Beginning signing question...

[sarahsthreads]

How long had you been signing with your DC and how old were they when they signed back?

I ask because I've been signing "milk" and "more" with Carrie for a couple of months now, and I totally didn't expect her to start signing back for at least another couple months, but last night and this morning I think she signed "milk". At least, she squeezed her fist twice and when I asked her if she wanted milk (and signed it) she made the sign again, spit out her binky and dove for my chest.

Is this just a fluke, or could she really be signing?

I'm just so excited - I ordered the first three volumes of Signing Time last night because we'd gotten the first one out of the library and it's like baby crack: Carrie gets all excited about the kids on the video and moves her hands around like she's trying to make the signs, and cries when it's over. (I'm just waiting for the day she signs "more" when it ends!) Unfortunately, it's popular enough that there's always a hold on it and I couldn't renew it, so we decided to splurge on our own copies.

Is there anything more I could/should be doing to encourage her, or do I just keep signing "more" and "milk" and maybe add in another sign or two? What signs should I try next?

Thanks!
Sarah :)

[Wife_and_mommy]

If you do a search you'll find some threads about signing. It is OH SO exciting, is it not? :) I'm sure she's definitely signing milk for you.

My dd learned milk really fast, did it a couple weeks, then stopped and never did it again. She was 8/9 months old. I started really signing at 9 months and it took until she was 13 months for her to catch on and sign. Her sign vocab now is about 10 words and I'm trying to learn some more to teach her. I've never seen the ST videos. Might have to check those out.

There are different schools of thought on whether to do one at a time or not so you'll have to decide which is right for you. I was shocked, though, when dd signed banana to me when I hadn't done the sign in like two weeks! It's truly so exciting to see such a young babe communicate with you without crying. :)

Sorry for the rambling but I get really excited about signing. And I don't even know that many words! :)

Next, you could add eat, music(if she likes it), dance, banana, all done, telephone. I'm sure you'll get more responses but enjoy! :)



Elizabeth

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Our second morsel due early February 2006!

[Karenn]

My DD just did her first sign about a month ago- at 8 months, so I think your DD could be signing. We sort of started showing her signs at 6 months, but honestly, we only really got serious about it at 8 months and she picked it up in a couple of days. She just signs "more" right now. We haven't devoted much time to signing these days, or I suspect she'd know more signs.

DS on the other hand, took much longer to start signing. We started signing with him pretty consistently at 6 months. We started the Signing Time videos around 9 months, and he finally started signing back at 11 months.

Just keep with it and you'll be amazed at how quickly she picks up the rest of the signs, especially with the Signing Time videos. I wouldn't worry too much about which sign to teach her next. If you're watching Signing Time, *she'll* pick which sign she learns next. :) I had certain signs that I did with DS, and he went and picked random signs from the video to be his first signs.

[murpheyblue]

We started signing with DD at 6 months and it took until she was about 9 months for her to sign back in a recognizable way. At about 12 months, she really started picking up signs at a rapid pace.

You'll love having your own copies of Signing Times. DD has consistently loved them since she was 6 motnhs old. They are a God send in our house.

I think you should just keep doing what you're doing. If you want to add a few more signs, I'd recommend mom and dad. :)

Great job!!

[jamsmu]

I'd say signs usually start around 8-9 months (that's pretty general) and then really take off around age one. You'll be amazed at how quickly they pick it up!

[KrisM]

We started signing at 6 months, but DS didn't sign back until just past 10 months. It was frustrating. We started with milk and more and just yesterday, he signed milk to us. So, that one took 8 months!

Since his first sign (more), he's added bath, shoes, water, eat, ball, all-done (very useful), milk, and I think Daddy. Daddy is just today. I'm still waiting for him to take off and learn a bunch like people say he will!

Congrats on getting the first sign. It's so exciting!

[aim]

We started signing around 6 months (maybe like 10 or 15 words) He did milk and more around 9 months for a couple of weeks and then stopped for a couple of months and then picked it up again and adds several words a week. IT is tons of fun seeing them "get" it

Amy
DS Bennett 1-14-04

[squimp]

I'd say she's definitely signing. And she most probably understands signs even if she can't do them, so keep up good work! DD signed milk at 7 months, and added several more soon after that. There was an explosion after a year.

And yes, signing times IS baby crack. "My timings, my timings!"

[mudder17]

We started around 7-8 months but only did more, eat, milk and water. She still hasn't done water, but it's partly because she communicates water in other ways (like bringing us her empty cup, LOL). Her first sign was more (more like she claps her hand) and then shortly after, she picked up milk/nursing. But it didn't really take off until more recently. But she's been mixing spoken words with signs and for some reason some of them she'll speak it or make a sound (quacks for a duck), but in others she'll do the sign. It's kind of funny.

Anyway, she now does more, milk (nursing), ball, bird, baby, book (just did this one yesterday), hat (not consistent), cat, dog (she pats and pants), and eat (finally!). She also understands the sign for sleep (she'll put her head down when DH signs it) and diaper. And she finally seems to be understanding Mommy and Daddy! DH has been doing those signs a lot. She might actually be learning to say Mama!

She doesn't do the sign for shoes, but she says shoes (her clearest spoken word, actually). This was her second word. Her first was cat. Like I might of implied, she's wierd. :)

For suggestions, our Towson Baby Signs study suggested the following technique, which we started doing when DD was around 11 months, I think. I think it really helped.

1) Do the sign and say it 5 times
2) Help her hands do the sign
3) Praise her, either verbally or with whatever she's signing

I think this is what really helped Kaya understand "more" although for the longest time, she was doing it only for food. She's only just starting to figure out it can mean more of anything. It's also when she finally figured out that food/eat has a separate sign. Coincidentally (?), she's also only started to request the Signing Times DVD, although she still doesn't watch it for more than about 10 minutes. She doesn't watch any other TV.

Good luck and most of all, have fun!

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah

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[ilovetivo]

we just started too. is starting w/ 4-5 words too much?

[kellij]

Where did you all get signing times? My ds is just 6 months old, but I definitely want to teach him signs. Anyway, this is the first I've heard of the video, but it sounds great.

[ohiomom]

Signing is fantastic. DD is 23 months and still picking up signs. She is just having a language explosion, but it's hard to understand what she is saying a lot of the time. When she signs the word while talking I can then understand what she is saying, so it is still paying off hugely for us. She still loves her Signing Time dvds and watches them several times a week.

Nicole's Mom 7/03
Joshusa 5/05 ^|^

[Karenn]

[www.signingtime.com]

I think they sell the videos at target.com too.

[kath68]

The one thing that drives me *nutso* about Signing Time is that darned theme song. There is nothing wrong with it per se, but it is constantly stuck in my head! I'm at work, minding my own business, and boom! I'm humming that darned song. "Signing time with Aaaalex and Leeeeaaaahhh....Come and play" Aaaaaaagh :)

We only recently started with the DVD -- at 14 mos. We half-heartedly worked on signs before that. It is hard b/c DS is at day care during the week, so our consistency wasn't what it should be.

He is captivated by the DVD for about 20 minutes, then he moves on. We had only been working on the "eat" sign really consistently before, but it was the video that made it click for him.

He already had several spoken words when we started the ST videos, but I think they are good for language development generally.