The peak for baby sign is somewhere in the 8-12 month range. Some babies can sign back at 6 months, or even 4 months, but then again some sign back later at around 14 or even 16 months in rare cases. Like everything, babies are variable in their abilities and interest in signing. Most follow predictable patterns though, but you shouldn’t be discouraged if your baby is a late bloomer.

In fact most babies are developmentally normal when it comes to communication. Only 1 in 10 children have any sort of language delays so chances are excellent that your baby is fine. If you think your baby might be experiencing a delay you should absolutely consult an expert and get a professional opinion. However, signing, or not signing is not a determining factor in language delay. It however, might be an early indicator. You should also consult a professional before introducing sign language to a child who is suspect of having communication issues primarily because sign could interfere with verbal speech. In some cases, signs have been used successfully with children with autism and ADHD, but these are case specific and only a professional speech pathologist can recommend one course of action over another.

Always give your child some time to develop at their own pace.

Some causes for concern.

If your baby is not responding at all to sounds or is not vocalizing they should be examined by a professional. Aside from the list below, listen to your instincts as they will usually tell you that something is wrong.

Between 12 and 24 months
– Is not using simple gestures like pointing or waving bye-bye
– Prefers to use gestures (not necessarily signs) to vocalizations
– Has difficulty copying sounds
– Doesn’t follow simple verbal commands such as “Come to Momma.”
– Doesn’t say any words clearly at 18 months
– Does not combine words such as “More juice.”

Between 24 and 36 months
– Does not produce words or phrases independently, only copies others.
– Repeats certain sounds and words and doesn’t use language to communicate more than immediate needs.
– Can’t not follow simple instructions
– Caregivers can’t understand more than fifty percent of child’s speech
– Child has an unusual or raspy tone
– Does not ask questions or respond to them with “yes” or “no.”
– Speech is mostly incomprehensible by strangers

Where to go from here

Rarely is the cause of speech and language issues truly known and rather than harp on this, a professional is likely to suggest a proactive approach. First, book an appointment with your doctor and have them make out a referral to see a speech and language pathologist. They’ll probably run a few tests to evaluate the needs of your child and whether a problem truly exists. More than likely this will involve a hearing test. Ruling this out, you’ll probably be recommended specific tasks and activities.

Among them are reading more often to your child, using correct grammar and pronunciation, encouraging repetition and using shorter sentences with simpler words. They’ll probably tell you to model proper speech instead of focusing on corrective measures. You might also be recommended individual therapy based on the extent of the delay based on your child’s age and other factors. In certain cases, sign language is recommended. Thankfully, you’re already all over this!

The simple answer is just as many as you want! There’s no right or wrong way to teach baby sign language and there are certainly no right amount of signs to teach. Nor are there too many signs. While we talk more about this in the sign course, overwhelming your child is not a huge concern.

So as you begin, start with the main words that have meaning to your child, the things that happen ever day and the things that will make your life easier. I offer some suggestions and techniques in the online course. My son signed 180 words well before he was 2-years-old and that’s not because we forced him to sign. In fact, we just signed whenever our boy showed interested in talking about something. It came to the point where he would look at something, point to it and appear wanting of a sign. This made things really easy for us. After your baby learns enough signs, they can be easily and effortlessly added, which puts the onus on you to continue his learning. That means his instructor (you) will be the deciding factor as to the number of signs your baby will eventually learn.

As for a minimum, I say sign 20 and see how that goes. Keep in mind that the first one is the most difficult, the next probably equally so, if not a bit easier. Once your baby has mastered 10 or so, the next bunch come really easy. Once you’ve got 30 or more, things become second nature. After 100 signs, your baby is a grand master signer and he can add signs as if it was common sense (which it is).

The take-away message is that you should teach just as many signs as you want. While there are many benefits to signing, and these should provide some motivation, signing is about connecting with your baby on a more meaningful level much sooner than you could otherwise. If you aren’t having fun signing, then don’t push it – take a break and if you feel up for it, add some more signs later on.