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Just wondering if anyone else is doing this or has done it successfully. Did you just do a couple signs or a whole bunch?
We are trying this w/ our 7 mo old. We've been doing "eat," "all done," and "kitty" since about 6 mo. He hasn't done them yet--I think we probably started a little too early, but he seems to be understanding what they are.
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I didn't do it with my babies, but on of the boys I watch occasionally has been taught several of them and he loves it and we use it alot. I might try it with Jenna, but I never had a problem with communicating so we'll see if I need to. I do teach my older ones some sign language just for fun.
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I did! It's worked out great for us. Like you, I started showing him signs early (6-8 mos.)...then got discouraged b/c he wasn't repeating any. I started again at around 10-11 mos. and by 12.5 months he was signing two or three signs well. I have to admit that we are just now beginning to see him make a sign to communicate something...up until now, he has mostly been repeating after us when we make the sign. (FYI - our little guy is 14 mos.) Regardless, they've been a huge help. My advice would be to only start with the basic ones and then move on from there once he catches on. No need to stress anyone out!
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I have never done it with my own kids..but had to laugh at a friend's little boy who would clap his hands at her when he wanted more. My own would have been in trouble for doing that..cause he always looked she wasn't fast enough for him! My 2 year old is in a Mother's Day Out Program twice a week, and her teacher signs to them a good bit. She has a 7 year old that is deaf, so it is natural to her to do both. MaryGrace can sign most of "Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus" (a song they are already practicing for Christmas) just from watching her teacher do it. That was pretty impressive to me. I wish I had known more about it with my own children.
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I did with my dd and it was great I loved that she could communicate with me at a early age. She did more, all done, eat. and that was all I really pussed since that helped me out a lot.
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We signed with dd starting about 8-9 months. She understood fairly quickly but couldn't sign back to us until about 11-12 months. From what I've read that's normal. They don't have the hand control until about then. Signing was a wonderful thing for our family because we could communicate so much with her at such a young age. There was never (rarely) any guessing about what she was asking for or fussing about. She started talking really well by age 2 or a few months after. We continued to sign and use words for a while but eventually got lazy and tapered off with the signing. She is 4 now and still remembers a lot of signs. We will definitely be signing with our new baby that's due in January. This time we're going to take it further and use it more often (more words) and keep up with it even after he starts speaking well. I definitely encourage everyone to sign with their babies. And don't give up! Even if you don't think so, they are absorbing it all and learning, and they will start signing to you soon. When you see that first sign from baby you will be overcome with pride.
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We started signing with dd around 6 months, like the other moms said, she didn't sign back for a few months, but she always understood it. Kids are so smart! We did a lot of the basic ones too, like all done, more, kitty, horse, go, milk and lots of other ones. It did come in real handy, b/c she never got frustrated and neither did we, b/c she told us exactly what she wanted. I'm all for signing with your baby!!! It was fun for me to learn along with her!
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I taught DS the sign for more when he was a baby as he got into toddlerhood we added some more. I recommend the Signing Times video, we've been playing it for DD a lot lately, it explains how to make the sign and then shows kids doing it.
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Yes!!! I loved how it helped lessen frustrations, with both my dd's. Our 18 month old is still in the heat of signing, the 4 yo helps her little sister out! It, too, have pretty much stuck to the basics, more, please, thank you, eat, milk, water, all done, I think that's it. I highly encourage you to do it!!
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we did it with our almost 5 year old and it was wonderful and are doing it with our soon to be one year old-- he still doesn't reply, but it does have benefits because using please and thank you become more natural when they are instinctive from the start and manners are so helpful! we did please, thank you, more, all done, my girlfriend taught her boys a sign for potty training to tell her when they had gone #2 in their diaper and then transfer to the anticipation- I didn't find out about that til mine was beyond that stage but I think I will do it with my son-- since it will help with potty training-- just be sure that if you leave your child in a nursery or with friends that they know any signs you have taught your child and know what they mean- so that they can respond--we left my son once in my sister's church nursery and when snack came out he signed please and waited quietly for a treat-- since he wasn't grabbing for them or shouting- they didn't know if he wanted it-- and had never seen a kid sign... this happened to grandparents we know-- and it was so hard for them- so just be sure to pass it on!