Baby Sign Language

Ryan's mom took him to baby sign language class, through Tualitan Hills Parks and Recreation, when he was about nine months old. He started using several signs consistently when he was around one year old. The signs he found most useful were more (he also used it for want), milk, and pain. He usually combined the signs with pointing, for example signing pain while pointing to his mouth to let us know he was having teething pain. We enjoyed being able to communicate with him before he could speak, and I believe we avoided a lot of frustration through signing.

When he started talking, several of his first words came from his signing vocabulary and he often emphasized requests by both signing and speaking the request. As his speaking improved, signing became less common, and we have not used signs for a year or so.

In addition to the course Amanda and Ryan took, we bought and used a copy of Sign with your Baby - Baby Sign Language Kit, by Joseph Garcia. We used the quick reference sheet regularly while learning signs with Ryan.