You can make up your own gestures or pick up a book that will guide you through specific signs. Begin signing with your child as early as you like, but don t expect her to sign back until she s 8 to 11 months old. Choose a few basic signs to start with. These are the things that are most important to your baby. Then you can encourage use, but don t be pushy or overly expectant.
Every child learns and responds in a different way at a different pace.
Enforcing the use of signs doesn t help the child feel more comfortable with using them. Just as your child s spoken vocabulary will grow, you need to make sure that their signing vocabulary grows as well. This fosters learning and keeps signing fresh and fun. Kids love new information. You ll find that once your baby realizes she is communicating, she ll be hungry for more words.