Baby sign is something I've been familiar with for about 6 years now. My cousin started using it with her daughter from about 8 months on and continued it with her second child. And while my sign vocabulary is very limited, it was great for understanding what the child wanted when they wanted it. It eliminated the awkward moment where you are holding someone else's child and they are asking for something like a bottle using their own little code word of bubs or boo or whatever and you can only stand there and guess if they want their stuffy or a pacifier or mom or what. It also eliminated that frustrated crying that the child inevitably starts when they don't get what they want because I don't know what they want. Phew....so exhausting.
Yesterday I spent the day with a friend of mine who has a 2 year old and a 1 month old. The 2 year old was shy at first so I spent a good 2 hours snuggling the baby (which thrilled me to my toes, I love when they are that small. He slept the whole time mostly and made the cutest dreaming faces, I didn't want to give him back). Finally the older son came around and wanted to play and to my delight he knew baby sign. It was so lovely to communicate with less barriers. It really affirmed my decision to baby sign with my children. It just opens the lines of communication earlier in life and helps jump start intellectual development. And there is the added bonus that if they ever come across someone who is hearing impaired they can moderately communicate with them as well.
If you are interested in Baby Sign check out http://www.babysigns.com/ for more info.
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