Any good book on Baby Signs?

[dnarula]

Which book will you recommend to buy for learning baby signs? Are these books worth the price and time spent on?

Thanks in advance for suggestions.

[BabyMine]

We didn't use books but used signing time DVDs. http://www.signingtime.com/index.php?osCsid=c08caa2a8487c206dea2b46b2722fb3f

We rented them from the library. They also have sheets from the website to print out for free.

[brittone2]

I learned most of the ones I know and use from my working days in early intervention but this site is awesome (and a great free resource!)

http://commtechlab.msu.edu/Sites/aslweb/browser.htm

It is nice to someone *doing* the signs.

Some baby sign books use modified sign language forms, others use ASL. Kids just adapt ASL signs to make them easier to do with their not as coordinated hands on their own anyway, and I'm fine w/ that.

[kayte]

Well, I checked out every baby signing book there is through my library and ILL... As far as books go, I liked the Monica Beyer books the best. They use ASL instead of modified signs.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592332730/ref=cm_pdp_arms_dp_1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1585425176/ref=cm_pdp_arms_dp_2

I wound up photo copying some of the pages and cutting them up and taping them around the house so DH and I could remember to sign in the very beginning. (like on the doors (open, door, outside) and in the bathroom (toothbrush, bathe, clothes, towel). In addition I had some questions early on and I emailed the author and she was very quick and helpful in her reply.

I had this one in my diaperbag for reference

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Sign-Language-Basics-Communication/dp/1401921604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233106859&sr=1-1

And also found the songs section of this one good (from the same author as the one directly above)

http://www.amazon.com/Sign-Sing-Play-Signing-Activities/dp/1401907679/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233106941&sr=1-5


When DD was older and we did tv, we watched (AND still do ) Signing Time. Love Ms> RAchel and we sing and sign to her CDs now.

As a resource for me (because DD asks for new signs pretty often) I use this website
http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi

Good luck with the signing. I truly think it's one of the best things we have done for DD.

Also here is listing from WorldCat from searching baby + sign .... You can use it to find the OCLC numbers of any books you might want but your library doesn't have holdings.

http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=worldcat_org_all&q=baby+sign

[deannanb]

joseph garcia is another author who does ASL
http://tinyurl.com/b5jnbv

we also still love signing times

[jent]

joseph garcia is another author who does ASL
http://tinyurl.com/b5jnbv

we also still love signing times


We used the Garcia set too-- would definitely recommend it.

[jgenie]

Would starting at 1 year be too late?

[brittone2]

Would starting at 1 year be too late?

No way :) It is likely they are building the connections that will help make verbal words come easier. I also found it helped w/ communication a lot...they could sign more words than they actually said for a while. That would probably be true through at least 18 months for many kids.

For some kids it can also help avoid so much melting down because toddler speak is sometimes hard to understand. If I saw them sign and say something simultaneously, it was easier to figure out what they wanted :love-retry: It helped make everyone feel happier :D Sometimes anyway :wink2:

[dnarula]

Thanks everyone for their time and responses.

Appreciate it. All this will be helpful for sure.

[AnnieW625]

Baby Signs by Linda Acredolo is the original Baby Signs book. She pretty much created the program, which started when she was raising her children in the 80s/90s. She is professor of child development at UC Davis. My daughter never really picked up signing, but it was still a nice book to have (and it was fun to see the kids I was a nanny for highlighted in the book).

I know that there is also a program that predates Acredolo's baby signs by the American Sign Language Institute, but it is referenced in her book.