What is Baby Sign Language?

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Nicki with baby signs on behalf of Expert Village. And in this clip we'll talk about what the baby signs is. So baby signs is just simply a way to communicate with your baby before your baby has the ability to make words using speech. The baby signs program was founded by child developing experts Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn who are doctors at the University of California at Davis. They wrote a book called How to talk with your baby before your baby can talk, Baby Signs. Another wonderful story that I really love is from the book, Baby Hearts, also written by Dr. Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn. This their third book and it begins with the story of Zachery who was 15 months old and he loved his new clown doll so much that he carried it around with him everywhere he went. Of course though when he went to sleep at night, his mother thought it would be nice if she would put it next to his bed on the dresser so he can see it first thing when he woke up. Well she went in and in the middle of the night he was crying and pointing at the doll and he was doing his baby sign for scared. So what she realize was a clown doll during the day was not the same as a clown doll at night and if she hadn't been able to see him signing scared, she would probably had put the doll in bed with him and that's certainly no way to gaining baby's trust."