Baby Sign Language Thread #3

[*Ali*]

Cadan did a straining face today and my sister asked him if he was doing a poo and he did the potty sign! He did it a few times after when I asked him if he needed the potty so he definitely knows what it is. All I need now if for him to start doing it before the event.

[Khalam's Mama]

I spoke to a speech therapist yesterday at our local play group and asked about signing. She said it only delays speech if you stop talking and sign instead but shouldn't if you are still talking to baby as much as if you weren't signing. That's good news.

[Jiinx]

hey guys
Anyone know the sign for "dirty" or "vacuum cleaner"

[Chicane]

Hey Sarah

The Americans do dirty with palm facing down under chin and wiggling fingers. The brits do it by rubbing flat palms together. We do a scrunched up nose and a shake of the head. check out these links
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/dirty
http://www.itvbabysign.com/video-sign-guide

Don't know about vacuum cleaner...we dont have carpet so don't have one...you could hold your hand in a c shape and push (like you were pushing the vacuum cleaner?)

I am looking for something for pasta...anyone got anything?

x

[*Ali*]

Here is pasta Chicane.
http://www.bda.org.uk/Pasta-i-251.html
Sorry couldn't find vacuum. But I agree it would make sense to just mine using one.
My BSL teacher (only level 1 - I'm rubbish) used to rub the back of his other hand for dirty. I think there are regional variations just to complicate things.

Cadan is now consistently doing more, potty, thankyou, bath and eat (his favourite). I never seems to stop doing eat. I'm sure sometimes he uses it as a delaying tactic when I say we have to go to bed. Makes me feel like he is always hungry poor boy. 

[Chicane]

thanks Ali,

Isaac keeps confusing thank you with blowing kisses...very cute.

He's got so many new signs coming everyday I can't keep up. Going to write a list in my diary of what he's got so far.

Is anyone finding that it gets hard to decipher some of the signs LO does...ie. some of the signs are quite similar and Isaac doesn't yet have the hand control for them all...so for example sometimes I can't tell if he is doing more or fork...kwim?

[*Ali*]

We don't really have that many signs for them to be getting confused yet. Just what I listed above that Cadan does plus drink and sleep I think. And I introduced egg today. I also do pee pee and poop but not that much.
Funny about the blowing kisses. Cadan looks like he smacks himself in the mouth rather than pulling his hand away! And he says "ta" with it so I know what the sign means anyway.

[Jiinx]

Thanks Danni, Ali

I do the backwards C and just move it back and forth Great minds

Thanks for the dirty! oo and thanks for pasta!

My lo can't do most signs properly. Butterfly she almost does like a bear but she moves her fingers up and down so I know she means that. She does shoes like more and she does more clapping At least we know what they mean Sometimes she makes a sign that I don't even know what she's trying to say. eeps.

[lchuynh]

Yay, finally! About 3 weeks ago I showed DS the sign for "cracker" and he did it straight back to me (only he does it by pointing and tapping his wrist with his index finger). Since then he has been consistently signing it when I ask him if he wants a cracker. He now signs "milk" when I say milk, and "hat" if I say it too. And he gives me a high five when I ask for it. So it's all coming along, although I do a bunch of signs consistently but he doesn't do them yet. I guess when he is ready he will, but I feel so much more motivated now

Thanks, ladies. Every time someone updates this thread I am so eager to read who LOs are progressing - really encouraging!

Lien

[Chicane]

Hey Lien! That's great news....how cool is it? I found that once he got those first few signs it really took off. Now i notice when I show him a new thing in a book he really concentrates on the sign I an doing and tries to do it almost straight away. He doesn't remember them straight away, of course, but it doesn't take long.

I will often modify a sign to make it easier for him. So, for example the sign for toast was a bit hard si i changed it to sliding a my right palm across my left...make sense?

We are doing a mix of American, British and Australian signs and a few i've made up!

[timmysmommy]

Hi ladies!  I'm hoping to join you!  We starting signing about a month ago.  I like to pretend he does the sign for more, but really I think he just likes to put his hands together whe. He's eating lol!  How long did it take before your lo's started signing back?

[*Ali*]

We started signing at 6mo and it was around a year I think that we got "more" back. (Cadan also does more as a clap Sarah).
It has only been the last month or so that the other signs have come in. I think it depends on when you start (if they are very young it seems to take longer for them to sign back..?) and how consistent you are. So they are more likely to sign back sooner if they see the sign several times a day rather than once every now and then yk?

[Chicane]

We started around 9 months and only got out first sign back at around 14 months...but what I found is that he was understanding the signs I was doing to him well before he started to sign back. Then one day I asked if he wanted a drink and he nodded yes and I said 'Well, can you do the sign for me?' and he did it! I also occasionally help his hands into the different shapes, that seems to get the sign to stick quicker. Consistency (seems like a buzz word round these parts!) is key, it takes a while for you to become proficient at remembering to do the signs, and you'll have some points where you will think its never going to happen but it will, there is no doubt about that.

And when it does its amazing, we rarely have any communication problems like some of my friends with their kids. And I truly believe that DS experiences far less frustration then other kids cause he can tell me what he wants. I also find that i talk normally to DS, I tell him what's going on in quite a lot of detail and now we are at the point where I can hand him a tissue and ask him to wipe his nose and he does it all on his own (he's 16 months now) or ask him to put something on the table and he will. I am not sure if the signing has anything to do with that but it must help with overall comprehension...

[Chicane]

does anyone have anything i could do for mandarin? DS is loving them at the moment and keeps asking but its been difficult to know what he wants...I could just use orange but that could get confusing

x

[firsttimemummy]

you could ask him to sign it and see what he does? DS has made a few of his own signs (like "music", turning his hand, like he does when he turns the music volume up!!!) - or sign "baby" "orange"?