Saturday, January 22, 2005

Baby "Talk"

Teaching babies sign language

From Eric Meyer's blog:
This morning, Carolyn told me quite clearly that she wanted some yogurt for breakfast. Technically, what she said was “more baby", but I knew what she meant.

How did a 13-month-old manage to tell me what she wanted? By using sign language. Kat and I have been teaching her Baby Signs, which is a simplified version of American Sign Language. I’m given to understand that Baby Signs figure in the plot of the recent movie Meet The Fockers, but don’t let that sour you on the idea. The amazing thing is that it really does work, if you’re willing to put in time and effort.

Wow. I'd heard of this before, but wasn't really paying attention at the time...

I checked out the site a bit, and the concept is fascinating. To be able to effectively communicate with a child at this young age can prevent loads of frustration and headaches, for both parents and kids.

Now if you could just toilet train them at that age too...