Signing with my 14mth old son

Jackie

I have purchased your book and started signing with my 14mth old son when he was 7 months old. He was slow to pick it up but finally (after approx 4 months), when prompted, he signed 'Mum'. Then after that first time, he only signs when prompted ie: I say the word 'Mum', then he copies it. He is now signing 'Dad' and I think 'Sleep' but it's hard to tell if 'Sleep' is 'Sleep' or 'Mum'. He has only signed 'Eat' once when I said the word, but that is it. I know he understands and can do it, but he doesn't use it to communicate with us without being prompted. We use other signs like 'Ball', 'Book', 'Drink' and 'Milk'. Is he just lazy, or are we not consistent enough? Should we be introducing more words to keep him from getting bored?
Kind regards,
Rachael

Hi Rachael

Thank you for your enquiry.

It can be confusing to work out what sign your baby is making and what they are trying to communicate to you. In the instance of the signs for "Dad" and "bed", is he signing this sign when his father is in the room or is he signing this sign when it is time for bed?
The only way to work out what your baby is trying to communicate to you is through a process of elimination.

See what is within their field of vision, see if there is a pattern as to when they use the sign and through a process of elimination try to identify the sign.

It is to be expected that your child will not get the sign 100% correct initially and this usually results in a sign approximation.
Another way to identify the sign is to try and identify the handshape, its location, its orientation, its movement and if it is accompanied by an expression.

All these are ways to help you identify the sign your baby is attempting to create.

I think for now concentrate on the words you have and try to understand when your baby is signing these before you introduce any more.

All the best and please let me know how you get on.

Happy Signing!

Jackie

Australian Baby Hands