Baby signing is a way to communicate with babies who have yet to grasp the skill of speech by using hand gesturing. It works like American Sign Language (ASL), only much easier to learn as it is created with babies' developing motor skills in mind. I read about this amazing way of communication with a child before he can speak when I was carrying Jayden, and decided to give it a try.

I've taught Jayden baby signs since he was 10 months old. Besides reading up the book Baby Signs by Linda Acredolo and researching on the net, I also bought Jayden 4 board books on the subject. It had been frustrating and difficult initially - frustrating because I couldn't get a response more than a blank look, and difficult because I was the only one in the family who signed to him but I wasn't with him the most part of the day (the more a baby is signed to, the faster will he learn). After 2 months of fervent signing, I almost gave up in desperation. Jayden simply would not response! It made me felt so silly, as if I was a clown. But then one day, he signed back! Imagine my ecstasy watching his first sign, which is his favourite animal, dog. Then slowly, he picked up the more complex ones. To date, he can sign: cat, horse, butterfly, bird, pig, rabbit, book, hat, baby, fan, drink, eat, blow, love, bathe, wash, sleep, quiet, again, no more.

I wouldn't say that baby signing works wonders on Jayden because he is not an avid signer. Being hyperactive and impatient, he much prefers to do things his way or yell to get things done rather than sitting down to sign to a clueless adult. That aside, I do notice that his first spoken words are the words he signed, so it does do good in helping his speech. Besides, we have endless fun learning the signs together. And it's a great way of bonding too!

As Jayden's speech progresses, he is less and less willing to sign. One day, I know, he will stop signing eventually. Hope this record serves as a memento for both of us ...