Baby Sign Language Basics

Baby sign language is a great tool in helping communicate with your infant, which is fairly significant. People start BSL for many different reasons. Here are some tips to start you off in a subtle way.

Starting at 6 or 7 months is important but most children won't be able to start signing back till at least 8 months, being patient with yourself and your baby is key. 

Say/mouth the words while practicing the sign to help with infant language development. 

Developing a routine; repetition is important for infants, doing it in the same spot & same way every time can help an infant learn faster. Practice these signs beyond mealtime to reinforce them in your baby's routine.  

Make it fun, infants learn a lot from play, making songs or dances to help engage your baby.

When you’re ready to start teaching baby sign language, you’ll want to decide which words are important for you to teach them! Starting with 1 or 2 signs and seeing how they learn those, then adding in new signs. Think of words you use on a daily basis, these can be important beginning signs to start your baby with. Babies are capable of understanding simple words and hand gestures long before they can speak, this can help us communicate with your baby before they are able to talk. We hope this helps you start your baby's sign language when your infant is ready! 

Below are examples of keywords to start your baby's sign language journey!