This is the #1 question I get about baby signing. When should you start signing with your baby?

My go to answer for this is to say: any time! And that’s because really, any time is a good time to learn to sign. But, I am also starting to see that it doesn’t give families enough information to make an informed decision about learning to sign. So in this blog I’m going to break it down a little more and look at what the benefits are at different ages, and what my professional recommendation is.

So, starting early… what do I consider early? Under 6 months. There are so many benefits to starting to sign with your baby before they are 6 months. You are going to learn how to tune into their non-verbal communication, and focus on lots of face-time and connecting with your baby. This has huge benefits in creating a bond that supports not only their language development, but ALL areas of development.  Learning to sign also supports your baby’s understanding of what you are saying. Remember, when your baby is born, they are learning language for the first time – they don’t really know what you are saying, they can just feel your love. So adding visual cues, like baby sign language, helps your baby unlock the code you are speaking. The down side to starting early, is that you need to be in it for the long game. Your baby won’t have the motor control to produce signs until over 6 months, so you won’t get that positive feedback for months, but you will see signing and other benefits earlier than if you wait (obviously!)

Starting between 6-12 months. This age is considered to be a period of huge growth for your baby, both physically and mentally. Starting at this age will see many of the same benefits as earlier: supporting your baby’s understanding of what you are saying, tunes you into the non-verbal component of communication, and gives them an alternative way of communicating. You will also see signing a bit quicker at this age as your baby is somewhat developmentally ready to start producing signs, and they will pick it up quickly.

Starting between 12-18 months. Your baby will likely already have a very good grasp on what you are saying by this age, so those early benefits and even boosts that they get from signing as an infant are missed, however you will still see them picking up signing very quickly and it will help them communicate more effectively while they continue to develop their understanding and ability to express themselves.

Starting after 18 months – while those initial early benefits are missed, the primary benefit of learning to sign with toddlers is that it will clarify their speech. It’s very common for toddlers speech to be unclear right up until 3 years old. Learning to sign will help you understand what your toddler is saying and allow you to support their language and communication, as well as their social and emotional wellbeing

Communication = Connection!

So – my professional opinion on when to start? Some time in that first year is ideal, and where you will see the most benefit. If you know you have the patience to stick it out for the long game, start early. If you know that you’re likely to drop the ball when your baby doesn’t start signing straight away, hold off for a few months, enjoy those early months without pressure and when baby is about 7 months, introduce signing to your daily routine. But, if you’ve just come across my page and your baby is already a toddler – that’s OK too. You can still enjoy the benefits of signing with your baby!