A baby's verbal ability precedes his ability to understand language and use his motor skills to communicate. A baby is likely to wave hello and goodbye before he speaks the words. If you want to start signing with your child, the ideal age to start is around 9 or 10 months, suggests the Babycenter website. A parent can start with a few simple signs and then add more in as the baby masters them.
Types
For better communication using baby sign language, consider the elements that the child is likely to want to talk to you about. Simple signs can be taught, such as touching the hand to the mouth for "eat" or patting the bottom when the baby needs his diaper changed.
Effects
Tova Klein, director of the Barnard Center for Toddler Development, states on the Parent Dish website that teaching a baby to sign helps ward off frustration. A child might become increasingly agitated if you are unable to understand what she is trying to communicate. With signing, she can let you know if she is hungry, tired or cold.
Considerations
Parents might decide to teach sign language in order to develop a closer bond with the child. If the baby is upset, you can communicate without words. The baby can "talk" to you from an early age through signing.
Benefits
Signing might help with the child's language development as the baby grows older. As long as signing is used along with normal speech, it might help build the child's vocabulary, according to the Babycenter website. If you make a gesture while teaching a word, it grabs the baby's attention more than if you sit in front of the child and repeat vocabulary.
Warning
Signs do not need to match others, suggests the Dr. Greene website. The goal of the signs is to make them easy to learn and something that the entire family can understand. Forcing the baby to learn sign language or making him take a class is not advised. The signing should be natural and not forced. Instead, to teach him, say and sign the word at the same time.
