Monitoring Your Progress With Signs ~ Chris

Posted on June 13, 2018 by chris

Early on we began to track our baby’s progress.  My wife kept a daily journal of his sleep schedule until he was two (not really sure why!) but she also made notes about things he accomplished that day.  For me this has less value, but I was able to piece together some interesting trends about his language development through signs and spoken words.  However, this really isn’t the point I’m trying to make.

Time flies, so be sure to capture as much as possible in the early months and years of life.  Things happen really fast with children under two.  If your baby is doing something cute that gives you joy, capture it today because tomorrow he may not do it any longer.  Baby brains are fast evolving and ever changing.  Your baby will slow down once he reaches 3-5 years old and there-on, and in this timeframe you might still capture his progress, but might do so at greater intervals.  At the start though, capture stuff weekly at a minimum and daily if possible for at least the first few weeks.  Get what’s new and changing.

Thankfully most still cameras have video capturing abilities and so make handy additions.  If you’re thinking about investing in a camera, look for something where you can get video and audio along with good quality still photos.

And finally, always be sure to back-up your electronic files.  All hard drives eventually fail – every single one of them!  I’ve personally have had three drives fail on me in about 5 years.  After the second it was no big deal, because I learned to keep a “bad day box” at the ready with all my software and operating system ready to go.  Now I just swap out a drive and I can get back going in a matter of hours.  Burn all your stuff to disk, use external hard drives and if you have multiple drives keep it all off your main drive (the one that runs your operating system) as this is the one which will burn out fastest.  Finally, be sure to select and print hard copies of all your best photos and keep a photo album current.  If you’re really paranoid, you can even rent storage online for all your data and photos.  These are typically stored on multiple drives to prevent lose.

If you have videos or photos to share give us a ring, we’d be delighted to enjoy them too!

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Your Signing Baby Is A Genius ~ Chris

Posted on June 6, 2018 by chris

I don’t have a lot to say on this topic so I’m going to keep this short.  Many parents are going to give you flack for teaching your baby go sign.  Why?  Well, if a parent doesn’t sign and you do, it’s going to make them feel uncomfortable and uneasy.  For all but the most confident of people, it’s going to make them feel like lesser parents.  Now, I’m not saying all parents are going to try to take you down a notch, but there will be enough to necessitate a warning.  Just ignore these folks, but also be watchful for their spiteful and competitive words, as sometimes they might appear benign – but only on the scratch.  Deep down, all parents have a bit of a competitive drive to success against other parents – it’s just in our nature as parents to do what’s best for our kids.  Further to this, parents have a need to conform, except that certain parents might feel foolish signing with their kids or think it’s too hard to do so they prematurely give up.

Second, signing does not aim, nor will it produce, genius babies.  Signing is a fun thing to do with your baby which uncovers communication skills and abilities that your baby already possesses.  While some parents feel comfortable waiting months and even years to talk to their baby and learn about their interests, wants and needs, signing parents want to know right now!  This shows more about the connectivity desires of a parent than anything else.  Signing parents are driven to learn specifically about their babies on a more intimate level.  Yes, parents can connect without words, but you must ask yourself why these parents reject such an easily incorporated skill from their lives.  I feel that there is a fundamental difference between a signing parent and one who doesn’t sign – especially one who knows about signing, but does not employ it for one reason or another.

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Teach The Sign For HELP If Nothing Else To A Toddler ~ Chris

Posted on May 30, 2018 by chris

When my son was about 20 months old, his most common sign, by far, and most helpful was the sign for HELP.  We used a common modification to ASL to teach it.  The real ASL sign is complicated and involves dropping the hand with fist clenched thumb extended upward onto the other hand and then raising both upwards together.  This is hard for a baby to do and while a toddler might master it easier, a better sign was adapted.  The modified baby sign for HELP is done simply by patting the chest with open palms.

After trying for some time to teach the real ASL version without success, I switched to the baby sign adapted version and my son took to it immediately.  At first your baby is going to be pretty easy going and happy to just sit and watch what others are doing around him, but as he grows older and more capable he’ll want to join in.  As he’s trying to get the hang of things his desires will outstrip his capabilities and this is where frustration will set in.  This is the crucial time where you should take action and teach the sign.

So when you see that your baby is getting upset trying to do something teach the sign for HELP.  Repeat it just as many times as you need to have it be associated with getting assistance.  If you’re keen on teaching during this time frame, also teach the sign for FRUSTRATED which is done by bringing the back of the hand swiftly toward the face.  Think about running your head into a brick wall as you do it!  Your baby might move his open palm to his face rather than the back of his hand, but as long as you know what he’s saying, this is fine.

After both signs are fairly well understood, you’re going to want to break things down into a logical sequence.  You want your baby to tell you 1) That he’s FRUSTRATED by signing it and 2) That he wants HELP.  Remember that not all instances will warrant helping.  There will be times when your baby and toddler will want to figure things out for themselves.  This is the time to ask if your baby wants help.  Other times you might want to offer help from afar, recognize your baby’s frustration and encourage him to work through it on his own.  Being too attentive can create a dependency so be cautious.  Stay just slightly behind your toddler, letting him lead the way through tasks so as to build his confidence.  Breaking through previous milestones and tasks is what creates self esteem in children, not in general avoidance of frustration!  Keep this in mind as you use these two very important toddler signs.

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Signing Backwards ~ Chris

Posted on May 23, 2018 by chris

When showing signs your baby might copy you so closely that he actually does the mirror image of what you do.  Incidentally this will be incorrect, but also not a big deal so long as you understand what the sign means.

Take the sign for LION by example which is done by drawing the hand over the top of the head symbolizing the lion’s main.  My son did the sign by drawing his hand forward, the exact way he’d see me do it.  From his perspective you draw your hand away from him, so he does the same and draws his hand forward instead of backwards!  If your baby does this, you know he’s really paying attention.

If you really concerned about this (and you probably shouldn’t) always be sure to model the correct sign.  Next you might sit to his side and do the sign again several times.  Next, correct your baby by moving his hands for him (called physical prompting).  If your baby shows resistance to this, then don’t bother.  In the end, it’s really not all the important.  If you plan to continue with signing into your child’s early years then eventually he’ll figure out the right way of doing things on his own or you’ll be able to explain how the sign is really done verbally.

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Signing Manners ~ Courtney

Posted on May 16, 2018 by chris

I’m such a proud mama right now!  I just put my son to bed, and as we were going through our nightly routine, he burped.  He proceeded to move his blankets out of the way and sign EXCUSE ME for the first time!  Not yet two years old and such a polite boy already.

He learned the sign, which involves brushing the bent fingers of the dominant hand forward along the open palm and fingers of the other hand.  I taught it to him and used it when either he or I were a little gassy.  He knew the sign to see it and would use it when prompted after a burp or toot, but tonight was the first time he did it independently!  I’m always excited when he masters a new sign or says a new word, but this one made me especially proud.

He learned THANK YOU at 14 months, PLEASE at 15 months, and YOU’RE WELCOME at 18 months.  I just love that he uses his manners so well already and it’s all thanks to signing!

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