Baby Signing is very popular these days. Just be careful what signs you are teaching, directly of indirectly. Actually, my niece Hayley is very proficient at signing. Especially, the sign for more…If you ask me, just hire a nanny that can speak so that you don’t need to learn how to sign..
Baby Sign involves using sign language to communicate with infants and toddlers. Children of an early age have a desire to communicate their needs and wishes, but lack the ability to do so clearly. This often leads to frustration and tantrums. In some cases children actually start to learn to speak, only to lose that ability once their larynx descends. Hand-eye coordination is easier than the coordination of speech, which requires coordinating the lips, tongue, breath, and vocal chords simultaneously. By using simple signs for common words such as "eat", "sleep", "more", "hug", "play", "cookie", "teddy bear", etc., infants can learn to express their needs before they are able to produce comprehensible speech.
Babies in Deaf families, immersed in a signing environment, use simple signs from as early as 6 weeks. It has been estimated that 90% of a baby's linguistic observations are observations of interactions between others, not interactions between self and others. It follows, then, that babies will strive towards the communication form they are immersed in, and use of sign among other family members is at least as important as use of sign to the baby, if early use of sign language is desired. Some parents feel that they don't have enough time to teach their baby sign language, but by using sign with each other in front of the baby, they will need to spend little time in actual instruction.
Use of Baby Sign is growing, but still not widespread. This is at least partially due to the fear that children who sign will not learn to speak properly later on. However, all available evidence suggests that hearing children who sign as infants go on to develop particularly rich spoken vocabularies, as well as a tendency to solve problems through communication rather than tantrums. They may also teach sign to younger siblings after they themselves have switched to speaking with their parents.
Baby Sign may be recommended by speech and occupational therapists for toddlers with developmental delays and speech difficulties due to physical disabilities other than hearing impairment. These children often have the mental ability necessary for language development, but are hampered by skeletal, muscular, or other limiting problems, such as hypotonia. Baby Sign allows them to communicate their needs despite their disabilities.
Parents who have some enthusiasm for sign language may already know the local adult signs for "eat", "sleep", "more", "play", but may find it more natural and productive to use simpler "baby" versions of these words. Some may gradually introduce adult signs as the infant grows. It is, however, common for parents to teach their babies non-simplified signs from adult sign language such as American Sign Language rather than specific Baby Sign.
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