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How many times have you wished that your crying baby could just tell you what was wrong? Baby sign language is a great tool to establish communication between you and your baby before they start talking, and we've got the low-down, including:

Baby Sign Language Basics

It's a version of typical American Sign Language ("ASL") that's simplified for baby's hands and motor skills. It helps parents and caregivers communicate with babies who are not yet verbal or who are just starting to talk.

Benefits for Baby

1. Improves self-esteem

Some experts believe that this type of communication improves baby's self-esteem, because it helps them feel seen and heard and shows that their parents are attentive to their needs. It's also a confidence booster, as they're gaining and mastering a new skill.

2. Improves mood

Because temper tantrums typically stem from the frustration of not being able to communicate their needs, this type of communication can potentially reduce the frequency and intensity of temper tantrums.

It helps you keep your calm, too, because you're not trying to figure out what's bothering baby and growing increasingly frustrated trying to interpret their cries.

3. May help baby talk sooner

While some experts believe that this reinforcement and repetition can help babies talk sooner, the research is mixed. One thing is certain, though: It doesn't delay verbal skills. ( source) Can't hurt to try, right?!

When to Start Teaching It

Your baby's eyesight and motor skills have to be developed enough for them to observe and participate.

Most babies are developmentally ready for parents to begin signing around four months, though baby won't likely be able to sign back until they're seven to nine months old.

How to Teach It to Your Child

1. Start with the familiar

What are the activities and objects that baby does or sees on a regular basis? Start there. Start by introducing signs baby will frequently use, such as "more," "milk," "mom," or "dad," so you'll have ample opportunities to use those signs.

2. Repeat, repeat, repeat

Repetition is key. Repeat those first few signs often-even if it doesn't seem like baby is picking up on it. You might be tempted to try a different sign if baby isn't picking up on the first signs you introduced, but it's important to stick to the basics. Once baby has mastered the initial 4-5 signs, then you can expand their vocabulary and add another 4-5 into the rotation.

3. Keep your cool

Don't expect your child to master this process over night-it's a slow process. Keep it fun and encourage baby. Praise baby when they understand and/or repeat your actions. Keep a smile on your face, and make sure that you're holding your hands where baby can see them.

Baby Sign Language Flash Cards

These words are very relevant to baby's routine, so you'll naturally use them often. Remember: Repetition is key.

More

Keep your fingers straight and press your fingers to your thumbs. Then open and close your hands repeatedly with your thumbs turned towards your body. It's kind of like making an alligator mouth, only turned on its side.

Eat

With the same hand shape used in the sign for "more," turn your fingers to face the sky and tap them repeatedly against your lips.

Hungry

Press your palm flat against your chest, under your chin, and slide it down to your belly. Think of your hand following the path that food makes.

Milk

If you've ever milked a cow, you'll recognize the sign for "milk." Think of milking an udder. Make a fist with your hand, thumb facing you and fingers tucked behind your thumb, and open and close it as if milking a cow.

Water

Think "W" for water. The sign for water is done by making a "W" with your three middle fingers, pressing your pinkie and thumb together out of sight, and tapping your hand against your chin.

Please

When your baby has learned the signs for "eat," "milk," and "water," you can move to asking them to say "please" before fulfilling their request. Simply press the palm of one hand flat against your chest and move it in a circular motion.

Thank You

After they've said "please," reward them with your thanks. Tap your fingers to your chin and then make the same motions as blowing a kiss.

All Done

Hold both hands up at chest level, fingers extended and palms facing you. Then flip them out, so the palms face your baby.

Change

This is a more complicated sign. Curl the fingers of both hands into a ball, leaving your index finger out. Tuck it into a hook shape, then cross your hands at the wrists and switch them, top to bottom, several times.

Potty

Ever played, "I've got your nose," with your baby? The same hand shape, thumb tucked between your first two fingers, is used to sign potty. Form the shape with your hand and then shake it back and forth several times like you're ringing a bell.

Bath

Form both hands into fists, then imagine an old washboard, or scrubbing baby's back. Rub your hands vertically up and down your torso.

Play

Hang ten, dude. There's a reason that hand shape, thumbs and pinkies extended, other fingers tucked in, became the symbol of California surfer dudes. When you make the shape with both hands and twist them back and forth at the wrists, it means "play."

Sleep

Start with your fingers open, palm facing you, at your forehead. Then draw them down your face, closing them as you go. Think of eyes closing in sleep.

Book

Press your palms together, fingers flat, and then make the motion of opening them. Keep the bottom edge of your palms touching just like a book's spine.

Daddy

To make the sign for daddy hold your hand up with your fingers spread. Palm facing towards the side, tap your thumb to your forehead.

Mommy

The sign for "mommy" is the same as the sign for "daddy"-the only difference is that you tap your thumb to your chin.

Dog

The sign for dog is made by putting one hand down by your leg and snapping your fingers, just like you're calling your dog inside. Snap with your thumb and middle finger.

Cat

The sign for cat mimics the whiskers on your cat's face. Place one hand by your mouth where a cat's whiskers grow. Think of drawing your hand outwards, like you're running your fingers along the whiskers, while simultaneously pinching your index finger and thumb together.

I Love You

Think of one of the most natural expressions of love-a hug. Cross your arms in front of your chest, hands balled up as if you're hugging yourself.

Yes

How do we often indicate "yes," even when speaking? By nodding our head up and down. The sign for "yes," makes the same motion only with your hand. Form one hand into a ball and hold it up near your shoulder, then wag it up and down as if you were nodding your head "yes."

Help

How often does your baby reach out their arms and ask to be lifted up? The sign for "help" is similar. Place your dominant hand, curled into a thumbs up, on top of the flat palm of your non-dominant hand. Have them down by your waist, then move them both up your body like the bottom hand is lifting the top hand.

Baby Sign Language Chart

Okay, there you have it, the top 20 baby sign language signs! To help you and baby master them, I've created a free, printable one page guide for you!

And Don't Forget...

If you're getting discouraged, take a deep breath and keep at it. Sign language takes patience and lots of repetition. Even if it seems like baby isn't grasping the concept at first, you might be surprised when they sign "milk" out of the blue! Your hard work will eventually pay off.

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How many times have you wished that your crying baby could just tell you what was wrong? Baby sign language is a great tool to establish communication between you and your baby before they start talking, and we've got the low-down, including: It's a version of typical American Sign Language ("ASL") that's simplified for baby's hands and motor skills.

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Baby Sign Lnaguage | Benefits and When & How to Start

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Imagine your 8-month-old baby telling you that he or she is thirsty, cries because he or she has stomach pain, wants his favorite teddy bear, etc. Babies start to babble by the end of the 6 months of age but that is all. A babble.

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Baby Sign Language: Benefits & Tips Article posted by Bright Horizons on May 1, 2020

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Are there benefits to teaching sign language to babies? See how sign language helps child development & find tips to help infants learn sign language.

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Sing & Sign "The Wheels on the Bus" | ASL Nursery Rhyme

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A lot of tantrums are the result of poor communication. You and your child become frustrated if you spend hours assuming what your child needs/ wants. Sign language can help your child communicate more effectively, which reduceses their frustration and the likelihood of tantrums.

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As you spend less time guessing your baby’s needs and more quality time together, signing can lead to increased bonding between you and your child

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Research has been found to strengthen memory retention in the brain. A child is more likely to retain and comprehend the meaning of a word when they learn it in alongside a sign. Because signing involves the development of muscle memory. Babies who learn to sign before they turn one also begin to learn how to remember actions to communicate, resulting in  remembering signs.

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As you spend less time guessing your baby’s needs and more quality time together, signing can lead to increased bonding between you and your child.

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Your child will feel more confident when you communicate with them. Repetition and patterns help to learn. Confidence can be harmed by poor communication that develops a pattern of frustration and misunderstanding. Your child may become less confident and throw more tantrums or stop interacting with people. Children often withdraw within themselves when they feel confused or incapable of expressing themselves. On the other hand, your child is more inclined to reach out and communicate when they actually know  to do so .

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Baby sign language helps your child's vocabulary grow. This happens because signing can help in your child's early language development, which means they begin to form some of the skills required for speech and vocabulary learning. This helps your child get a head start on speech development.

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Baby sign language is extremely beneficial to you, your child, and your relationship. As you learn to effectively communicate together through simple signs and gestures you will have the opportunity to grow closer, learn a new skill together, better understand each other, and the cognitive benefits for your child are almost innumerable. Babies have the necessary motor skills needed to learn basic signals and actions months before their first birthday. When your child is better able to communicate with you, you can reduce their frustration (and your own), boost their confidence, help jump-start their language skills and brain development, and have fun together! Learn about the following benefits of learning baby sign language with your little one and stop wasting time with miscommunication now!

Many tantrums are triggered by miscommunication. Spending hours guessing what your child wants or needs leads to frustration on both your part and theirs. Because sign language increases your child's ability to communicate, it can reduce their frustration and thus reduce their tantrums. Babies learn to understand language long before they learn to speak it. This gap in their ability to understand and their ability to communicate their wants and needs becomes increasingly frustrating and leads to crying, screaming; you know the drill.

Most children don't learn to speak effectively until 18 to 24 months, however, many children are usually able to learn to sign around 8 to 9 months. Because motor skills are developed earlier than the needed skills to control your speech, sign can be taught much sooner than your child can demonstrate comprehensible speech. Get to the root of the problem faster when you and your baby communicate through baby sign language. You don't have to spend time guessing what your baby or toddler is trying to say and instead start teaching them to communicate earlier and better.

Being able to use sign language more effectively for communication will save you hours of sleep, the embarrassment of public tantrums, and all the woes that come with guessing your baby or toddlers needs. This will enable you to spend more time bonding with your little one and less time dealing with what can be infuriating miscommunication. Tantrums are sometimes unavoidable, but they can certainly be reduced with effective communication.

As you spend less time guessing your baby's needs and more quality time together, signing can lead to increased bonding between you and your child. As you watch Baby Signing Time and learn to sign, use those signs with your baby. He will begin to understand what the sign means. For instance, when giving a bottle of milk or nursing, say and sign, "It's time for your MILK." Good communication leads to a good relationship. Spending less time and energy miscommunicating and dealing with the frustrations that come from that-i.e. tears and tantrums-will provide you with more opportunity to forge your bond and come closer together. You can better meet each other's needs and understand each other. Spend less time in distress and more time bonding in more positive ways.

Aside from better communication, you can also bond over fun activities. Use the signs that you know when you play games, sing and sign songs, or participate in other interactive things to further develop your relationship. This time spent bonding will lead you and your child to be more in tune with each other.

When communication is coming more easily to you and your young one, you are not only better able to understand each other, but also to get to know each other. Once your child is able to express more of their desires and interests, you will be able to get to know your child more. Their personality will become more apparent as they are able to better express themselves. Get to know each other better before your baby can even talk!

More effective communication with your child will increase their self-esteem as well as your own. Learning is developed through patterns and repetition. When communication isn't working, and a pattern of frustration and confusion is established, it can damage confidence. Your child's lack of confidence may lead to more tantrums or their withdrawing from social interaction altogether. When a child feels misunderstood or unable to express themselves, it is common for them to turn inward. In contrast, the more they are able to successfully communicate, the more likely they are to communicate and reach out.

As a parent, your confidence may be shaken when you aren't able to understand your child as well. We have a desire to meet the needs of our children, to provide for them, which is very hard to do when you don't understand what they want or need. When you use sign language to communicate more effectively and are better able to meet the wants and needs of your child, your self-esteem will be boosted.

Baby sign language can help your child progress further in their communication skills and cognitive abilities, which will increase their self-esteem later on as well. This ability to relay their thoughts will also enhance their self-expression. As they are better able to express themselves, their self-esteem will grow, and they will begin a pattern of learning in confidence. Give them a confidence boost early on as you encourage communication with baby sign language.

Early exposure to learning that comes with baby sign language may lead to a higher IQ for your child. Baby sign language helps children and parents to quickly move past the frustration and fits of miscommunication and can help them move onto developing words and phrases sooner. Learning to sign can increase your child's ability to learn and grow both now and in the future. It has been shown that the cognitive benefits of baby sign language can include earlier reading, a larger reading, and speaking vocabulary, better performance in school, and a higher IQ.

Learning to commit signs and words to memory helps to stimulate your baby's brain development. Because sign language uses both the right and left hemisphere of the brain, unlike spoken language that only uses the left hemisphere, it leads to the brain building more synapses. These kinds of connections made early on in life, give your child a little bit of jump start in the development department. Start signing now and you will see the benefits for years to come. ¹

Another benefit to baby sign language-an increased vocabulary for your child. This happens because signing can help your child develop language skills earlier on, meaning they start to develop some of the mental processes needed to learn speech and vocabulary. This speeds up speech development, giving your child a boost early on. Early speech development can be especially beneficial for children diagnosed with dyslexia.²

Studies have shown that by age two, children who have learned baby sign language already have a larger vocabulary than those who have not. A larger vocabulary in speech and in reading will benefit your child greatly in their ability to learn and communicate. Children become more comfortable with themselves and their abilities as their vocabulary increases. They will be able to advance in their reading abilities, which will enhance their education. An increased vocabulary will also help them to become more comfortable with speaking and expressing their thoughts. (All About Baby Sign Language, Gina Bevinetto Feld, Parents Magazine 2018)

One of the many cognitive benefits to your child after starting early communication with baby sign language is an enhanced memory. Research has found that associating signs and actions with words help the brain to retain a stronger memory. For example, when a child learns a word in conjunction with a sign, they are more likely to remember and understand the meaning of the word. When babies learn to sign before they even hit a year of age, they start learning to remember actions to communicate, this helps children to remember words because there is a muscle memory involved. (Teaching Sign Language to Hearing Children as a Possible Factor in Cognitive Enhancement, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 1998 Oxford University Press)

The more senses that are involved in learning, the more likely it is to be committed to memory. Baby sign language uses visual, verbal, and physical senses. All of these representations of information provide the brain with more opportunity to learn memorization early on as it is stored in a variety of places in the brain. The ability to recall past event associated with a word or sign because easier and easier as a child develops that muscle memory.³

Help your little one to develop a love of learning early on as you learn baby sign language with them. Have fun with signing as you incorporate interactive games and songs to educate your child and bond with them. Making learning fun early on can encourage a love of learning later on. There are many games to play in sign that will not only help your baby to learn sign but also entertain them for hours on end. This form of entertainment will be one of the most beneficial ways to spend time with your baby as they learn and grow. Incorporating song into learning to sign can also be very beneficial. Adding music to learning helps the brain retain the memory, plus it's fun! Enjoying the process of learning is a great motivator to continue to learn. Establish a habit of fun learning early in your child's life.
References:
1. https://www.healthguidance.org/entry/12190/1/how-to-increase-your-babys-iq-by-using-sign-language.html
2. http://c445781.r81.cf0.rackcdn.com/wp_SigningwithBabies&Children.pdf
3.https://www.brighthubeducation.com/infant-development-learning/38376-cognitive-benefit-of-infant-sign-language/

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7 Awesome Benefits of Baby Sign Language - Signing Time

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Baby sign language is extremely beneficial to you, your child, and your relationship. As you learn to effectively communicate together through simple signs and gestures you will have the opportunity to grow closer, learn a new skill together, better understand each other, and the cognitive benefits for your child are almost innumerable.

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The majority of your practice will come from signing in the course of your regular activities. Because young children benefit from repetition and routine, make sure signing with your infant occurs within the structure of regular activities to set them up for success.

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Discovering an  enjoyable ways to encourage learning, will lead to your child looking forward to signing which may eventually motivate a lifelong love of learning.

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Many parents find a fun way to make learning sign which can lead to a love for learning later on

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Home Basics Step Two: Repetition Step Two: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat The secret to learning Baby Sign Language is lots of repetition. To teach your baby those first few baby signs, you need to give hi...