My Baby Can Talk (closed)

Sign Language for babies. It seems to be one of those things that, if you have had a baby in the past 10 years or so, it prevalent among the discussions at mommy groups, online and off. I admit I have had my guard up about sign language for babies, because in the discussions I’ve read among some forums, it felt to me that it was more of a “look what my baby can do that yours can not” type of thing. We all know the mommies out there like that, looking for one more way to get a leg up on ‘the competition’ and it’s sad that something like sign language, music programs, baby gym programs, etc., get tarnished by the go-getters who engage their baby in everything to make themselves better. You know her, I know her. I don’t want to be that mom. I felt that if I took a plunge into baby sign language that I would become one of those moms.

See, here’s the thing. My Baby Can Talk, like some other products for babies out there, makes some pretty bold statements. For example, on the back of the DVDs, they state that (quoting here) “Research has shown that babies who use sign language tend to speak sooner with larger vocabularies, show an increase in IQ scores and engage in more sophisticated play.” I guess this is what has made me…cranky…about sign language in the past. I have dug my heels in, crossed my arms and said, “So what then, does that mean my baby is less intelligent and not nearly as sophisticated?”

To their credit, My Baby Can Talk cites research on the site, from a study done in 1982 by Acredolo & Goodwyn . This particular study, which was done with 103 eleven month old babies, is the basis for the IQ and sophisticated play statements.

When I had the opportunity to review the My Baby Can Talk book and dvd series, I figured if anything I could make an honest review of it because I had never tried sign language before. The books of course were the most accessible items for my kids and they were both interested in them immediately. Of course this program is for babies but what I didn’t expect was how my 4 year old would be so interested in it as well (more about that later).

The books in the series match the dvds: My Baby Can Talk™ First Signs, Sharing Signs, and Exploring Signs. Nevaeh likes all the books and brings me each one throughout the day to read with her. What parents will like about these books is that besides the basic item/word association on each page, there’s also an illustration of the sign for that word AND written instructions of how to make that sign.

For example, the word Bird is on a page with a picture of a yellow bird and a little rhyme. Then below it is an illustration of a girl signing the word. The text below the girl says: Palm facing forward with thumb and index finger extended; bring your hand to your mouth then open and close your thumb and index finger.

The books make it so easy to understand and then teach American Sign Language to your baby (and, as I’ve seen, preschoolers too). I really like how useful these books are. Not only do they keep Nevaeh entertained when she’s flipping through them on her own and looking at the bright pictures, they’re also useful learning tools when we take some quiet time together to read them.

The DVDs take the books one step further and help families learn American Sign Language together. Much like the format in the books, the DVD shows you an item, and then shows you exactly how to sign that word. The website has video of how to sign tons of words; for example you can see here how to sign MILK from the DVD series.

The DVDs are best used when parent and baby have quiet time together each day, when baby is rested and in a good mood. The site explains that if you bring the DVD into your daily routine, baby will learn to expect it and look forward to the time each day. I can’t say that we watched the DVDs each day but we did make them our DVD of choice during quiet time. At 15 months old Nevaeh loved the babies, toys, animals and other colorful characters in the series.

The DVDs also feature a Parent Tutorial which outlines how to effectively teach sign language to your baby, which was a nice added feature.

We have had the My Baby Can Talk DVDs and books in our house for over a month now and have really enjoyed using them (yes…really). My 4 year old has taken the books with him to nursery school for Show & Tell and showed his peers and his teacher some signs. They actually learn a bit of sign language at school already so this was a hit with his class. The frugal mommy in me likes that this is a useful product for both of my children, and something that we can keep referring back to.

Nevaeh and I together (along with big brother) have learned a few words. In our busy day I have picked which words were important to pick up first, and Nevaeh has her favorites too. The one we use the most in our house is the sign for “more”.