[Siana]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but what the heck!

I have racked my brain to figure out a good sign for breastfeeding, but nothing. I refuse to use the sign for milking a cow because I am NOT a cow :LOL

So what sign do/did you use for breastfeeding?

 

[Jen123]

roflol

first off : I don't know.

Secondly: brava for teaching your child signing. I wish I'd known about/thought about it when my child was young.

thirdly: would they know in a baby forum ? Can you copy and post this in the raising baby section ?

fourth: have you checked on line. You can google it.

fifth: boy I'm longwinded today....... YOu can make up your own. Touch of the chin , have the child touch his chest , etc...

 

[onlyboys]

I don't know what the sign actually is, but we use a modified version of please. He brings both hands to his chest, and then swipes one hand across for please. We translate it "Nursing, please!"

It works for us...

 

[Openskyheart]

I used to be sign language interpreter at a community college, and I interpreted in health classes occasionally. The sign used for breastfeeding was (hard to describe in words): hold your dominant hand palm up over your breast, touch thumb to pinky, then quickly slide thumb forward across fingers while closing your fist. Thumb will end up pointing foward, while fingers end up folded onto your palm. It's a quick movement, kind of like snapping your fingers - but it's a really a slide, with no sound. You can do it over just one breast, or quickly do the sign over one breast and then the other. I did it the second way in the more formal college classroom setting.

There may be other signs for it, too. You could also make up a family sign for it. Just like hearing children make up their own words for things that become special words in a family, deaf children do too!

We were posting at the same time!

Amanda gave a great example of a family sign.

Laura

 

[J-Max]

I have a 22 month old that signs a ton and talks very little

We made up a sign for nursing beacuse I could not find and easy one I liked. I did not want to use "milk" either :LOL .

I used a modified "n" over my breast. It is basically the first two fingers pointing out (with the last two tucked to palm) and tapped my breast. It is also very similair to please, so we always said "nursey please"

HTH

 

[AllyRae]

My son actually chose it...he signs "eat milk" for nursing... He did sign "drink milk" at first, but then he didn't appreciate when we thought that meant he wanted milk in a cup. So, he changed it to "eat milk", which we eventually figured out meant he wanted to nurse. It just sort of stuck after that!

 

[~Megan~]

My friend who uses ASL natively uses the milking sign because its what's used for all kinds of milk.

The breastfeeding sign she showed me was kind of like mimicing nursing with your hand on your breast.

 

[mom2kbeth]

We use the "milk" sign

 

[broodymama]

We use the milk sign also. Earlier today I was wondering what sign others use, but I think it would just confuse him to change it now.

 

[guest9969]

We used a double tug on my shirt.

It worked really well for us however now that he's almost 2, I'm wishing we picked something else. Now, instead of a double shirt pull, he just picks my shirt up and helps himself.

:LOL But, it did help teach him the word nurse (or "Ne" as he says it)... tonight he tugged on my shirt and said, "Ne! Ne! Nigh! Nigh!" when he wanted to nurse and go to bed. I love baby signs...

 

[excitedtobeamom]

We also use the milk sign as well. I do like the idea of making one up yourself it you don't like the milk sign.

 

[quaz]

Another who used the milk sign for nursing.

Tammy

 

[PortraitPixie]

OMG!!! I JUST posted about this on the Signing mammas Tribe (FYT) like 2 second ago! Come visit us!

Sar

 

[Ravin]

I used a modified "mama'" sign plus "milk" sign. So touch the thumb to the chin once like in the mama sign, then bring it out and close it, like the first gesture of the milk sign. So it's a unique sign which I use w/ the word "nurse" but could literally translate as "mama-milk".

 

[girly's mama]

We also use the milk sign. I make the sign and she claps.

 

[chfriend]

We used milk. But honestly, she never really used it. She just dove up my shirt. Dd2 seems to be following after her sister.

 

[yitlan]

I, too, had issues with the milk signing. Now that I have two kids, I've gotten over it! Anyway, I used the "n" sign, touching the tips of my fingers to my chest and then moving the hand up and down. Don't know if that made any sense, but hope it helped!

 

[DharmaDisciple]

I use the British Sign Language sign for milk which is a bit like milking a cow. The reason I don't object is that we are learning a second language should we ever need to commuicate to someone who uses sign language. Though I don't know if I would offer anyone else milk, maybe just my son!! :LOL

 

[jake&zaxmom]

I made up a sign. Four fingers on the chest at about the collarbone level and stroked down several times stopping about 4 inches short of the nipple. I guess it looks a bit like brushing crumbs off of your shirt.

 

[slacker_mom]

I was trying to teach the "milk" sign, but my daughter made up her own sign: she makes a fist and then brings the back of her hand to her open mouth and kind of pats her mouth; sometimes she sucks on the back of her hand a little if I don't get it right away!