When our daughter was just a few months old, I stumbled upon something that would completely change our early parenting experience: baby sign language. What started as curiosity about helping her communicate before she could speak turned into an incredible journey of connection, learning, and surprisingly peaceful toddler days with baby signing.
The Magic Moment: Communication at 9 Months
Picture this: your 9-month-old daughter sits in her high chair, looks directly at you, and clearly signs “more” instead of throwing a tantrum when her snack runs out. That was our reality, and honestly, it felt like magic. While other parents were trying to decode mysterious cries and meltdowns, we had a window into our daughter’s thoughts and needs.The transformation was remarkable. Those early toddler meltdowns that we’d heard so much about? They became rare occurrences in our household. Instead of frustration building up because she couldn’t express herself, our daughter had tools to communicate her wants, needs, and even emotions.
Bridging Three Languages Through Signs
One of the most unexpected benefits of baby signing was how it helped bridge our multilingual household. We’re raising our daughter with three languages, and signs became the perfect universal connector. A sign for “milk” meant the same thing whether we said “milk,” “leche,” or “llet.”
The visual nature of signing seemed to help her brain organize and connect the different words she was hearing for the same concepts. Rather than being confused by multiple languages, the signs provided a stable foundation that supported her understanding across all three languages. It was like giving her a Rosetta Stone for her own multilingual world.
My Learning Adventure: A New Vocabulary Every Week
What I didn’t expect was how much I would enjoy the learning process myself. Every week, I found myself diving into new signs based on our daughter’s emerging interests. One week it was her favorite animal signs to be able to ask for her favorite stuffed animals or point out a dog in the street. The next week, we were learning food signs as she started exploring solid foods. The one after that, the feelings depicted in her emotions book. You get the idea: things she was interested in.
Resources like Baby Sign Language became my go-to guides, offering clear video demonstrations and printable guides that made learning new signs straightforward and fun. I’d practice the signs throughout the day, incorporating them naturally into our routines.The weekly vocabulary expansion kept things fresh and engaging for both of us. I’d watch for her cues about what fascinated her most, then introduce relevant signs. When she showed interest in the neighbor’s dog, we learned “dog,” “soft,” and “gentle.” When she discovered her love for books, we added “book,” “read,” and “story” to our repertoire.
The Ripple Effects: Beyond Basic Communication
The benefits extended far beyond just avoiding meltdowns. Signing seemed to accelerate her overall language development. She was making connections between gestures, words, and meanings earlier than we anticipated. Her confidence grew as she realized she could successfully communicate with us, leading to more attempts at interaction and engagement.
Family members and caregivers could also learn key signs, creating consistency across different environments. Grandparents delighted in learning signs to communicate with their granddaughter.
Getting Started: Practical Tips from Our Experience
- Start Simple: We began with essential signs like “milk,” “eat,” “more,” and “all done.” These cover the most frequent needs and are relatively easy to learn and remember.
- Be Consistent: The key is using the sign every single time you say the word. Consistency helped our daughter make the connection between the gesture and the meaning.
- Make it Natural: We incorporated signs into our regular routines rather than treating them as formal lessons. During diaper changes, meal times, and play sessions, signs became part of our natural conversation.
- Be Patient: It took several weeks of consistent signing before she produced her first sign back to us. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results.
- Follow Her Lead: Pay attention to what interests her most and introduce signs related to those interests. She’ll be more motivated to use signs for things she cares about.
Resources That Made the Difference
While there are many resources available, Baby Sign Language stood out for its comprehensive approach and user-friendly format. The site offers video demonstrations, printable cards, and structured lessons that made it easy to learn new signs correctly.
Local libraries often have baby sign language books and DVDs, and many communities offer baby sign classes where you can learn alongside other families. YouTube also has numerous channels dedicated to baby signing, though I found having a structured resource more helpful for building a comprehensive vocabulary.
There are many resources available from Homeschooling sites, like this option for Free Sign Language Alphabet Worksheets.
Many Baby Sign Language books exist as well and if you like to have a physical resource on hand, here are two of my favorite to start exploring the basic signs to start using today with your baby:
Looking Back: Worth Every Gesture
Now that our daughter is older and speaking fluently in all three languages, I look back on our baby signing journey with such gratitude. Those early months of clear communication created a foundation of understanding and connection that I believe benefited our entire family dynamic.
The investment of time learning new signs each week paid dividends in reduced stress, increased bonding, and earlier communication. Plus, I gained a new skill myself and have a deeper appreciation for sign language as a rich, expressive form of communication.
For parents considering baby signing, especially those in multilingual households, I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s a gift you give both to yourself and your child – the gift of understanding each other before words fully arrive. And trust me, those peaceful meal times and cooperative diaper changes are worth their weight in gold.
Final Thoughts
Baby signing isn’t about creating a genius or accelerating development unnaturally. It’s about opening up communication channels earlier and reducing frustration for everyone involved. In our multilingual home, it became the bridge that helped our daughter navigate between languages and express herself clearly from an remarkably young age. Every child has the understanding of communication and to express themselves, we just need to provide them the key to utilize it.
Every child has the understanding of communication and to express themselves, we just need to provide them the key to utilize it.
Every family’s journey will look different, but if you’re curious about baby signing, I encourage you to give it a try. Start with a few basic signs, be consistent, and prepare to be amazed by your little one’s ability to communicate. Those tiny hands have big things to say – we just need to give them the tools to say it.
