Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Guest Post-Life Made Easier With Baby Sign Language

Baby sign language can make life with a young baby or toddler a lot easier! Not only does it give you and your baby the tools you need to communicate with each other, it can also help with your baby’s sleep, mealtimes and weaning. And baby signing can help combat toddler tantrums! Read on to find out more…

Communication Made Easier:
Baby sign language is a way of teaching your baby to communicate by way of simple hand gestures. It is based on American Sign Language For Babies and is a simplified version for babies and children. You can start at any time – even from birth. The sooner you start signing to your baby, the sooner she will begin to communicate back .

Verbal skills take a long time to develop – even pre-schoolers can find it hard to communicate with their parents sometimes. Language uses a lot of brain power! By using simple hand gestures, babies and toddlers have extra tools for communication – and so do their parents.

Sleep Made Easier:
Many Baby Signing moms are amazed at how signing seems to help with their baby’s sleep patterns. Parents who sign with their babies often report bedtimes are less stressful, and that their babies or toddlers often tell them when they are tired! So how exactly does baby sign language help make sleep easier?

Every parent knows the importance of a bedtime routine. A bath, followed by milk and cuddles, then a story, is the foundation of a good night’s sleep. Learning the signs for Bath and Milk are fun ways for baby to communicate with you at this important time of the day. When Mom signs that it’s bath time, your baby understands what is to come, and feels more secure and confident. Babies love to know what’s happening – and their confidence increases every time they correctly predict what will happen next. Baby signing helps them understand and predict more.

Mealtimes Made Easier:
By teaching your baby the signs for various foods, you can reduce frustration at mealtimes and make weaning fun. The key is to remember to make the sign every time you offer a certain food, saying the word clearly. Limit your repertoire to four or five favorite foods, and repeat these often. It’s important when using baby sign language to always be consistent – and patient. Soon your baby will learn the signs that go with their favorite foods and this make it easier for you to interpret their demands!

Toddler Tantrums Made Easier:
Signing helps your toddler communicate with you, reducing frustration and tantrums. Most childcare experts agree that most toddler tantrums are caused by extreme frustration. Toddlerhood is a time of an increasing number of needs and desires but a limited range of communication – the perfect recipe for a frustrated toddler! Anything a parent can do to help improve toddler communication is a good thing. Teaching Your Baby To Sign may have the longer-term result that when he reaches toddlerhood he has the tools he needs to communicate, avoiding many frustration-based tantrums.

Guest post by:
Misty Weaver
Chief Editor, Baby Sign Language
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baby-Sign-Language/135339096490587 

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