Baby Talk

Amazing baby!! Congratulations

intriguing early communication skills. seems a pleasant experience for parents and child, as well as expressive.

Maybe I'm just feeling contrary today, but does anyone know if there are any disadvantages to teaching a child this young to sign. The kid certainly seems happy enough, and I get that giving them this ability saves them from the frustration of not being able to communicate, but I sort of have a nagging feeling that this kind of fast-tracking might be robbing kids of something. What, exactly, I don't know.

A more pertinent question is how much can the average parent -- one with a job to work and errands to complet and maybe other kids to watch over -- expect to wind up with a kid like we're seeing here. I'd actually like to see some explanation in this pod about how much time you spend in training, and whether an average kid could be expected to be as "articulate" as this child.

With all that said, this is still pretty fascinating. Could stand some trimming, but I still gotta give it a GL.

very interesting - GL

Please check out the Pod:

Any Dad2

very interesting, and yes, truly amazing baby! I would have liked to have seen less of your daughter signing though and more explaining of what you actually wrote in your short pod description - i didn't feel I understood quite enough about the link of being able to express feelings more easily because you can sign at an early age. feels like a bit of a jump, though I sense there is a lot of truth there and am inclined to believe it. Maybe to that extent and to alleviate fears of future disadvantages also, interviewing someone older who was taught to sign at an early age would really add a lot to the piece. You also seem very dedicated to your daughter, I would have loved to have heard more about your experience as DanPersons says below. You must have spent hours on this. had never heard about this, thanks for letting us all know. your dedication is inspiring. Eleni

Great! I have some freinds who're also teaching their child sign language along w/spoken language. GL!

I want to thank everyone for his or her comments. This is my first pod and I’m finding them helpful! I wasn’t sure if I should focus on included more details/information and statistics or if I should show more signs. Also, Dan, first, thank you for the GL and second, I understand your concern about ‘are we fast-tracking’ them. I could have addressed this more in my video. We have to realize that the trends in raising children are always evolving. In the past, our grandparents never took our parents to play and music classes; they would have viewed this as unnecessary. A generation later our parents realized the benefit of exposing babies to music and rhymes. I guess our generation is finally realizing that babies are capable of more than we have previously thought.

Infants are able to think and communicate and make choices long before they can talk. This is where the use of sign language comes in. It is not about pushing them to be smarter it is just giving them a tool to help them communicate their needs. It is also fairly simple to do and doesn’t involve a huge time commitment. You start by teaching them one or two signs and once they realize that everything has a sign they pick new ones up easily. It is just a matter of when you are giving them food and asking if they want more to also make the sign while you say ‘more’. You also don’t need to have a background in ASL because you are just taking specific signs from the language.

I just want to get the word out there that this is an easy option that parents have to help their baby be able to communicate their needs and wants. As parents, we often spend time reading to our children and teaching them words for specific things why not add sign language into the teaching moments you spend with your child? Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address some of these concerns. You've given me things to think about adding in my next pod! :) Laura

Very informative and very Cute POD Thank you for posting this I guess there is a lot to learn down the road for me. A few sugestions to make your video even better. I am originally from another country thus I believe your pod could benefit if you could add some subtitles. Sometimes you speak a bid fast and for people in a different country this could be difficult besides this is the internet (reaches all the world not just the US) and many millions of people speack spanish, French and Mandarin. GL for your amaizing work and hope you can see my film add when you get some time.

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This little girl should be in the movies! I love it because she is using ASL signs. What a wonderful opportunity to bond with her. This is exciting!

This is a very informative piece. I didn't know kids that young could learn to sign. GL.

What a wonderful video! I'm so excited to start using signing with my daughter when she's a wee bit older (she's only 7 wks now). I only hope she's as cute as the girl in the video! :-)

I LOVE IT!
As a parent who signs with my own babies, a teacher of infant sign language, and author of two books on the subject, I have to say that this is by far the best bit of video I have yet seen of a mother and child signing together. It is DEFINETLY good enough for TV!: )
To the gentleman who was wondering if this is a "fast tracking" of babies, maybe stressing them out in some way perhaps, I would like to clarify just a couple fo things:
Although the mother in the video is asking her daughter to do sign after sign, this is only for the purpose of the video, to show others how much a child of this age is capable of.
When teaching the signs to her daughter, she would have simply done it in the same way parents teach children to talk-- in other words, by just naturally using signs during every day situations, playtime, story time, etc. We never force memorization or "recitation" of signs or "quiz the baby. It works best to use the child's interest as a guide for which signs to teach. For example, if the baby loves to see the cat, sign CAT when the cat comes into the room. If they love AIRPLANES, get all excited and say and sign AIRPLANE when you see one.
I hope that clears up any worries about "fast tracking": ) For more info, there are a lot of books on the subject. Check on Amazon or at the library.

Monta Briant
Sign2Me Presenter, San Diego
Author: "Baby Sign Language Basics" and "Sign, Sing, and Play!"
monta@babysignlanguage.net
www.babysignlanguage.net

We did some signing with our daughter. She was able to communicate long before she could "talk"

To Dan, yes you can do it, not as extensively as a full time teacher/parent working with one child can, and our daughter was not able to actually sign, (not at all now, we didn't keep it up) but she was able to communicate her basic needs before she could do it orally.

We are working on with our son in the same way, and while he's far more verbal than she was he's able to give us some basics (like milk).

What I find most interesting about signing with babies is like with "regular language" they sign with their own language. Our daughter's sign for “more” was off, but she knew what it meant and we learned it, much in the way you would understand that "baba" means bottle.

As far as I can tell, from an educator's perspective teaching ASL is like teaching any other language, there is zero drawback.

This pod is pedagogically right on

She is soooo adorable. Great subject...and I'll definitely being doing my own research on this...or you could do it for me...needs some dots connected for me. I would have loved seeing her in a situation where she was communicating without your asking...like her wanting something, but honestly, I could have watched her forever. How old was she when you started? GL.

Great job!
NICEinterpreter :)

One more little comment from Monta Briant--
To anyone who wonders if this is stressful to the baby-- Just look at this baby's face! Have you ever seen a happier, more relaxed little one? The bond this mother and child have is sooo beautiful. That is actually the best benefit to be gained by signing with your baby-- having two-way communication at such an early age deepens the loving bond between parent and child beyond measure. Being able to ask for a diaper change or cheese is just a nice bonus!: )
Also-- do you see how many of the words this child actually can say as she signs them? She is very advanced verbally, for her age. And what about that being able to spell CAT? Whoa!!!! How many one-year olds do you know who can spell?!

Monta Briant
Sign2Me Presenter, San Diego
Author: "Baby Sign Language Basics" and "Sign, Sing, and Play!"

monta@babysignlanguage.net
www.babysignlanguage.net

Very cool video, great job!
Helen Baggaley

CUTE!

She's sooo cute! GL.

a little long, but I liked it overall. GL.

I think children are much smarter than given credit for. They can learn too. Gl!

Wow, this is a fabulous video! We used signs from American Sign Language with both of our babies who are now 2 & 3 years old. Your video really captured how easy and fun it is for both the mom & the baby. We are still benefiting from signing with our kids because it seems to cut down on the frustration that often comes when toddlers are not yet able to clearly & verbally communicate what they want to say. I am so impressed with your video and with the obvious & happy bond between you and your daughter!

Darlene Underwood
Graceful Expressions: Signing with Style
www.signingwithstyle.com

This is an awesome video! I taught my daughter sign language when she was a baby and now she is 17 years old graduating a year early is in the top 10 of her graduating class and has already been accepted to a state university.
If interested in learning more signs for your baby check out the following website:
www.weehands.com
Jenny Powley, Mesquite, Texas USA

the baby is the cutest thing ever! it's a little long, but I love the subject matter. gL.

You have done such a great job demonstrating how wonderful baby sign language can be! Your daughter is too cute- and so clever. You and your little one have done a fabulous job dispelling several myths and I am so impressed by her manual alphabet!!! :) Great job- Keep up the good work!
You make us all proud!
Ashlea Weber
SmallTalk Academy
www.SmallTalkAcademy.com

You have done such a great job demonstrating how wonderful baby sign language can be! Your daughter is too cute- and so clever. You and your little one have done a fabulous job dispelling several myths and I am so impressed by her manual alphabet!!! :) Great job- Keep up the good work!

Hi Neghie,

Thank you for your GL :)

It is harder to catch her spontaneously asking for things on video because I don't always have the camera running and it is hard enough getting babies to 'perform' on camera :)

However, I do have a video that I put on You Tube of her when she was 1 and during the video you can see her spontaneously ask for water and at the end when I am talking you can see her signing for cheerios (she signs the letter ‘o’ for cheerios).

Here is the link, I hope you enjoy!
link

It's a very interesting vidio, can't wait until my child starts signing. Thank you

Jessie

Very educational and a great video; the baby is really cute too.

Excellent video. Quite amazing how much children remember at such a young age. They truly are like little sponges.

great. GL.

Cuuute! GL. Didn't know kids could do that. wow.

I don't know why all parents aren't doing this with their children! It is not hard and we learned how in a matter of hours. It is such a special time to share with your child. Thanks for showing the world this wonderful gift.
Aunt Gigi
PS-Aren't those the Sign2Me Flash Cards she is playing with? They are wonderful and how nice to see real ASL signs used with people having 5 fingers and not "4" like some materials that I have seen!!!

Excellent information and the video really supports the facts! Best wishes in getting this information out!! Keep us posted, and your daughter is precious! Good for you!
Cindy, A SIGN of Love!

What a beautiful video! It just goes to show you that teaching your baby to communicate with signs just makes sense!

Lori-Ann McLeod
Little Wonders Signing

Completely incredible and touching.
GL!


,V,,

i really love this pod. it's full of great material and so well presented. GL!!!!

Great content. Your child is wonderfully responsive.
Have you considered assembling some sort of instructional video for new parents? Greenlight.
I have a spec ad that isn't nearly as informative, but you may have an appreciation for it nonetheless. Check it out if you have a moment: link

Gl GL GL!

This is sooo great. My kids will surely be signing. She is so smart for her age. Shes a beautiful baby too.

This is sooo great. My kids will surely be signing. She is so smart for her age. Shes a beautiful baby too.

Wow, wow, wow!! So well-explained and