signing

so i started signing with my girls when they were about 6 months old, but then i stopped after about a month because they were completely uninterested & it was taking me forever to do things because i constantly had to stop & sign what i was doing before finishing my task.

anyway, i've started up again & they seem a lot more responsive to it now (Riley practically pees her pants she gets so excited when i sign banana :wub: ). but i find i forget to sign some times and i'm wondering if they're still likely to get it eventually if i'm not always consistent with it. also, i'm the only person who signs with them. DH is completely unintersted in the idea - i don't think he really believes it'll work. maybe once they start signing back he'll hop on the bandwagon.

for those of you who sign with your LOs, did you find you had to sign all the time to make it work? do you have any tips or tricks for helping them learn how to sign? did it make a difference if their other care givers signed with them?

 

My boys have developed signing in much the same way as they developed English. Some signs are very interesting to them (just like some English words/phrases). Others, not so much. Whatever you feel you have the energy and enthusiasm to do, do it. But don't beat yourself up over it. There are some signs that I used constantly with my boys and they could care less about them. Others, I used infrequently but they still picked up on them. Any exposure is better than none. I was discouraged because they wouldn't sign to me very much (if at all?) around 1 year, but as they got older, their sign vocabulary exploded, and I also think that signing helped them to develop their English vocab. It's nothing but good for them, so do what you can and don't sweat the rest.

As for caregivers, it's not a big deal that you are the only one that signs with them. If your DH gets on board later, that will be an added bonus, but I think just having you sign will be good enough. Many kids have one parent who speaks a secondary language to them, but which the other parent does not use. My boys will sign to just about anyone, and also use the English words to correspond.

Good luck, and have fun with it - it sounds like your girls are really enjoying it!!

 

Same here! We've had the baby einstein's signing dvd since they were about 4 months old. And I sign about 7 signs to them every now and then.. actually [since it's CRAZY windy here :S] we were sitting out back in the stroller and snacking on cheerios. I was practicing: 'please', 'thank you', and 'more'. I do 'milk' and 'all done' for feedings. But not ALWAYS. I agree with pp.. just do them when you have the energy. If you're tired of it, take a break and come back to it later.

P.S. Mine haven't done any actual signs yet.. I'm just waiting for the day! I think they understand at least half of the signs I do.. it's just a matter of them doing it themselves. They are in the stage where they mimic Everything I do, so maybe that someday will be soon!

 

oh I got lazy too... and haven't done much lately. I thought there for a while my boy was signing milk... but then he was signing it to everyone, not just bf'ing mommy! so we redirected it to look more like a wave - shaking side to side instead of the milking of a cow wave! and that's more of what he meant by it!

my girl does randomly a sign that could be thank you (which I never do), eat, or just blowing kisses! who knows!! I've been trying to work on "please eat" and "please eat more"... etc. since my girl has gotten to throwing what she doesn't want to eat on the floor... I tell her no, and sign "all done"... then offer her something else and she chows it down... I can't wait until I can communicate with them...

I'm really hoping that since they seem to be getting it more now, that we'll progress with more signs soon!

 

I think any amount of signing is great. I think the more you do, and the more people who do it helps them pick up on it faster. But we are living proof they can pick up on it even if it is only you. Either way, be patient. It may take them a while before they realize that you aren't just making random quirky movements. And be on the look out for their attempts to reciprocate. When they do, respond immediately, and praise them like crazy even if it is no where close. It will encourage them to keep trying. Keep in mind, too, that they may not make the signs anything like what you do, or anything like each other. Between myself, DH, and the boys none of us make the same sign the same way, but we can all still recoginize each others iteration of it. And once you know they know a particular sign don't anticipate their needs - encourage them to ask for whatever it is before you give it to them. Also, always say the word, and do the sign, and encourage them to do the same. When they are first learning it is also really important for them to make a visual connection to whatever word you are trying to teach them - they need to be able to see the thing. For example if you are signing banana you should show them the banana. And repeat, repeat, repeat. (Let's eat a banana (sign banana). Here's your piece of banana (sign banana). Eat your banana (sign banana). Mmm... That's a good banana (sign banana) isn't it? You like bananas (sign banana). Do you want more banana? (sign banana)) And, no, you won't do that forever, but it is a good way for them to learn a word. Keep in mind, too, that sometimes they know a word, they just need prompting to show it to you. My kids learned "more" fairly early on, but would only show me the more sign when I asked if they wanted more (and signed more). Now, they do it all on their own out of the blue.

For us signing helps cut way down on the frustration factor. The boys can communicate basic needs to us which takes the guess work out of whining and crying. They can tell us when they are hungry, thirsty, need or are going to need a new diaper (one now signs diaper right before he poops). They can tell us they want milk, water, or juice instead of throwing their sippies and screaming. They can tell us when they want more, and what they want more of (even if they don't know the word yet, and are just pointing), or can tell us they are all done. They also string lots of signs together, just like Momma (for example Eat, More, Banana, Please). But just because they can doesn't mean they always do. They still have to be reminded to use their "words" and tell us what they want. They are also super proud of themselves when they do a sign and are rewarded with they asked for.

Good luck with signing. I am so glad we did it with the boys.

ETA: Also start with just a few basic signs (like eat, drink, more, and all done), and as they start to understand signs add more on.

 

The past couple of days I've been trying to do more... and they are getting so responsive - its exciting! like the pp said, I'm sticking with Eat, More, All Done... its so cute when they show you back what you are doing! thanks for all the info and encouragement that it can be done! I think consistency will help us learn more.

 

We started signing early like you, and then I quit because I was discouraged. I started signing again around 10 months and by 12 months they were picking them up quicker than I could learn them myself.
We picked 3-4 at a time to learn and then I would introduce more. A book that really helped ALL of us was My First Signs Its a board book and shows you how to sign, as well as what the babies sign will probably look like, and highlights the word.
Sign as often as you can remember and one day they will just explode! Dh is definitely grateful I taught our kids!

 

I just startd taking an interest in signing with my boys. We started doing it a few weeks ago but once I bought the video "My baby can talk" they have reaaly taken off with it. They really enjoy watching it and I just try to reinforce what they learn on the video around the house. So far they are siging ..more, please, thankyou, milk, eat, all done, shoes, bear and dog. I saw Mitchell also copy "go" and "book" today. This has all been in a few weeks so I'm excited to see what else they'll learn in another couple weeks!

 

I just started signing a few basics 'more", done, milk, up, down, its mostly to help my DD tell us when she has enough of her OT training and doesnt use just whining or crying as her only means to communicate-so far she looks at me like im crazy :lol: but i know she will get it in few months if im consistent -my RT said is should just be part of your vocab when you say; be sure you sign it as well so she gets the idea