Chapter summary

– Instead of overwhelming yourself and your baby just start with 5-10 signs and add more when baby starts to sign back.
– Signing can be added to any routine and is no different than how any parent would talk to their baby throughout the day.
– Most babies are ready to sign around the 10 month mark, but some can sign as early as 6 months.
– Babies give off clues when they are ready to sign such as reaching for objects, shaking their head for yes or no, or waving, or might even copy gestures.
– A baby will understand spoken words (receptive language) before they sign them on their own (expressive language).
– Babies move through three stages of signing, “copying” where they simply mirror signs back, “associating” where a baby can label something in front of them, and “requesting” where baby asks for something that is not present.
– From initial exposure to signs, to signing back, varies by baby and age. The younger the baby, the longer it will take for them to sign back.
– First signs will usually first appear as sign approximations which are imprecise imitations of the correct sign. This is normal and to be expected.
– Signing parents should bring caregivers up to speed on which signs their baby knows and which they are learning to avoid frustration.
– Have fun with signing, if you aren’t, you’re doing it wrong!