From the moment we started feeding Declan food thru baby led weaning, I started using American Sign Language with him. I had taken two years in college and my sister had done a few years herself. I had seen friends use it with their babies at meals and they recommended it a bunch to help lessen the eating time tantrums. And that is huge. If all you do with your baby is some meal time signs, you will be grateful. We had two weeks where screaming and screeching were commonplace at meals and then thankfully, they clicked and he started understanding and doing them back and the meal tantrums stopped!
I did further research and I love that site too for the baby sign dictionary of descriptions and videos. It doesn't prevent them from speaking earlier and actually helps expand their vocabulary. They can sign way earlier than pronouncing lots of sounds, so it is so exciting to be able to communicate before they can walk.
We love watching Baby Signing Time and Signing Time videos with Rachel, Alex, Leah and Hopkins (Andy's personal favorite character). Declan is a pro at turning on the DVD player and asks often to watch more than his allowed amount of Signing Time. He doesn't care about much else on tv, but loves his Rachel. And man, do they help! In the last week he has started immediately doing signs (often his own versions of signs but pretty close!)
For awhile he has signed all done, more, milk, water, eat, bye bye, dog (Croix).
But in the last few weeks the list has grown a ton to hat, wash hands, clothes, ball, brush teeth, blanket, airplane, bath, shoes, please, thank you, fish and lots of animals. Horse and Chicken were two new ones I caught on video! And Greg MacLeod, this one is for you! TRAIN
He understands a lot more too: wait, no, doll, stop, music, baby signing time.
Top signs we are working on though are the being nice signs... Nice, share, friend, take turns, etc. We'll get there! Right now he doesn't like to share, likes to smack and box kids out... Just a stage I hope.. right?
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