What are sign approx-imations? Well, just like your baby is not going to have perfect articulation when she begins to speak, her signs will not be perfect either. Some signs are easier to create than others. That is, they don’t require a lot of fine motor control. However, your baby will likely not do any signs exactly like you do when she is first starting out.
A lot of parents choose to begin with the sign for MORE. It’s fairly easy to create this sign and it’s handy to know when your baby wants more food, more playing, and more tickles! With our son, MORE was initially just his hands coming together. As his fine motor skills developed, it became more refined. Some babies approximate the sign by touching one hand with the index finger of their other hand. It’s not important that your baby do any sign perfectly, just that she and you understand what she is signing.
Many of Holden’s signs looked alike at one point. Although an outside observer might wonder which was which, he meant something different each time he signed and his dad and I knew what he meant. That’s all that matters!
Although your baby will approximate many signs, your job as a signing parent is simply to model the correct sign whenever you say the word and your baby will follow suit when she is ready and able!