Babies Who Have a Means to Express Themselves Are Happier Babies

A child is naturally curious. He is born into this world with a desire to learn. If we nurture this desire by giving him a means with which he can express himself, then he will continue to find joy in learning. As we have observed in so many young babies, they are able to understand what we say to them well before they are able to talk or express themselves. And when they are unable to express themselves, they often become frustrated. In other words, their minds are actually processing the language they hear and creating thoughts, yet their vocal chords are still developing and so they are limited in how they may express themselves. By introducing sign language to your baby, you are enabling your child to now have a means through which he may express himself; hence, the joy of learning, the joy of being understood, and the feeling of respect and empowerment continue to grow.

Communication! Whew!!

I was on the subway the other day when I saw a former client of mine, someone who had taken Baby Fingers classes for quite some time, when her baby was 3 - 15 months old.   He is jsut over 2 yrs old now.  

He was crying so hard, he could hardly breathe, let alone talk to his mom, and she couldn't figure out if he was scared, hurt, or something else.  Suddenly she reminded him to sign to her and he did! He signed "Friend-Stop!"  

We departed the train at the same time, so I was able to say hello and marvel at their conversation.  She further explained to me that they had passed the subway stop where her son's best play group friend lives and he desparately wanted to go play!!  

Fortunately, he wasn't hurt, but to our babies and toddlers, when things don't go their way- and especially if they can't communicate that to you- it certainly feels like an emergency.  I can still  remember the relief I felt when my children were signing before they were talking-- and once they were talking, the sign still helped to clarify their speech or gave them an outlet when the speech just couldn't.  

Communication!  Whew!!

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