Imagine being able to talk to your baby and know he understands everything you’re saying. Now imagine he starts answering back. Sounds impossible? Then you can’t have heard about baby signing.

What is baby signing?

“Baby signing is the use of simple gestures to help facilitate and teach babies communication skills in the pre-verbal stage,” explains baby sign teacher Louise Gibbs, from Baby Signing Mummy (www.babysigningmummy.com). Babies learn how to use gestures in communication before they can actually speak. Just think of your baby waving “bye bye” or lifting his arms up for a cuddle. When you keep this in mind, it’s not surprising that your baby is able to use sign language to tell you what he wants.

How does it work?

Babies are very good at picking up on gestures we use in every day communication. If you use a certain sign every time you say a certain word, such as “milk” or “food”, your baby will begin to associate the word and sign. “Once you begin using these signs, you’ll start to see improvements in levels of frustration before your baby can even sign back,” says Louise. “If a baby is hungry and crying, and mum signs ‘milk’, the baby will often stop crying and get excited as they realise their mum has understood them.”

Natalie started doing baby signing with her son when he was just 10 weeks old. “My son signed his first word to his Daddy at the age of 6 months, when he used the sign for ‘milk’ after his bath. It was as if he was saying ‘hurry up Daddy, I’m hungry!’” Natalie’s son is now 20 months old and has a signing vocabulary of around 60 to 70 words, including ones like ‘more’, ‘dog’ and ‘aeroplane’.

“I really feel that baby signing has built his confidence and self-esteem”, says Natalie. “It’s strengthened our bond together and he knows that I understand him and can respond to his needs without having to play guessing games.”

What age can you start baby signing?

You can begin using signs with your baby whenever you like. In fact, some parents take their little ones to classes at just 8-10 weeks old. “A baby of this age won’t be developmentally ready to sign back,” explains Louise, “but it gives the parents time to learn and get used to using the signs.” By 7-9 months, you will be more likely to see your baby starting to use certain signs himself, but as with any developmental stage, all babies are different so some may pick it up sooner while others may take a little longer.

What should you expect from a class?

Baby signing classes are packed full of fun. They often use stories, puppets, music and songs to interact with the babies and keep them interested. “At Baby Signing with Mummy classes, the tutor will have a theme for the week and teach the parents and babies the signs to go with that theme,” explains Louise.

Carrie began going to classes when her baby was just 12 weeks old. “I wanted to find a group to meet other mums, doing an activity that both my baby and I could enjoy. At first I found it a little embarrassing, but now I love it.” And when she found out about all the benefits of baby signing, Carrie was even more enthusiastic. “It helps to develop speech and language, hand and eye co-ordination, eye contact and body awareness. I think it’s been well worth going to the classes – and I’ve also met some lovely new friends too.”

Recommended reads:

• Baby sleep patterns from 0-12 months
• Bathing your new baby
• How routines can help your baby sleep
• Nappies: disposable versus fabric
• An introduction to weaning