Although any word that relates to your baby’s world can be helpful, there are a few that are particularly useful. “Functional signs, such as “milk” and “full,” are a great starting point,” says Steyns. “But the fun ones are actually important as well because they’re what your baby will likely be most interested in practising with you,” she says.
These may include signs like “bath,” if your little one loves tub time, or “dog,” if your pooch is already your baby’s best friend.
Introduce between one and three signs at a time, repeating them often as firm statements and saying and signing the words at the same time. “Avoid using the signs as questions because this can confuse your baby,” says Steyns.
In addition to practicing on your own, it may be worth signing up for an online or in-person course on baby sign language (if there’s one in your city) to ensure that you’re getting the gestures just right.
Before long (usually by 10 to 14 months), your baby will begin signing back to you. But keep in mind that, as with speech, their early versions of the words in sign language will often be a bit different at first. They may only be decipherable to you in the beginning, but that’s OK—just keep trying together.
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