There is a lot of confusion on when it is a good time to start using sign language with your baby. Some of the studies say that you shouldn’t start until they are at least 6 months old, others say that you can start when ever you want, and many of them say you need to look for developmental stages to know if they are ready. As a baby sign language teacher, I have noticed that it is different for every parent.
For instance, if you are already familiar with using sign language, and it’s not something that you have to learn, then it may be very natural for you to use sign language in every day situations. This parent would be less likely to stop using the signs consistently or to stop using the signs if they haven’t noticed results quickly enough.
On the other hand, if the parent is just learning the signs and it doesn’t feel as natural to use the signs in every day situations, then it becomes more difficult to maintain continuous use of the signs. Many of the parents I’ve taught get so excited to start using the signs with their children that they begin when the baby is really young. After a few weeks or maybe a months of signing with their baby, they tend to forget about how important it is to use the signs on a consistent basis. Most of these parents end up not using the sign language for a few months and then pick it back up when they notice that their child is a lot more interactive… and at this point, the baby usually starts signing very quickly with them.
So with this information in mind, I believe that it is okay to start using sign language with your baby as soon as the parent is ready to use it consistently. I think what happens is a lot of parents start using sign language with their children early on, months before the baby will actually be able to produce a sign. Then when the child hasn’t started signing back to them, they don’t see the results and they tend to give up, or just forget to use the sign language.
I tell parents that if they are ready to use the signs everyday (and for those who are just learning it only has to be 1 to 3 signs, it’s very simple), then they can start signing any time they like. The truth is, if you are watching your child closely, there are many others indicators to let you know that your baby is picking up on the signs and comprehending this visual form of communication. I’ve mentioned before that my daughter didn’t start actually producing the signs back to me until she was almost 11 months old, but she was most definitely comprehending the signs before she was 6 months old.
I hope that this information has cleared up any confusion about when to start using baby sign language. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.
Andrea Ploehn, Founder Signing 4 Baby