Toddler Communication

I am in awe everyday with Z's vocabulary. He seems to be coming up with new and interesting words all of the time. He is now putting these words together into somewhat recognizable phrases ("nice catch, where is ______ momma?, I sit momma etc.) and he loves to point and label things. Z will continue to label and object over and over until you repeat the word he says :)

Since the first day Z started making sounds, he was "telling stories". He loves to talk (like his parents) and even though he didn't have any words (well words that we understood) he would go on and on and on. He still does this but now we are able to catch a familiar word here and there.

I use to keep track of all of Z's words in his Baby Signs (R) Memory Book. This was when he only had 20-30 words. Now he has so many and I have not been able to keep track of them all in the book (so lazy). Besides, what am I going to do....brag at playgroup about how many words Z knows? I have to say that I try not to do that sort of thing. After all there is no race to win here people (I feel another blog post coming on).

They say that a toddler's caregiver understands best what the child is trying to say with their broken speech. This person can then act as an interpreter for the rest of the world and help the child get what they want/need. Well I feel like I am failing as Z's interpreter. I only catch words here and there and he often has to rely on his Baby Signs (R), pointing or me figuring out the context of what he is saying in order to communicate. I feel horrible when he looks at me and repeats a word over and over and I have no idea what he is saying. Most of the time he sounds like he is speaking German (maybe he is).

The other day Z was saying, "damat" and my sister asked me what he was saying. I replied with "damat" and she said, "no shit, what does that mean?". I couldn't tell her! I feel so badly that I am not able to understand Z at times. He speaks so fast and sometimes I feel as if I am back in French class with the professor speaking a mile a minute in a language that I could not comprehend.

For the most part, Z and I communicate pretty well. But many of his words sound the same and there are still words that he says that I do not have meaning for. I know as time passes, he will learn more words and I will be better able to understand him. But for now, my German child will have to bear with his mother who is so bad at learning foreign languages. Sorry Z!

Baby Signs and Z

Well I know I have mentioned it many times before but I am in love with Baby Signs (R) program. Z has learned over 60 and it helps us to communicate so easily. The cutest sign he is doing right now is please. He also says it and I love to hear it ;) I have lots of video footage of him signing but S will not let me put it on the internet (maybe when he is older). So for now I am going to show you two adorable twins signing away! This is a long clip but even if you only watch a bit.....it truly shows how amazing signing with babies is :) Enjoy!!!!

Elmo, Beebo and George....Oh My!

My mother in-law mentioned this weekend that she thinks TV is no good for toddlers. Up until about a year ago my husband and I would have agreed with her whole heartedly. Our original plan was to not let Z watch TV until he was 2 years old. Well life gets crazy and plans have to change sometimes. I do "need" Z to sit down and watch TV on occasion and I think I am okay with that.

Z did not watch any TV until he was over 6 months old. After he turned 3 months, I gave up on daytime TV and so the television was not turned on until 8pm. Once he turned 6 months he would watch an occasional 20 minute Baby Signs (R) DVD. These DVDs are great and they go over 6 signs in a fun and baby friendly way. The videos eventually became a nightly routine and Z even learned a few signs from the movies. The reason I started allowing Z to watch TV was so that I could make dinner.

Now Z spends about 60 minutes watching TV a day (sometimes less, sometimes a little more). He watches about 20-25 min of Elmo's world in the morning so that I can get ready for our day and about 30 min of Curious George (or a Baby Signs (R) DVD) in the evening so I can shower and make dinner. The rest of the day, the TV is turned off.

I can't say that I am proud of all of his television viewing but I am very happy with the programs that he watches. He loves George, Elmo and Beebo from his Baby Signs (R) movies and has learned signs and even words from these programs. With my husband as busy as he is at work and my day as long as it is....I do need those breaks to get dressed, shower and make dinner for the family. I have read many studies that say as long as the programs are educational and that toddlers do not watch over 2 hours of TV a day...they should turn out just fine :) I hope so because I don't think Z and I could give up his favorite three characters!

Baby Signs and Z

The Baby Signs (R) Program has been a big part of our lives for the past year. Z knows over 60 signs (as well as a lot of words) and is able to easily communicate his needs and thoughts with us. I first heard about the program from my good friend S. I was amazed to see her co-workers 2 year old daughter communicate with both signs and words. At the time she had 200 signs and the communication between her and her mother was flawless. My friend S then started signing with her son when he was born and I knew it was something I wanted to do when I had Z.

I bought the book Baby Signs by Dr. Linda Acredelo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn and read it while I was pregnant. I then started signing with Z when he was 4 months old. This was not only to expose him to the signs but to get myself and my husband in the habit of signing. We started out slowly with mealtime signs, added bedtime and before you know it Z was signing back! He did his first sign at 7 months old with my sister in-law and mother in-law present. He looked up at our bathroom light and signed "light". It was AWESOME! From there he took off....he learned more, all done, milk, fan, hat, dog etc.

I will never forget the night when Z signed love and looked up at my husband. It was incredible and melted both of our hearts! Here was our 10 month old telling us that he loved us!!!! It was such a special moment and one that made all of the work we had put into signing worth it.

I highly recommend the Baby Signs (R) program to any family with children under 2. It makes such a difference in the day to day challenges when you have a child who can ask for specific things or let you know when something is wrong. The signs that I wanted Z to learn the most were the safety signs. He is now very good at signing help, hurt, hot and gentle :)

My advice if you are just starting out is to either buy the Baby Signs (R) book or buy the Complete Starter Kit. Both will help any family to get started with their baby signing journey. The starter kit includes a parent guide, four cute board books, a child DVD with 6 signs (my son loves the DVDs) and a parent DVD with a video glossary of 100 signs and an overview of the program. Another great place to learn more is the Baby Signs (R) website.

My other piece of advice is to start slow! Pick a few signs to start and make sure to use them in your daily routines. Please know that the younger your baby, the longer it will take for them to sign back. Children don't typically start signing until 8-12 months. So be patient and make it fun....it is so worth it!!!!

Happy Signing!