MUM.

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