Parenting Pointers: Baby Signs

Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

Communication in any form, whether through words, cries, signing, or body language, allows us to bond with those around us. The ability to communicate enables one to connect, learn, and grow. Babies can learn sign language before they can speak, and sign language gives them a way to express their wants and needs, easing their frustration (and yours). Signing allows parents, siblings, caregivers and grandparents to know what a baby is thinking, curb challenging behavior, and have fun "chatting" about daily activities. 

I experienced this firsthand with both of my children. They could sign for milk and wet diapers well before they could speak, and this helped eliminate a lot of crying in the early stages when we were trying to figure out what they wanted. We taught them signs for many of their favorite foods, too, which was great around mealtime. With raising my kids bilingual, one of them was a little delayed in speech at first (she has since caught up) so it was great to have signs - and they also helped when we couldn't quite understand what they were saying, either because words sounded similar or because they were mixing words (for example, cookie and cheese - Kekse and Käse - sound very similar in German, so teaching them the signs helped us differentiate). It was also touching to watch my older daughter communicate with one of my cousins who is developmentally delayed and partially deaf and one of my cousin's kids who is severely autistic because of her signs.

I recently read The Baby Signing Book, 2nd Edition and found it helpful (or would have if I were just starting). There were chapters talking about the benefits of signing, answers to FAQs, age-specific advice, and more. The last part of the book is a comprehensive dictionary with many common signs, clearly drawn, and a space to note when you start using the signs and when the baby signs back. There are even songs and rhymes that you can use for fun with your kids to reinforce signs and bond together.