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Signing Part I

I first came across the concept and practice of signing with infants when I was doing my pre pregnancy research on how to best achieve a better and healthier birth.  Once we were pregnant with our first child, a son, I came across the information again and even watched a few videos of a mother signing with her fifteen month old daughter.  The idea is that parents start using sign language with their infants for basic words e.g. “milk,” “all done,” “diaper,”  so that the infant can communicate basic needs and wants before he or she is verbal. This not … Continue reading →

You Think the Translating Ends Once They Give Up the Baby Talk?

I was chatting with a friend recently who has a young child—she is my age, but her child is preschool age and she was sharing that she is becoming a master at translating her child’s version of the English language. She expressed how great it will be when her kid gets older and she doesn’t have to serve as translator. “Honey,” I said, “Have you tried to talk to a teenager lately?” I used to be cool and hip. As a matter of fact, as an English major specializing in the post-modern and modern era—I used to think I was … Continue reading →

The Baby Week in Review October 21-27

Welcome to this week’s Baby Week in Review as we go over all the stories that were covered in the Baby Blog for the week of October 21 through the 27th. There was a lot of ground covered this week and we’re heading into the end of October and beginning of November. Next month marks my baby’s 6th birthday and I keep wondering how we got so far, so fast. Still, I get to relive some of the great moments and share my memories here in the baby blog. So without further ado, here is our Baby blog week in … Continue reading →

Baby Sign Language: Good or Bad?

Do you sign with your baby? Popular books like BabyWise by Ezzo tout signing with your baby as the answer to teaching your baby manners. At around five months, you’re supposed to start teaching your baby signs for thirsty, hungry, please and thank you. Other proponents note that babies definitely are able to think more than they can communicate. Teaching sign makes communicating basic needs much less frustrating. (Have you ever had your child repeatedly say a completely unintelligible word to their utter frustration because you can’t understand?) If only all babies signed, we could see what’s inside their heads … Continue reading →

More

Recently our son has been asking for more. More, if you’ve been following this blog, is one of the most useful terms our son has learned in sign language. He’s employed it to great effectiveness for everything from books to apples. He’s truly enjoyed being able to tell his parents that he wants and needs “more” of whatever it is that he’s currently eating or doing. It’s helpful to us as well because we can more efficiently detect exactly what he’s asking for. Sometimes the 30th straight reading of a very bad children’s book (and there are bad ones) will … Continue reading →

Combining Words

Our son has been taught a few words via a baby sign language book since his birth. My wife decided this would be a good idea for a variety of reasons, studies, personal experiences, and other publications. It took a while for us to notice the fruits of these simple hand gestures accompanying words and objects. Eventually our son recognized some of the words and could respond with a smile or a cry (a simple form of yes or no) and he has steadily progressed in his ability to communicate since then. He doesn’t lack verbal communication (“Mama” and “Dada” … Continue reading →

Valorie’s Read Aloud Picks for May

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Welcome to a new feature of the baby blog and one that’s dear to my heart. Reading out loud to your baby is one of the best activities you can engage in. Sometimes parents ask me how early should you start reading and my answer is as soon as you possibly can! The sing-song pattern of simple rhyming books help babies learn language patterns. Board books that have textures engage their senses, and even the simple act of handling a book and learning which way is right side up, believe it or not, is an important reading skill. Read while … Continue reading →

Games and Activities That Build Sound Awareness

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We’ve been talking in the baby blog a little about activities to do with your baby. I mentioned in my first article that I think just getting out and making a point to interact with your baby, carry your baby, etc. is good stimulation. However, this series is designed to give you some ideas if you want to plan activities with your baby. These are also excellent ideas for those of you who have preemies. Animals Babies can learn to associate all sorts of sounds with animals. On top of that, if you browse a baby book section, you’ll find … Continue reading →

Naming, Claiming, and Letting Go

Naming our children is a very personal decision for all of us. My own parents preferred to think of new names, rather than naming their children after family. However, my husband and I gave our first child (our birth son) one name related to my family heritage and another after a recently deceased relative of my husband’s. We planned a girl’s name at that time also—a first name I had always thought was beautiful, and a middle name which was Charles’ mother’s, grandmother’s and sister’s middle name. When we adopted, many of the Asian language names sounded strange to our … Continue reading →