Hannah's First Signs

We've been showing Hannah some of the basic baby signs since before she was 6 months old. In the last couple of months I have gotten more consistent with it because it seemed she understood what I meant when I did the signs. And now, at 11 months old, she has started doing several of the signs herself!

Her first sign was "bathtime". That sign is rubbing your belly up and down (like you're washing yourself). She has been doing that one for at least a couple of months, maybe longer. She actually says "bathtime" when she does the sign. When I repeat "bathtime" back to her, she giggles and grins and is so proud.

The other top signs we've been working on are food related! Our sign for "nurse" is actually the sign for "milk", which is squeezing your hand open and closed (like milking a cow). I would show her that sign just before and during a nursing session. I knew she was understanding it when she started getting excited when I would simply do the sign without saying a word! (Usually I do say the word along with the sign so she will eventually learn to speak it.)

The other sign she has learned is "eat". I remember it was just a couple of weeks ago when she did this sign unprompted. She was fussy, and Mammaw had already fed her some lunch, and I had nursed her. I thought she was getting tired so I put her down for an early nap. After a few minutes she was still fussing, so I went to get her out of her bed, and she immediately did the "eat" sign when I picked her up. She wanted more lunch! Problem solved! The sign for "eat" is bringing your fingers of your fist to your mouth, like you're finger-feeding yourself. It's really easy for babies to do.

We're still working on "more", which for us is pointing your index finger into your opposite palm. (Some people do that sign differently but we just do what we learned when Aaron was a baby. He actually did it by pointing his thumb into his opposite palm, and it was so cute!) I've been showing her the "banana" sign for a while too. She knows what both of those mean but hasn't done them herself yet.

I love teaching my babies sign language! It is like a window into their brain, and it reduces frustration. I can see the pride and joy on her face when she is understood, and I'm sure that does wonders for her attitude and self-confidence!