https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 10 May 2026 21:57:06 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518819 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 16:09:19 +0000 Ms. RV 2518819@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I suggest "change", too.</p> <p>DD is nearly 8 months and has milk down pact. Sort of. Anytime she wants anything or she's unhappy she signs milk. It's a start! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518752 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 15:34:52 +0000 gingerbebe 2518752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son only picked up 2 signs - "more" and "all done" and he didn't even really want to use them until like 14 months? He has been resistant to any other signs for some reason. He's 19 months and just starting to use a few words, so not a super verbal kid. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518743 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 15:28:08 +0000 JennyPenny 2518743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did the ones you mentioned and "please" and "thank you" and "dessert". DO. NOT. TEACH. "dessert". Kiddo picked that one up super quick and it has caused many melt downs even into toddler years....</p> <p>ETA: all the others were great though :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518712 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 15:03:44 +0000 ChiCalGoBee 2518712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>"More" was all I really stressed, and it ended up being the only one we "needed" before he started speaking. He signs "more" food, "More" of a book, "more" of an activity, "more" as he reaches for the door handle because he wants to go outside. Now that he's beginning to speak he says "please, yes, no," plus the names of particular foods he wants (he's 17 months old). I kept stressing "all done" initially, but he didn't really take to it. Of all the signs there are, I really love "more!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518707 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 15:01:24 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 2518707@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@twodoghouse: those are great tips. I'm going to start with milk today. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518705 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 15:00:40 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 2518705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks y'all! This is really helpful. I didn't even consider "please" and "thank you." I need to teach myself a few more signs. 😊 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518696 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:55:16 +0000 Woolly Mammoth 2518696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO was really into signs! Milk, crackers, apple, pear, dog, cat, bird, hat, car, bicycle, rain, etc. He had about 60 signs at 18 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518681 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:36:59 +0000 brownepiano 2518681@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS at 25 months still uses his sign for please and refuses to say the word. It was touch and go for a long time (he'd learn one, then another and stop using the first one) but worth it in the end because he's a late talker. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518672 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:32:00 +0000 LBee 2518672@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@twodoghouse: We still sign too! He will often say the word, sign it, and then continue to sign it if he doesn't think we hear him (I hear you kid, just give me a second). He also started making up his own signs, which was really confusing for the nanny. </p> <p>It's become such a habit that recently my husband was telling me he was hungry and realized he was also signing "eat." T was not around.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518669 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:28:53 +0000 twodoghouse 2518669@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are huge signers over here, even now that A and B are verbal. We started around 7/8 months with the basics - milk, more, all done. A caught on very quickly, but B wasn't very interested. We started attending signing story times which really peaked his interest. He started signing bubbles, trucks, trees, animal signs (birds, lions, dolphins, frogs, giraffe), then went back to more of the basics (please, thank you, help, all done, outside, and so on). Our signing instructor said some kids really get a kick out of signing the "fun" things instead of the useful ones. We learned to sign songs, a variety of fruits and vegetables, a ton of animals, family members and so on. It gave my kids a voice from very early on when they had little spoken language, and for a long time their sign vocabulary was more expansive than their spoken vocabulary. A hit a phase around 15-18 months where she would tantrum because we couldn't understand her spoken words, and being able to work through that frustration with signs was such a cool thing. We still sign all day every day - while reading, while eating meals, at the grocery store, and so on. I don't feel like it has inhibited their spoken language at all, and most of the time now they speak and sign simultaneously. </p> <p>Our signing instructor had some "base rules" for early signing. I'm guessing different people have different ideas on this, but this is what we followed.<br /> - consistency is key. Every time you go to provide R with milk (whether by nursing, bottles, sippy cups) show her the sign a couple times. It could take weeks at first for her to pick up on it, but only takes a couple seconds to do the sign each time.<br /> - always speak and sign the word together.<br /> - mimicking is the first step to being able to sign. Games like patty cake, itsy bitsy spider, or how big is baby all work toward your LO mimicking your motions - clapping, raising their hands up to say "so big!", etc. Ultimately those motions lead toward mimicking signs.<br /> - our sign instructor is not a fan of "hand over hand" teaching where you force your LO's hands into the shapes. Instead you should model the sign with your hands and celebrate your LO's attempts even if it takes a while before their "signing" looks like your idea of the signs.<br /> - She never recommends making your LO sign "milk" before you give them milk, for instance. Signing should be relaxed and fun, not stressful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518636 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:08:34 +0000 oliviaoblivia 2518636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: I had the same experience. </p> <p>DD1 picked up the words before the signs and then months late started randomly signing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518593 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:51:23 +0000 LilSprinkles 2518593@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Those are great ones and pretty easy. Help, please, and thank you are also good ones to add. You'd be surprised how quickly babies pick up on it. We started signing with DS when he was fairly young (started with "milk"), and as he got older, added more. By the time he was a year, he knew about 50 signs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518586 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:49:22 +0000 Charm54 2518586@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did them while I was on mat leave, from months 6-12. I was basically doing them to myself and she never caught on so once I went back to work I stopped.</p> <p>All of a sudden, at 14 months, she started doing them on her own (I guess she was paying attention after all?!) So I started back up again. She did more, please, thank you, water, milk, all done, and dog. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518582 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:48:08 +0000 snowjewelz 2518582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started teaching her the basics, but then her speech developed pretty early so signs were only helpful for a few months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518581 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:47:22 +0000 jhd 2518581@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>After reading other responses...I forgot to add please and thank you. He uses those regularly too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518579 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:46:06 +0000 regberadaisy 2518579@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Pickle: we use "more", "all done", "please" a lot. :) Thank you would be a good one too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518575 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:44:32 +0000 jhd 2518575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The four you have listed are great. We use them all the time. Help and go are two other favorites. More and go were the two that got him interested in signing since we played silly games with them (more tickles etc). We have others but those six are probably the most used. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518574 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:43:19 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2518574@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Please was a big one for us </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518572 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:42:32 +0000 kodybear 2518572@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes super useful! The big ones were more and all done. Once they were older we made them start signing please and thank you </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518548 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:27:55 +0000 Mamaof2 2518548@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids knew tons of signs!!! I highly recommend the Signing Times DVDs - they are fun and catchy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518543 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:26:15 +0000 psw27 2518543@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use sign language. We do more, all done, milk, bath, eat, diaper and help. I"m really working on help, even though he is 20 months old because sometimes when he is really frustrated he will sign instead of talk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518534 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:23:12 +0000 LBee 2518534@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son LOVED signing. By about 12 to 14 months he could learn a new sign in an afternoon. The most useful for us were: all done, more, eat, milk, water. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-signs#post-2518528 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 13:20:49 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 2518528@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Since LO is getting ready to start solids I'm thinking of introducing a couple signs, too. I'm planning on doing "more", "milk", "eat", and "all done." Are there any others you'd suggest? Did you sign with your LO? Do you think it was effective? I'm not expecting her to pick them up for a couple months. :) </p>