Save Time and Frustration with Baby Sign Language
Today we have a guest post from Misty Weaver of Baby Sign Language. She shares how teaching your little ones to sign can be a great time saver for work at home moms.
While some parents worry that teaching their babies to sign will be a time-consuming task, they soon find that baby sign language is actually an endeavor of convenience. With just a few minutes each day, you can make your life easier for years to come.
It is so simple. You talk to your baby, right? Well, to teach your baby to sign, all you have to do is sign while you talk. Eventually, your baby will sign back.
Worried that you won’t have time to learn the signs yourself? Simply find the sign that you want to teach at Baby Sign Language, print out the flash card, and hang it on your fridge, or anywhere it will be easy to find. You can learn the sign along with your baby.
Trust me. If I can do it, so can you.
And I am so glad I’ve done it.
My toddlers rarely have tantrums, and they were not easily frustrated as babies. I attribute this to their signing. Sure, they have an occasional scuffle, because I haven’t yet taught my son the sign for “Mom, please find my sister a new home.” But usually, my young children can communicate their wants and needs with signs.
I was always grateful when they signed for milk. I would know that they needed to nurse before they started crying. I also appreciate the sign for “more.” I think that they can’t possibly eat any more, but they ask for it, and they eat it, so they must need those calories!
The sign for “hot” allows my son to tell me his food is too warm. My daughter signs “diaper” long before I smell it! And when my son falls down, he can tell me immediately where it hurts. And when he is hungry, he makes sure I know it!
I am embarrassed to relay this particular example, but when I accidentally pinched my son’s thigh in his carseat strap, he was able to tell me what I had done, so that I didn’t have to drive all the way to the supermarket with him screaming in pain, wondering what on earth his problem was. He also threw in a severely dirty look in case I missed his sign for “pain.”
I always laugh when he is trying to climb up on the couch and trying to make the sign for “help” at the same time. And my heart melts every time he looks at me with those big hazel eyes and signs “please.” Speaking of heart melting, my daughter was signing “I love you” to me every night before she was a year old. Am I positive that she even knew what it meant? Nope. Who cares? It sure made my night.
Signing with my babies has made mommyhood so much easier. (And my husband would say the same about daddyhood!)
And what is the reason most parents are drawn to baby sign language in the first place? Because signing helps children learn to talk sooner. And I think we all know how much easier life gets when our children learn to talk. (Well, until they learn the word “no,” that is.)
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I didn’t teach my oldest, but did teach my second child and it was so much easier. Bella can just tell me when she is hungry instead of tantrum time.
GREAT article, thank you so much! I have also talked with Misty Weaver, she’s a wonderful woman. Baby Signing has also saved us many times! We also teach it at our daycare, and hold workshops for other Daycares to learn about the benefits, which reduces the noise levels as well.
There is a free baby sign language glossary at: http://www.babysignglossary.com which we use to teach our kids also.
What’s also cool is that when you have two kids close to the same age, the older one learns even more signs and teaches it to his or her younger sibling. SO CUTE!
Again, thanks very much, I enjoyed reading this.
MJ
Baby Signing Enthusiast