Signing with your baby

[MarineWife]

i started using ASL to communicate with my 2nd child when he was about 6 months old. he was signing back to me by 8 months. i signed some with my 3rd baby but not as much. he didn't sign at all. i am currently signing with baby #4, who will be 4 months on the 25th. i've only used 2 signs with him, milk for nursing and mother.

i am almost 100% certain that he just signed, "milk," to me. he was fussing and crying and i was holding him up asking him what he wanted. he very deliberately put his hand up in front of his face and squeezed his thumb and fingers loosely together 3 times slowly. it looked just like the way i sign it.

is that even possible? could a not even 4 month old baby use sign language?

[Mama Ana]

When we took a baby sign class they said babies don't retain things until 6 months but to me it sounds like he did. i'd take it and go with it!

[MarineWife]

Thanks. I think anyone else who has read this must think I'm crazy since you are the only one who responded. He definitely knows the sign for milk and the word when I say. If he's fussy and wants milk and I sign or say milk, he immediately quiets down and waits to nurse.

I'm still signing with him, of course. This has motivated me to show him more signs. I was just focusing on milk and Mommy.

[tooraloora]

I think it's definitely possible. DS (16 months) just started signing a few days ago (starting with "milk"). DD did everything younger. I have a picture of her when she was just shy of 4 months and she had pulled up for the first time. You know those flimsy little wire framed bouncy seats, that a strong breeze could probably knock over? That's what she pulled up on, and she was so tiny it didn't budge. She said her first word about a month later, and made her first sign somewhere around the same time. It may not be the norm, but it does happen. Babies develop at their own pace, and they don't always wait around for when they're "supposed" to do things.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by tooraloora 

It may not be the norm, but it does happen. Babies develop at their own pace, and they don't always wait around for when they're "supposed" to do things.

So true.