Another very important advantage of using sign language with your baby is giving her (or him) self esteem and confidence. Making your primary care giver understand you quickly can help make your child feel important and special.

Studies have shown that babies as young as 7 or 8 months can sign - much earlier than they are able to talk. Babies are like sponges - they soak up everything around them. Don’t forget, everything is new for them - signing is no more difficult than making random sounds. Once they realize that by signing they can get what they want, they will be much happier. There will be less frustration, fewer tantrums and much calmer and happier babies. There will also be a greater level of trust - your baby will understand that they will get what it is they need much quicker.

Learning to sign has been shown to improve verbal skills, not decrease them. Parents who sign and vocalize at the same time are reinforcing that word and the child ’soaks’ it up and stores it. Studies have shown that children who learned to sign as babies have a higher overall IQ than children who didn’t learn to sign as the brain has been stimulated from an early age and neural pathways have been established.

If signing is continued after you child becomes verbal, your child will know it for life and will be able to communicate with those who have hearing loss. Imagine the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment you or your child will feel if they are able to help someone who can’t understand. Parents who have continued teaching their children ASL have opened up a whole new world for them. Remember, signing does not have to end when your child starts talking.

Signing will also give you and your children a ’secret language’ for those times you don’t want others to hear what you’re saying. Signing can, and should, be a whole family activity. Apart from being beneficial, it helps promote family unity and closeness. This in turn promotes greater self esteem and confidence in your child, it is another ’special bond’ you have.

There are many different books and methods of teaching sign language for babies but I’ve found that one of the better ones is Sign Language For Babies and Beyond by Wendy Jensen. This easy to follow book also comes with a video and both can be downloaded immediately to get you started right away. You don’t have to wait until your baby is old enough to learn how to sign, you can start learning while you are still pregnant if you want. That way you will be way ahead of the game when your child is born. In fact, the earlier you start teaching the signs, the better the chance of your child understanding and learning to sign back.

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