Baby Sign Language - Max Says ‘More, please!’

Toddlers and babies are not generally known for their table manners. Mine, in particular, liked to screech at the top of his lungs when he wanted or needed something, or was finished eating. It drove me crazy, wore on my last nerve. I was determined the child would say “please,” even if it killed me.

I had taken American Sign Language in high school, and I had heard about parents signing to their kids. Babies can understand language long before they can control the muscles in their mouths to make words, and signing is a way that many parents have found to be able to communicate with their children before they can talk. I had imagined that I would use this tactic with my kids.

But Max’s teachers at school didn’t sign, and I’d lost a good bit of my vocabulary through disuse. I knew the sign for “finished,” and so I would use this one with him in his high chair when meals were over and say “all done.” “Finished” is signed with your hands flat and near your face, turning your wrists so that your hands face out, then in, out, then in (think the British royalty wave, but uncupped hand and both at the same time). One day, at the end of his dinner, I noticed that Max raised his hands and sort of flopped them back and forth. Wait. Did he…I think he… He did! He just signed ‘finished!’ It wasn’t perfect, of course, and it’s still not. But it was so exciting to see him using his hands to tell me what he wanted. Instead of a blood-curdling screech, I got a quiet “all done.” Now, Max can say “all done,” and he uses some variation of the sign, his words, or both at the end of every meal.

He is also learning to use “all done” in different contexts, like when he is finished with a task, or is tired and ready to end an activity. For example, on Halloween night, as the group of friends we went trick-or-treating with was about to move on down the street, he looked up at me and signed “all done.” He was tired of trick-or-treating and ready to go home, which I might have missed until he had gone over the edge, if he wasn’t able to communicate it. It is beautiful to have a child who feels empowered enough to communicate his needs, instead of breaking down into a tantrum.

Another boy in Max’s class at school also signs, and it was from him and his (new) teacher’s use of “more” that Max learned to ask for what he wants. One day I was feeding Max in his high chair and I gave him a little piece of something that I was eating. He liked it and looked at me, signing “more.” He didn’t point and squeal! He signed! He now signs “more” in conjunction with the word “please.” It’s very difficult not to give him everything he wants, with the lethal combination of toddler adorableness and manners!

After these successes, I’ve been watching Laura Berg’s lessons, and I am inspired to start signing more with Max. I can tell that it helps him to understand what he is hearing, learning, and saying. And the thought of having a 2-3 year old who can sound out words and read is, honestly, almost delightfully unimaginable. I also plan to pass this information on to my sister-in-law, whose lovely daughter, my niece!, is just the right age to start signing.

Get a Trackback link