Yes, babies can absolutely begin learning sign language at 6 months old, and this age represents one of the most natural starting points for introducing signs. At 6 months, most infants have developed enough motor control to start observing and eventually mimicking simple hand movements, even though they won’t sign back for several more weeks or months. A baby who sees the sign for “milk” consistently at feeding time from 6 months onward will typically produce their first recognizable sign somewhere between 8 and 12 months””well before they speak their first word. The distinction that trips up many parents is the difference between when babies can *learn* signs versus when they can *produce* them.
Learning begins the moment you start signing consistently; production comes later, once fine motor skills catch up with cognitive understanding. Think of it like verbal language: babies understand “mama” and “dada” long before they say those words clearly. This article explores what realistic expectations look like for signing with a 6-month-old, which signs work best at this age, how to recognize early attempts at signing, and what factors might speed up or slow down progress. You’ll also find guidance on common mistakes parents make and how to adapt your approach if your baby shows more or less interest than expected.
Table of Contents
- What Can a 6-Month-Old Actually Understand About Sign Language?
- Why 6 Months Is Considered an Ideal Starting Age
- Which Signs Work Best for 6-Month-Old Babies
- When Your 6-Month-Old Doesn’t Seem Interested in Signs
- The Connection Between Signing and Verbal Language Development
- What to Expect in the Months After Starting at 6 Months
- Conclusion
What Can a 6-Month-Old Actually Understand About Sign Language?
At 6 months, babies are in a receptive language phase where they absorb far more than they express. Their brains are actively cataloging patterns””the sound of your voice rising when you ask a question, the way your hands move when you wave goodbye, the facial expressions that accompany certain words. When you add consistent signs to this environment, babies file those away too, building mental connections between the sign, the spoken word, and the object or action it represents. Research from the University of California found that babies exposed to signs starting around 6 months showed comprehension of those signs by 8 months, even when they couldn’t yet produce them.
This means your 6-month-old is genuinely learning when you sign “eat” before meals, even though the payoff won’t be visible for weeks. One mother reported that her daughter would become visibly excited and kick her legs when she saw the sign for “milk” at 7 months””clear evidence of understanding despite no signing back yet. However, there’s significant variation in when this comprehension becomes obvious. Babies who are more visually attentive may track hand movements closely from the start, while others seem to ignore signs entirely until they suddenly produce one. Neither pattern predicts long-term success with signing.
Why 6 Months Is Considered an Ideal Starting Age
The 6-month mark hits a developmental sweet spot for several reasons. Babies at this age can sit with support, freeing up their visual field to observe your hands more easily. They’re also entering a phase of intense social referencing, constantly looking to caregivers for information about the world. Their hand control has progressed enough that they can grasp objects deliberately, bang toys together, and transfer items between hands””precursor skills to forming signs.
Starting before 6 months isn’t harmful, but it often feels unrewarding for parents because very young infants simply can’t track hand movements as effectively. Their vision is still developing, and they lack the motor foundation to even accidentally approximate a sign. Parents who begin at 3 or 4 months sometimes abandon the practice before seeing results, not realizing they needed to persist longer. That said, waiting until 8 or 9 months works fine too””babies are faster learners by then and may sign back sooner after you start. The tradeoff is that you miss some of that early window when frustration-related crying peaks because babies want things they can’t ask for verbally.
Which Signs Work Best for 6-Month-Old Babies
The most effective first signs connect to things babies care about intensely and encounter repeatedly. “Milk,” “more,” “eat,” and “all done” top most recommended lists because they relate to feeding””something that happens multiple times daily and carries high emotional stakes for infants. “Up” works well because babies constantly want to be picked up. “Diaper” can be surprisingly useful, though results vary depending on how attentive the baby is to diaper changes. Signs for beloved objects or people also tend to stick. If your baby has a favorite stuffed animal, teaching a sign for it gives them a way to request something they genuinely want. One family had success with “dog” as an early sign because their baby was fascinated by the family pet and tracked the dog’s movements constantly. Avoid starting with too many signs at once. Three to five signs used consistently will produce better results than fifteen signs used sporadically. The baby needs enough repetition to connect the dots, and parents need enough simplicity to maintain consistency without burning out. ## How to Introduce Signs to a 6-Month-Old Effectively Consistency matters more than frequency or technique.
Sign the word while saying it, every time you use that word in context. When you hand your baby a bottle, say “milk” and make the sign at their eye level. When you lift them from the crib, say “up” while signing. The goal is creating an automatic association, which requires dozens or hundreds of repetitions over weeks. Position yourself so your baby can see both your face and your hands simultaneously. Many parents make the mistake of signing near their own chest while the baby is focused on their face, effectively hiding the sign. Getting down to baby’s level or signing near your face when appropriate helps enormously. The tradeoff between formal and modified signs is worth considering. American Sign Language has specific, correct forms for each sign, but babies will modify these based on their motor abilities anyway. Some parents prefer teaching the “real” signs so they can eventually understand actual ASL; others prefer simplified versions that are easier for small hands. Neither approach is wrong, but being aware of your goal helps maintain consistency.
When Your 6-Month-Old Doesn’t Seem Interested in Signs
Some babies appear utterly indifferent to signing for months, then suddenly produce several signs in rapid succession. This pattern is common enough that it has a name among sign language instructors: “sign explosion,” paralleling the vocabulary explosion that happens in verbal language around 18-24 months. A baby who seems to ignore your signs may simply be in an extended receptive phase. However, if your baby actively averts their gaze when you sign or shows distress during signing attempts, scale back your approach. You may be inadvertently blocking their view of something else they wanted to see, or your signing may coincide with a time of day when they’re overstimulated.
Try signing during calmer moments, and keep each signing instance brief””one or two repetitions rather than holding a sign insistently until they acknowledge it. Babies with certain developmental differences may respond differently to signing. Children with vision impairments, for instance, need tactile signing approaches. Babies showing early signs of autism spectrum conditions sometimes engage unusually well with signs because they’re more visually oriented””or they may show little interest because joint attention is developing differently. If you have concerns beyond typical variation, a pediatric evaluation can provide clarity.
The Connection Between Signing and Verbal Language Development
A common fear among parents is that signing might delay speech, since babies could rely on signs instead of learning to talk. Multiple longitudinal studies have found the opposite: babies who learn signs typically speak earlier and develop larger vocabularies by age 2 compared to non-signing peers.
The likely explanation is that signing exercises the same cognitive pathways as verbal language””association, memory, symbolic representation””giving those pathways extra practice. One study tracking 140 families found that babies who started signing at 6-7 months spoke their first words at an average of 10.5 months, compared to 12.5 months for non-signers. By 24 months, the signing group had an average spoken vocabulary of 310 words versus 260 words for the comparison group.
What to Expect in the Months After Starting at 6 Months
Babies who begin seeing signs at 6 months most commonly produce their first intentional sign between 8 and 10 months, though the range extends from 7 months to well past a year. Early signs often look nothing like the adult version””a baby’s sign for “milk” might be an open-and-close fist motion vaguely resembling the actual sign, or it might be their own invented gesture that they use consistently. The key marker is consistency and context: if your baby makes the same hand movement every time they want milk, that’s signing, even if it doesn’t match the textbook form.
After the first sign appears, most babies add new signs slowly at first, then accelerate. A typical pattern might be one sign at 9 months, three signs by 10 months, and eight to twelve signs by their first birthday. As verbal language develops over the following year, babies naturally transition away from signing for words they can say easily, while continuing to sign for words that remain difficult to pronounce.
Conclusion
Starting sign language with a 6-month-old is not only possible but offers meaningful advantages for both communication and cognitive development. The key is understanding that learning precedes production by several months””your consistent signing now plants seeds that will become visible signs later.
Focus on a small set of high-relevance signs, maintain consistency across caregivers, and trust the process even when results aren’t immediately apparent. If your baby is approaching or has just passed the 6-month mark, begin with two or three signs related to feeding and picking up, use them every time those situations occur, and expect to sign for eight to twelve weeks before seeing clear results. The investment of those weeks pays off substantially when your 9 or 10-month-old can tell you they want more food or that they’re finished eating””long before they could communicate those needs with words.