Video:Common Sign Language for Babies

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Transcript:Common Sign Language for Babies

I'm not fluent in American Sign Language, and you don't have to be fluent in ASL in order to start communicating with your child. I'm Rachel Edelman for about.com and today im going to show you a few signs that will help get you started in your process.

Simple Signs to Teach a Baby

I find the most common sign that children repeat is MORE. You'll often see that this sign is recommended first in lots parenting books and videos. the sign for MILK is like this, kind of like squeezing a cows utter.

The sign for DRINK is just like holding a cup up to your mouth. This is the sign for EAT, which is like putting food into your mouth. Some signs are just what you think they are: SLEEP and BABY.

Ways to Remember Baby Sign Language

Some ideas to help you remember signs, is to associate the movement of the sign with the meaning of the word. for example, HELLO is kind of like a salute, a HELLO salute. SIT, is like your right two fingers, sitting down on your left two fingers.

HELP is like your left hand, helping your right fist raise up. you can create all kinds of sentences and tricks for yourself to help remember these signs.

Adjusting Baby Sign Language

Some people like to make up their own versions of signs, adjusting hand-shapes or movements slightly, so they fit the needs of your child's abilities. Just like a child will first say pesgetti or ephalant at first, we know that they mean spaghetti and elephant. For example, for HELP, it might be easier to just go like this like a tapping, or if you only have one hand, you can tap on the table, or just in the air.

Other good words to start with are PLEASE, can you PLEASE HELP me? and THANK YOU, THANK YOU for HELPING me.

There are many resources to learn more signs on the web, to learn more, visit us online at parenting.about.com.