Baby Sign Language - just got my kit in the mail!

[Mrs P]

I'm super excited to try this out - wondering if anyone has had success with it? I am thinking it's going to be a case of "repeat.. repeat.. repeat" ha ha. But even if we can get DD using a few simple signs like "eat drink bed bath more all-done" - that would be awesome!
I had been thinking about getting the kit for a while but couldn't justify it, then they had a sale following the floods in QLD Bad for them, but good for me I guess - got the kit, including postage, for under $30.

[*Twinkle*]

I used it with Gemma when she was a bub/toddler. Just basic signs: food, drink, toilet. But it was more makiton sign. She caught on super quick and it is so much fun! And when you are out and about and need to ask about toilet, you can just sign it to her! It is awesome! Good luck!

[HotI]

i am doing it now, mainly just "milk", "enough" and "more" for now, focussing on "milk" cos that is a fav and most relevant to my DD. She has copied my sign a few times but has stopped again.

[onthefly]

We did baby sign with DS - absolutely wonderful thing. I started on my own at around 6 months (got a book from the library), just with a few basic signs - milk, eat, drink, mummy, daddy. The key is to stick with it - and that's hard at first because it can take a while for them to really get it. It helps if everyone in contact with you and your baby also do it.
I think DS started signing at 8 months - milk. We started doing a class at around 9 months, which helped to reinforce our efforts a bit. By 14-15 months he had around 70 signs and he learnt some more after that but I stopped counting. He didn't really start talking till 18-20 months or so, but he could communicate really, really well, even stringing together signs (and later the odd word) to tell us things from around 10 months.
Some worried that this would stunt his language development, but if that's so, then I'd hate to see what he'd be like if we hadn't done signing. He is a total, complete chatterbox now and stopped all the signs long ago.
I plan to do it again with DD.

[nickle730]

Mrs P, I'd like to try it with my DD. Where did you get your kit from? That sounds cheap!

[Mrs P]

The kit says bubs can't really sign themselves until after 8 months, but I think I will try doing just a few now to get used to it - I think 'milk' 'bath' 'bed' and 'cat' (because we have two cats!) would be good. Great to hear some success stories

Nickle730 - I got the kit from Baby Signs Australia ("Complete Baby Signing Kit") - they had a post-flood sale and I'm not sure if they have any left at the sale price. Normal price is $59. But you can get it for around $45 from the Book Depository UK (google it) with free postage.

[onthefly]

I understand that they have the dexterity to do it once they're able to clap

[Mrs P]

Oooh ok MadB - that would make sense! I was doing the cat sign to her when DH got home, and he was like "what are you doing? smoking something?" - pretty funny as the cat sign does look a little like that ha ha...