Blueberry learned the sign "outside"

We have been using a sign that is like turning a door knob in space in front of you to mean "outside". Blueberry likes to go outside for walks in the morning and she has started telling us that after breakfast she wants to go outside because that is her routine.

We have been using a sign for "drink" that is holding your hand in a "C" shape and bringing it to your mouth like a cup. Blueberry hasn't been able to do that yet, but instead she uses the sign for "eat" and then does a loud exhale like you make when you drink something refreshing "ahhh". This means "drink" to her.

Learning "up" and "down"

Nonna has been watching Blueberry while I do work at the house so she doesn't miss me too much. Blueberry was watching Mommy go up and down the ladder so we told her "Mommy is going up the ladder" and "Mommy is going down the ladder" with signs for "up" and "down". She would say "uhh" and do a sign for "up" and say "daa" with the sign for "down". The sings really help us interpret what she is trying to say.

Blueberry signed "more"

Today at lunch Blueberry used the sign for "more" when she wanted more crackers. It was very clear and she made the sign with confidence.

She has also been using the sign for "milk" a lot more confidently lately. This led me to believe she was actually ready to start using signs more, so we have tried to be more consistent with some of the other signs. It has paid off.

You can see a look of satisfaction when she gets the desired result when using a sign. There is nothing like positive reinforcement to teach children!

Baby Sign of the Day on hold...

Our learning signs is on hold right now since Blueberry needs to catch up a bit. She is starting to understand a lot of what we say and using her hands more. Once she has learned a few more of the signs we already know, I will continue adding some. It is hard to remember too many signs until you start using them regularly.

Another Baby Sign Learned!

Blueberry clearly signed "all done" after lunch and after dinner today. We are so excited. When we asked her if she was all done she answered with her affirmative "heh" sound. She is thrilled when we understand her. She makes that sound when we ask her a question and the answer is "yes". Watching her learn to communicate is so amazing!

Baby Sign of the Day: Family Members

For this post we are going to tackle the signs for family members. I found a great tutorial video for these so we are going to learn them together. It is a lot easier because the signs are very similar.

Male signs are done above the nose and female signs are done below the nose, on the face. The sign for Mommy is an open hand, and you tap the thumb on the chin. The sign for Daddy is the same, but you tap the thumb on the forehead instead. For grandma and grandpa the sign is similar but instead of tapping you start with the thumb on the chin or forehead and move the hand away twice. (See the video, it really helps) There are also signs for aunt, uncle, cousin, brother and sister on this video.



To differentiate from the grandparents we are going to make up a sign for "Nonna" which will be like the sign for "grandma" but will be with the hand in the position for the ASL letter "N", so instead of an open hand, it will be a letter "N"

Here is a link to ASL letter signs.

Baby Sign of the Day: Water

Blueberry is a big fan of water. She also likes to drink from a regular cup. She is starting to get the hang of a sippy cup. I'm thrilled that she likes water. We decided not to give her juice. There is too much sugar. On occasion I will give her diluted juice, but never sugar-water drinks if I can help it. While I was growing up we had diluted juice on occasion and soda was only available at birthday parties. I still don't like very sweet drinks and I'm glad.

The sign for water is performed by making a "W" with your three middle fingers and tapping your hand on the side of your mouth. This is a more advanced sign and Blueberry might not get it at first, but we also use the sign for "drink", which is easier. Now we know "drink", "milk" and "water".

Yesterday Blueberry signed "bye-bye" to Daddy when he left for work. She later signed "hello" (same as goodbye, you know, the wave of the hand) to herself in the mirror. She seemed so proud of herself. Today she signed "bye-bye" to Nonna when she went to work and said "ba-ba" with the intonation of when we say "bye-bye".

The other day when she went with Nonna to the garden to pick vegetables, Nonna let her have a lemon cucumber to hold. She looked at Nonna and said "pappa?" and Nonna told her "yes it is" and Blueberry started munching on it. She got mad when I took it from her to peel it (while explaining to her what I was doing, of course) and she was all better when I gave it back. She scraped off little pieces of it with her two bottom teeth. We watched her carefully as she enjoyed it for a good 10 minutes. She does not cease to amaze me. I'm sure all children are brilliant if given the chance. I'm so proud of her.

Baby Sign of the Day: Walk

We will learn the ASL sign for walk. To make this sign, you walk your two fingers across in front of you.

Here is a link to a video demonstrating "walk".

We took Blueberry out for a walk today. She goes out with Nonna every morning in the garden, but today we also went around the neighborhood and took her in the stroller. She fell asleep halfway through, but I'm sure she enjoyed the fresh air. It is a great temperature to be walking outside these days. Fall is a great time of year.

Baby Sign of the Day: Bath

The sign begins with both hands in a fist (ASL for the letter "B") in front of you. You then move them up and down in front of you like you were washing yourself in the bath.

Baby Signs, Recap

We have learned these signs so far: (look for previous posts for how to make these signs)

All Done
More
Drink
Milk
Change (diaper)
Sleepy/Sleep
Please
Thank-You
Gentle
Book
Eat
Diaper
Play

Blueberry knows "up" and "milk". She also started saying "pappa" which is the Italian word used with children for "food". It is easy to say and she says it only when we are feeding her. She also said it with a questioning intonation when I gave her Cheerios. What happened was I handed her one and she was just looking at it. I then put a piece of one in her mouth. She then looked at me and said "pappa?" and I said "yes, sweetie, it is pappa" and she got excited and smiled and then started munching on the one in her hand. I didn't know it was possible at 7.5 months, but it is an easy word to say and in the signing books they say babies tend to learn signs for food as early as 6 months, so why not an easy word at 7.5 months?

We are trying to use the above signs consistently with her. Because we are learning a new language we have to be patient with ourselves too. It has been difficult to prioritize which signs we want to learn next because I don't know what words will interest her the most yet. I am trying to find words that we use a lot with her.

Baby Sign of the Day: Play

The baby in this video does a sign approximation and then the lady reinforces the sign by repeating it back to her.

This is a sign that may come in handy later. Also we will need to learn the names of toys. There is so much to learn.

Baby Sign of the Day: Diaper

To make the sign for diaper you pinch the fingertips of your first three fingers down by your hips. This would be to symbolize the diaper pins, however when teaching babies to sign we need to keep the signs up by our face because that is where their attention should be when you are teaching them signs.



Another way to sign for diaper is to tap your hip with one hand. This is like a shorthand version for people interested in a simpler sign that may be easier for their baby to learn. Unless you plan on teaching your baby ASL you don't have to sign any particular sign. You can make up your own household vocabulary. It is also possible to teach alternate signs later when your child has more dexterity.

With Blueberry we will be using the first sign, the one demonstrated in the video above.

Baby Sign of the Day: Eat

We will be using the sign for eat to mean "I want to eat" or "I'm hungry". To perform the sign for "eat" you bring your fingertips of one hand to your mouth.

Baby Sign of the Day: Please and Thank You

These are the signs for the weekend (one for Saturday and one for Sunday). It is never too early to teach a child manners. Of course children mimic what they see so we can say please and thank you to each other and they will learn from our example. Use the sign with the word so that you get used to it and it might make you more aware of manners too.

Baby Sign of the Day: Gentle

We have been teaching Blueberry the word "gentle" and she has learned not to pull on hair and glasses. We use the word as a reminder and now we can start using the sign as well. To perform the sign you touch your fingertips to your wrist and move them up your forearm to your elbow.

Here is a video demonstration for "gentle".

Baby Sign of the Day: Book

It is never too early to start reading to your baby. We already read to Blueberry and she has learned not to tear the pages. Today's sing is Book. To perform it you hold your hands together and open them like a book. We intend to use this sign when saying the phrase "do you want to read a book?"

When babies are learning signs you have to watch out for "sign approximations", and reinforce their attempt at a sign by repeating the sign and the word back to them. It is a simple game of positive reinforcement. If they get what they want when they sign, it will reinforce the sign.

Blueberry Learned Another Sign!

This afternoon she deliberately signed "milk". I almost missed it. She did it over and over again and looked at me. Then it clicked and I asked her "do you want milk?" and she made her "yes" noise and opened her mouth. I couldn't believe it because she learned "up" just intuitively, but this is the first sign she has learned from our prompts and I only started using it a few days ago.

Repetition is the key. I used it at least three times every time she nursed. I'm so happy I could cry! She is an amazing little girl! I just know once she starts to get that she can tell us things with signs she will be wanting to learn more and more.

Edit: So David came home and also saw her sign "milk". He actually caught her doing it before I did, he pointed and he exclaimed "she wants milk!" He was amazed at how easy it was to interpret.

Baby Sign of the Day: Sleep

We will be using the sign for "sleep" for "time to go to sleep" and "sleepy". To perform this sign, you put your palms together with hands flat, then put them on the side of your face like putting your head on a pillow.

When teaching baby to sign, it is important to say the word while doing the sign. Make sure the baby is looking at you and paying attention. This helps baby to build language skills. Here is a video demonstration for "sleep".

Baby Sign of the Day: Diaper Change

Some people do the sign for "diaper" but we decided to use the one for "change". Some baby signs are based on ASL (American Sign Language) but some are too complicated for babies to do, so some are modified and some are just replaced by simpler signs. It is not a problem later on to switch a sign if you eventually want to teach them standard ASL.

Here is a funny video of the sign for "change".

Baby Sign of the Day: Milk

To perform the sign for milk, you hold your hand up and open and close it like you were milking a cow.

This is a cute video of a baby signing for milk. Once a baby figures out that he can get what he wants by signing he will pick up signs a lot faster.