by  Smart Coos Editorial Staff

Deciding to use baby sign language brings many advantages; therefore, it is important to know when to begin. There are a few important time frames to know about when it comes to start using baby sign language. We have listed them here to help you get started:

Right Away: You should first start incorporating baby sign language as early as possible! Those newborn days are hard and exhausting so don’t stress yourself out too much, but it is good to start getting into the habit early on. And new babies aren’t as oblivious as one might think in those early months—they start picking up our language cues in the first few weeks. You are creating important building blocks right from the start.

Nine-Ten Months: Babies really begin to start using their first signs around this time. This is the time when you should really make it a habit to use the easy signs SmartCoos provides as much as possible. The more you enthusiastically sign with your baby, the more your baby will sign with you.

Twelve Months: This is the time when you are able to add even more signs to your baby’s vocabulary. From this time on, babies will be able to effectively communicate with you and accumulate even more easy signs.

It is important to know that babies are able to pick up our language cues from the beginning. Don’t hold yourself back waiting for an appropriate age—all ages are appropriate! Early is actually better. Happy signing!

Contributed to by Carol Glover