Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk, New Edition

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Summary: BEST BABY GIFT!
Review: AMAZING IDEAS CONTAINED IN THIS BOOK!!! I can think of no better gift to give expecting parents than this book after seeing the results it can produce. I gave this book to my brother and his wife to use with my niece. My teaching partner, also a reading specialist, recommended it for use with her granddaughter as well. Both of these girls spoke earlier than peers, understand concepts beyond what you would think capable for their ages, have a sense of humor that is more highly developed, and plenty of confidence in their ability to communicate with others. Both girls have also seemed to be more aware of others' feelings as well-and not as egocentric as you would expect for toddlers. I have been continually amazed as I have watched the learning, and heard the thinking and vocabulary of my niece-and the stories about my friend's granddaughter. Transferring their knowledge about words and communication to books and school will be a breeze! Their empathetic qualities will also likely make them very successful with their peers. I wish all parents had an opportunity to learn the strategies presented in this book-- for their children's sakes and well as for their own ease. It seems to make parenting easier-- because the babies can tell their parents what they need-- and have the reassurance that the parents understand what they are expressing. I have tried to tell as many people as possible about this book. I am glad to write this review-- and maybe convince a few others of its benefits! Babies are always a wonderful blessing-but I promise you will be amazed when you see how sign language works for them and what they are able to communicate at such a young age!

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Summary: Comprehensive approach to communicating with your child.
Review: This book is an intelligent, research based method for communicating with your prelinguistic child. It offers many signs to teach your child while encouraging parents to make their own signs too. I have taught my son "thirsty", "hungry", "more", "let-me-out", "kitty", and "fan." He has taught me "vacuum cleaner", "bird", and "music." My boy is 11 months-old and we communicate. I expect that our signs will increase in an exponential manner. It only requires consistent effort.

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Summary: Just a brag book
Review: This book spent most of it't time telling about how wonderful "baby sign" is and does not give enough directions for words. The authors spent too much time telling stories of how well it works and selling you on the ideas, but did not "show" a lot of signs that worked. They also missed several basic signs, such as "wet", and "tummy-ache." I would have enjoyed it more if there were more samples of actual signs.

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Summary: Baby Signs
Review: The BABYS SIGNS book contains great signing info, but It advocates "making up" signs . . . inventing your own language . . . limiting a child's ability to "communicate" with anyone outside of the immediate family. It's easy to simplify ASL signs that a child may have difficulty with. Why would anyone suggest "making up signs" when teaching ASL will provide your child a language they can use as babies . . . a basic language they can continue to learn in elementary, high school and beyond. American Sign Language is even being offered in high school and universites to fulfill the "foreign language" requirement. I hope parents will consider this before teaching their baby a non-universal language.

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Summary: Wonderful
Review: We started signing with my 1st child and it was such a help. Especially the 'more' and 'outside' sign. She used them before she could talk. She started talking on time and it didn't slow her like some said it might and she still uses them with the word out of habit sometimes and for emphasis when we don't respond fast enough. It's a wonderful thing. I'm going to do it with our 2nd child as soon as she's old enough. I wish it had more signs in the book we could teach.

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Summary: Not as helpful as other books
Review: Contains some interesting facts on research and teaching kids signing. But this is also included in Joseph Garcia's Sign With Your Baby, and it includes more useful, practical information about introducing signing to your baby, as well as actual ASL signs, not made up ones, as in Acredolo's book. Amazon usual has great deal on video-book-flashcard kit. Loved that! Also more useful was buying an ASL pocket dictionary, once little one's vocabulary takes off, and can't find all words kid is interested in in these texts.

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Summary: This video is amazing -
Review: It was my daughter's 1st birthday and she had the flu. The only thing she wanted to do for that week was watch this video. She has learned all the signs in the video and is able to communicate to me when she wants to eat, drink, go to sleep, look at the moon, needs a diaper change, etc.... this video has really helped her to communicate with us more easily - she now can express to us what she wants through "Baby Sign" language. I highly recommend this video to new parents. My daughter learned how to "sign" as soon as she hit her first birthday, thanks to this video.

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Summary: IT WORKS, IT WORKS, IT WORKS!!
Review: I bought this when my baby was just a couple months old... I saw a story on the authors... and I had to check it out.We started signing a couple thins at 6+ months. I CAN NOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THIS!!! REALLY! My son offered (not mimiced-that started sooner) his first sign, when he was 9 1/2 months old... The cat was walking by his highchair, and he looked down at him, and looked at me and signed "kitty". I cried!! WOW! What a rush!! And for those worried it will hold speak back... authors are right, it facilitates it... my son is only trying to say the words he sighns so far... (oh, and "moo" too, I guess :) ) He is now 12 1/2 months old... GET this book, if you are a stay at home parent, or even if you are not... it just will be harder,i would think, if they are with day care that is not family... that doesn't "sign'. I really think it is GREAT!! My son can tell me when he wants a drink, and when he wants a snack, etc.!! I LOVE this!! We have friends that have a baby that is 2 weeks older... and there is a lot more whining and frustration in that home than ours!! (she is not talking yet at all) TRY IT. It takes consistancy, but it is worth it!!

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Summary: Why not use ASL?
Review: Why in the world would I teach my child a language that exists only for the people who have written or read this book? What an insult to him and myself to think that ASL is too "complicated" for us to learn. He is 8 months old and is signing milk and more in ASL to me and understands many more signs. I now wish I had known before wasting my money.

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Summary: Baby Gestures not Signs
Review: I am a Sign Languague Interpreter in training and an early childhood professional. This book uses gestures or invented signs instead of American Sign Language (ASL). If a parent is going to take the time to teach their child signs as well as learn the signs themselves why not use a program that they will be able to find other resources to access instead of trying to remember what they made up. I would not recommend this to any family that wishes to learn about Baby Sign or teach their baby.