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Baby Talk: A Guide to Using Basic Sign Language to Communicate with Your Baby
Jump-start language and learning skills with this simple and elegant guide to using sign language to communicate with your preverbal baby.
Imagine averting a tantrum because your baby was able to communicate her desire for a favorite toy without tears, or simply sharing in your baby's wonderment at the sight of a bird on a tree-before he has even uttered his first word! Generally, children do not develop the motor skills necessary to speak until they are two, and yet they are able to communicate using sign language as early as six months. Written by an experienced signer and a mother of three, this illustrated step-by-step guide will allow readers to join the ranks of parents around the world who experience the rich rewards of communicating with their preverbal babies by using sign language.
Studies have shown that babies who are taught to use signs to express themselves before they can actually speak are more contented because they can communicate their basic needs (and ideas!) and also are more skilled at speaking once they begin to acquire language. Full of practical tips, real anecdotes, and straightforward diagrams of more than sixty basic American Sign Language signs, Baby Talk is the essential baby-signing handbook for parents, relatives, and caregivers-and their babies, who are just a little too young to express themselves verbally.
Imagine averting a tantrum because your baby was able to communicate her desire for a favorite toy without tears, or simply sharing in your baby's wonderment at the sight of a bird on a tree-before he has even uttered his first word! Generally, children do not develop the motor skills necessary to speak until they are two, and yet they are able to communicate using sign language as early as six months. Written by an experienced signer and a mother of three, this illustrated step-by-step guide will allow readers to join the ranks of parents around the world who experience the rich rewards of communicating with their preverbal babies by using sign language.
Studies have shown that babies who are taught to use signs to express themselves before they can actually speak are more contented because they can communicate their basic needs (and ideas!) and also are more skilled at speaking once they begin to acquire language. Full of practical tips, real anecdotes, and straightforward diagrams of more than sixty basic American Sign Language signs, Baby Talk is the essential baby-signing handbook for parents, relatives, and caregivers-and their babies, who are just a little too young to express themselves verbally.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2006
11 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 24, 2013
jared got this out of the library so we could learn about how to teach ramona baby sign language. he got a few different books & told me this one was best because it mainly just addresses the useful signs & doesn't go into the whole history of american sign language & spend 100 pages trying to convince the reader that sign language will benefit their baby developmentally or whatever. if i am already picking up a book on baby sign language, i don't exactly need to be converted to thinking it might be a helpful idea, you know?
i liked that this book was pretty simple & had a lot of helpful illustrations of characters portraying the signs. i liked that the illustrations included a lot of diversity--babies & parents of all different races, & it didn't assume that the reader was mom. a lot of the illustrations were of dads signing with their babies, as well as grandparents, siblings, & child care providers.
i definitely could have lived without all the "useful" baby-rearing advice sprinkled throughout the book. for example, the book teachers the sign for grapes, & includes the tidbit: "grapes can be a choking hazard for a young child. make sure you cut them into smaller pieces before giving them to your baby." um...no shit. i mean, my baby is still three months away from even being interested in solid food & i know that. & if i didn't know it, surely there's a better place for me to learn about it than from a book on baby signs, right? there was a lot of that kind of thing in the book, & to me, it felt like filler. i mean, baby sign language is not exactly super mainstream. it seems that most of the people who are interested in it are the kinds of people that are already probably reading everything they can about baby care. they don't need a baby sign language book to tell them that high chairs aren't safe for babies before they can sit up on their own, you know?
but if you're in the market for a simple, well-illustrated book on basic baby signs without a whole lot of added commentary, this is a pretty good choice.
i liked that this book was pretty simple & had a lot of helpful illustrations of characters portraying the signs. i liked that the illustrations included a lot of diversity--babies & parents of all different races, & it didn't assume that the reader was mom. a lot of the illustrations were of dads signing with their babies, as well as grandparents, siblings, & child care providers.
i definitely could have lived without all the "useful" baby-rearing advice sprinkled throughout the book. for example, the book teachers the sign for grapes, & includes the tidbit: "grapes can be a choking hazard for a young child. make sure you cut them into smaller pieces before giving them to your baby." um...no shit. i mean, my baby is still three months away from even being interested in solid food & i know that. & if i didn't know it, surely there's a better place for me to learn about it than from a book on baby signs, right? there was a lot of that kind of thing in the book, & to me, it felt like filler. i mean, baby sign language is not exactly super mainstream. it seems that most of the people who are interested in it are the kinds of people that are already probably reading everything they can about baby care. they don't need a baby sign language book to tell them that high chairs aren't safe for babies before they can sit up on their own, you know?
but if you're in the market for a simple, well-illustrated book on basic baby signs without a whole lot of added commentary, this is a pretty good choice.
February 15, 2008
Great overview of Baby sign language. Excellent resource list.
May 27, 2017
abc hand positions: yes; index; ok; organization: word-type (e.g., 'color' words, 'diaper' words) illustrations: ok; photos: none; get-again: ok; race representation: ok;
January 4, 2016
I really liked this compared to the other sign books I read because it goes into how to use multiple signs and explains how the child's language may evolve and provided some sample "two sign" sentences, which I found more helpful than just a book of signs. I liked the little snippets from parents who are using sign with their babies and the sections on how to explain and introduce sign to babies other caregivers. It was the most practical and helpful book so far.
February 2, 2008
I think this was the most clear and concise book about teaching babies to sign. It uses actual ASL signs. But it should be supplemented with other signing info, since it only has a few basic signs. It's great for explaining to others (in-laws, babysitters, etc.) why you do sign, and a quick cute intro for them.
May 18, 2011
I didn't have to sell the benefits of teaching sign language to my child to family, friends and caregivers. I should have gone with a book that has more signs so I could equip my toddler with more vocabulary before he starts talking. However, this book gave me a good starting place for which signs might initially benefit him most.
April 15, 2010
This is my favorite of all of the baby signing books i've read. It love how the signs are grouped into small categories so it doesn't feel overwhelming to teach them to your baby. This is the one signing book that i'll actually buy and keep for reference.
July 8, 2011
Lots of information about benefits of baby signing and best ways to go about it. The pastel-colored illustrations of the signs themselves, though, were not always clear. Photographs might have been better.
July 8, 2013
This book has a good mix of instruction, primary words, and secondary words to learn. It will be a good reference when I need to look up how to sign a word and I especially like how they include the recommended use for each sign.
August 1, 2009
Liked the simplicity of being able to use this book, but Maggie started talking so early that we never really got past the first few chapters. It may come in handy if we have another child, though.
July 1, 2010
This book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I just used it as a guideline as to which words I should teach my baby first. Better than any other baby sign language books I've read!
July 24, 2012
Good tips...but we stopped using very much sign language since our daughter can now say hundreds of words and short phrases already, as a 19 month old!
April 17, 2012
Amazing. Lots of pictures plus ideas for ways to incorporate signing into your routine with your baby.
January 24, 2017
Good overview.
March 25, 2009
Great, easy to use resource.
Currently reading
August 2, 2008Super cute illustrations make baby sign language easy and accessible for everyone!!
December 16, 2009
good and easy to understand.
July 9, 2009
This book is pretty but the information is soooo basic, I was expecting to learn more from it.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews