Most babies will begin speaking somewhere between the ages of 12 and 18 months. Typically, this means very simple words. It can take until age 3 before your child’s vocabulary reaches the point where they have words for almost everything and can speak in three-word sentences. Which means that for parents and babies alike, lack of communication can be a source of frustration and stress. That’s why infant sign language (sometimes called infant sign gestures) has become an important tool for many families.

Those who use infant sign language will typically begin by teaching their infant a few very useful signs and gestures. This can immediately improve your ability to understand your baby (and, likewise, your baby’s ability to accurately communicate what they want and need). Using signs, your baby can ask for what they need when they need it–without the emotional turbulence that can come from unmet needs. 

Clearer communication with your infant can have significant benefits (for both parents and their baby). For example, parents that use infant sign gestures will often report fewer tantrums and less stress. There are also very few downsides to this approach, making infant sign language a very popular tool for parents with infants.

What is Infant Sign Language?

Most people assume that the human brain develops the ability to speak and the ability to communicate concurrently. But that’s not necessarily true. That’s because speech requires sophisticated control of the larynx, as well as highly developed fine motor skills around the mouth, lips, and tongue. Speech might feel easy to many adults, but it’s a remarkably sophisticated way to communicate.

Infant sign language, by contrast, is quite simplified. The parts of the brain responsible for understanding language often develop more quickly than speech skills–meaning most infants will quickly develop the ability to recognize and even use signs. 

It’s worth noting that infant sign language is often used for babies who are born with hearing impairments. This type of signing eventually becomes much more complex and complete. The type of infant sign language or infant sign gestures, in contrast, is not a complete language like American Sign Language (ASL) is. Instead, infant sign language in this context is essentially a collection of 20-30 very specific hand signs and gestures. These signs are simple by design, as your baby’s fine motor skills will at this point still be developing.

Some parents may be concerned that teaching their baby sign language may slow the development of their speech skills. But there’s no evidence that this occurs. In fact, some research has suggested that infant sign language can have beneficial impacts on your baby’s ability to understand spoken language over the long term. 

What Are the Benefits of Infant Sign Language

Infant sign gestures are popular (and often recommended) in large part because they offer both parents and babies significant benefits. Some of the most common benefits may include the following:

• Infant sign language can promote early language acquisition: There’s compelling evidence to suggest that teaching your baby signs and gestures can do much to encourage strong early language acquisition skills. This means that your baby may grasp spoken language more quickly or encounter fewer challenges when it comes to speech. How long this benefit endures is difficult to say, as there are a wide variety of other factors at play when it comes to speech and language acquisition. However, there’s certainly no harm in giving your baby every advantage possible.

• Having needs met is easier for infants: Without signing, a baby must wait until they become uncomfortable (or hungry) before they begin to cry and express their need. However, with signing, a baby can ask for a bottle and receive a bottle, immediately meeting their needs. This can lead to significantly fewer moments of frustrations (and fewer tears as a result). This means that your infant’s overall stress levels will likely be lower, both in the short term and over the long term.

• Parents feel calmer: Caring for a baby can involve a lot of guesswork (and that guesswork can be very stressful). Because you’ll be better able to understand your baby’s needs, you won’t regularly feel quite so stressed or frustrated. This can be exceptionally beneficial to parents who are already fatigued and overstretched. Experiencing less stress can help you put energy into taking a thoughtful, caring approach with your parenting and enjoying time with your baby.

• Your bond with your baby can grow stronger: It’s hard to bond when you’re under constant stress. That’s true for both you and your baby! When your baby is less frustrated, you are too–and this means you can spend more time focusing on bonding with each other. Think about it like this: it’s hard to get in kangaroo care time when your baby won’t stop crying and you can’t quite figure out why. Infant sign language can give you a tool that helps you meet your baby’s needs faster–so there’s less crying and more bonding. 

Some benefits of infant sign language will vary from baby to baby. After all, these benefits will depend on how quickly your baby picks up on the signs and gestures. Some infants may never become adept with signs–and that can be perfectly okay! After all, every person is a little bit different. Still, it’s often worth trying to see if you and your baby could benefit from infant sign language.

At the same time, it’s also important to be wary of infant sign language programs that seem to promise the moon. While there are certainly benefits to this parenting tool, many of the long-term transformative benefits are not backed by peer reviewed research. Parents should keep an eye out for scams that seem to make grandiose claims about how infant sign language can transform your baby’s life. Many of these programs charge a significant sum but are not backed by science.

Common Signs in Infant Sign Language

Infant sign language vocabulary is limited by design. That’s because babies do not necessarily have the capacity to understand, digest, and become fluent in a full language. As a result, most signs will focus on very simple, straightforward ideas. Some of the most common infant signs include the following:

• Milk: It’s a good bet that the sign for milk will be often used by both you and your baby. To make the sign for milk, reach your open hands out, close them into fists, and release the fist again. This is something that your baby can understand and replicate when they want milk. They may sometimes also use the next sign.

• Hungry: The sign for hungry is to make a c shape with your hand, pointing the open side towards your neck. Then, move the shape down to your stomach. Essentially, you’re mimicking the path of the food. The idea is when your baby makes the sign for “hungry,” you can alleviate the problem before your infant grows so hungry that they become cranky.

• More: Knowing when your baby wants more of something can be very useful! For this sign, you hold your fingers and thumbs together on both hands. Then, starting with your hands apart, move them closer together. When your baby does this, they’re telling you they want more of something, and you can oblige, heading off a tantrum in the process.

• Drink: The sign for drink is very close to what you might automatically assume it is. Hold your hand in a C and move it to your lips, essentially pantomiming the act of taking a drink of water. When you and your baby know the sign for drink, you can more easily identify when your baby is thirsty. Again, this avoids your infant growing uncomfortable to the point where they become cranky or must start crying to direct your attention.

Other common words that parents will seek to teach their infant include: water, play, done, food, yes, no, sleep, and more. The goal is to find words that are easy for infants to mimic and easy for them to produce and understand. 

How to Teach Your Infant Sign Language

So, infant sign gestures are very useful–but how do you start teaching them to your baby? In general, you can start teaching your baby sign language between the ages of 4-6 months (although, this will vary depending on the baby–every human is a little bit different). 

To teach your baby a sign, start to say the word and make the sign at the same time. For example, you might sign “milk” at the same time that you speak it out loud. It doesn’t hurt to reinforce the idea with some real milk right after that. That’ll help your baby connect those dots and understand what the sign means.

This is something that your baby will likely pick up on relatively quickly and effortlessly. This means that you should avoid, for example, withholding milk until your baby has made the appropriate sign. You don’t want to punish your baby for giving the wrong sign or not making signs, as this will be exceptionally counterproductive. Instead, keep using signs around your baby and remain confident that they’ll pick up on it. The more exposure your baby has, the easier it will be for them to pick up on the meaning of the gestures.

If you’re concerned that your baby is not picking up on any infant sign language gestures, talk to your child’s pediatrician to rule out any potential cognitive or sensorial issues.

A Tool for Parents and Infants Alike

Teaching your infant sign language can help them get a head start on language acquisition at the same time it makes your life together less stressful. This means you’ll have more time for enjoyment–and for bonding. 

If you have questions about infant sign language or your baby’s linguistic and speech development, make sure to ask those questions during your baby’s next wellness visit.

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