[crazyeight]

Ds has limited (slurred) words and signs. Mostly just basic stuff. The last few days hes been VERY upset about things he wants but can't articulate/has signs for. EX: he wanted a bath (as we later figured out) but was just pointing down the hall and jabbering something. I went in the bathroom a little while later to put the bath mats back and he was trying to climb in the tub and get his shirt off. I put him in the tub and tried telling him "bath" when you want this you say bath, can you say bath? he seemed to try it but didn't really get anything sounding like bath. Tonight he is pointing at the microwave/micro stand. Theres a bananna on top and i said is this what you want? Showed him the bananna and he turned away (which is like a no way i ain't going to touch that!!). I have yet to figure out what he wanted. Hes also not eating much anymore. Very frusterating cause he hardly ate anything at all in the first place. He refuses to drink water so I have to water down his milk and he still chugges it. I am trying to introduce words to him but he doesn't seem to get the articulation down very well AND i have a cold right now so I am harder for him to understand. I have tried to learn new signs to teach him but many of the signs I find in ASL are to complex and most baby signs are for animals (yeah thats going to help). BUT I also want to encourage him to vocalize words instead of relying on signs since he is almost 2.

Also I want to add that we are due with #2 in 3 weeks, dh is working extra this week, i am in pain from pg, am stressing about money and am overall at the end of my rope.....could ds be cranky from that or is this really the dreaded 2's?

 

[Jaydens_mom]

Like anyone, toddlers who are just learning to speak get frustrated when some people don't understand what they are trying to say.... I woudln't necessarly say its the dreaded 2's because IMO the dreaded two's are when the child starts throwing temper tantrums, being physically agressive, and undermining everything you say... (basically like a little teenager) <-- this is what im going through with my 2 year old.

It really sounds like he is just having trouble getting you to understand what he wants and is getting frustrated... just keep doing what your doing in relation to the whole "trying to figure it out thing" and he will learn some new words.. and eventually it will be alot easier for you to understand what it is he REALLY wants.

 

[faithnj]

Frankly, I've been using mostly ASL signs with DD since she was 6 months. The exception is for the word help. With that one-- she just pats her chest. I don't think ASL is too hard for them as long as you don't expect them to sign back to you properly at all. The signs babys make is like the way they pronounce words-- it's kind of "baby talk" that only mom's would recognize. But it's all good. YOu just repeat, repeat, repeat, and know that one day "Water" will really look like "Water" rather than patting the cheek, if YKWIM.
Congratulations on the one you're expecting!

As for your DC seeming like a 2 year old? The terrible 2's actually can start at around 18 months. (They can also end at around 24 months! How cool is that? LOL!) So the "Two's" may account for the crankiness. Difficulty in expressing himself may also account for the crankiness. My DD is very verbal-- but still there are things she can't say and points she can't get across, especially if she's upset. She'll say "up....down...up....down..." like she doesn't even know what it is she wants! LOL! Oh well.....

We use ASL for everything except the word "help," and we don't have a problem with it. You just have to understand that the way your baby signs back to you will not look like ASL, but will look like the signers version of "baby talk," and it will be something that only you, as the mom will understand-- until the baby gains more mastery over his fingers. Really-- there's no reason you HAVE to use baby signs at this point, if there aren't baby signs for what you want. Even if your child can't sign back "sun" well, he'll recognize it when you use the sign correctly. It's the same as with speech-- our kids understand some words they can't pronounce. And other words they simply pronounce wrong. And that's okay.

The sign for bath is easy and my DD uses it a lot (as well as the word) because she wants baths every day, twice a day. "Bath" is taking both fists or hands, and rubing them up and down on the chest like you're washing yourself. Other good signs to know? "Want." "Help." "Milk." And don't worry that teaching signs will delay speech. Just say the word whenever you sign it, and your child will choose whatever form he's most comfortable with. (Besides, if it turns out he really does have a speech problem, you'll be thankful you taught him signs, so that he'll be able to communicate while the speech problem gets resolved.) I find learning the signs from videos easier than learning from books. I started with Joseph Garcia's DVD from Barnes & Noble. I've also used a video aimed at children, with a lot of success. And Baby Einstein has two videos with Marlee Matlin- that teach sign language and words in English, Spanish or French.

I hope that helps a little bit. Don't give up on trying to communicate with your little one. (But I know you won't anyway.) Congratulations again on your expanding family, and....

Good luck!

Faith

P.S. -- pardon the confusing way I wrote/re-wrote this post. I'd would edit it, but at least it has everything I meant to say in it.