Meet the delightful Henri. Henri’s parents joined a Baby Sign playgroup course when he was just 3 months old. Over the 6 week course, they learned over 100 signs and implemented them throughout their day, every day. Henri thrived with baby sign language becoming an important part of the family’s everyday life.

(Photo and story shared with permission)

Key Points:

• Henri’s parents both started signing when he was 3 months old
• The family attended a Baby Sign language playgroup course
• Henri started signing “Milk” at 6 months old
• By 12 months he had a sign vocabulary of over 15 signs
• He could tell his parents exactly what he wanted and needed

So what happened? 

When Matt and Nicole first joined the Baby Sign playgroup course, they had no signing knowledge. They had heard through family that it was really helpful and they wanted the best for their precious first born. They joined the course when Henri was just 3 months old and started signing straight away. Every nappy change, every feed, they signed. As Henri grew and began engaging more with the world around him, they added new signs throughout they day. When they went for a walk, they signed the animals they saw. When he started solids, they signed all the foods they ate. Signing became a normal part of their everyday routine. By 6 months old, Henri did his first sign – MILK! Every baby loves milk, it is their world. The story goes, that Matt was playing with Henri on the floor. Henri started to become a bit grizzly, looked Matt in the eye and very clearly signed “MILK”. Happy he could action that request, Matt took Henri straight to his mum for a feed… happy days! No need to cry, just clear communication.

Fast forward another 6 months and Henri was able to communicate effectively with over a dozen signs! Nicole shared a video of Henri at snack time. When asked if he was finished, Henri was able to clearly say NO and sign “STRAWBERRY”. He wasn’t finished, and he wanted more strawberries. How good is that?!

At the time of writing this post, Henri is 17 months old. He has lots of words and signs. He is communicating effectively with his mum and dad and other important adults around him. It helps keep him safe from harm and feeling connected with the people around him.

Henri is just one of many little people who I’ve had the absolute pleasure of seeing grow and thrive with baby sign language. He is able to share his wants, needs and interests with his mum and dad, easing frustration and promoting a deeper level of connection for both parents!

Happy Signing!

~ Meg ~