Day 98...Thursday Nov. 19th

One of the books I want for Christmas this year is an American Sign Language book. Not only would it come in handy for work (we use a lot of sign language with the kids), but it would be great to use with Pickle! Sign language is a great way to start communicating with your child before their verbal skills have become fully developed. This way, with the use of sign language, your child can communicate their needs without having to play the ol' guessing game!

"What parent, at one time or another, hasn't held their crying, fussing infant and wondered, if only she could tell me what she needed. If you're a part of the growing movement of parents who teach their infants Baby Sign Language, then you already know you can communicate through simple signing gestures.

Using American Sign Language, a parent or caregiver can begin teaching a baby as young as 6 months simple signs for commonly used terms such as "more," "drink," "sleep," "eat," and "thank you." Use the signs consistently, and in two to three months, your baby will likely begin to signal what he needs or desires.

Some parents worry that the use of signing may diminish or delay language skills. But it appears that the majority of research has found otherwise.

"Teaching sign language to infants can actually help with communication and language, but it's not necessarily going to make your child brilliant," says Marsha Gerdes, Ph.D., co-director of the neonatal follow-up program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "We actually recommend signing in cases where there could be a language delay, such as with premature babies. But even among kids with no risk factors of hearing loss or language delay, signing is a great way to begin communicating with your infant."

Just be sure to always speak the word while using the sign so that your baby doesn't rely on signing alone to communicate."

I love you Pickle!