Yes, baby sign language is worth the effort for most families. Research consistently shows that teaching simple signs to preverbal infants reduces frustration, strengthens the parent-child bond, and may support earlier language development. A baby who can sign “milk” or “more” at ten months old experiences less of the crying and tantrums that come from being unable to communicate basic needs. The time investment is modest””just a few minutes of consistent practice during daily routines””and the benefits extend well beyond the signing phase itself.
That said, baby sign language is not a magic solution, and it requires realistic expectations. Some children take to signing immediately while others show little interest for months. Parents who expect their eight-month-old to sign complete sentences will be disappointed; most babies learn only a handful of functional signs before spoken language takes over. The real value lies not in creating a bilingual infant but in opening a small window of communication during the months when babies understand far more than they can verbalize. This article examines the specific benefits and limitations, what the research actually says, how to get started practically, and when signing might not be the right fit for your family.
Table of Contents
- What Are the Real Benefits of Baby Sign Language?
- How Long Does It Take to See Results from Baby Sign Language?
- Does Baby Sign Language Delay Speech Development?
- What Signs Should You Teach First?
- What If Your Baby Shows No Interest in Signing?
- The Role of Caregivers and Consistency
- Long-Term Impact and Transitioning to Speech
- Conclusion
What Are the Real Benefits of Baby Sign Language?
The primary benefit of baby sign language is reducing frustration for both baby and caregiver during the gap between comprehension and speech. Babies typically understand words months before they can produce them””a ten-month-old might recognize “bottle,” “dog,” and “daddy” but lack the motor control to say these words clearly. Signs bridge this gap because the gross motor skills needed for simple hand gestures develop earlier than the fine oral motor skills needed for speech. When a toddler can sign “hurt” and point to their ear, parents can respond appropriately instead of guessing through a checklist of possible problems. Research from the University of California found that babies who learned signs had larger spoken vocabularies by age two compared to non-signing peers, though this advantage tends to level out by age three.
More importantly, studies show reduced behavioral frustration in signing babies. One longitudinal study found that parents of signing babies reported significantly fewer tantrums during the 12-18 month period compared to control groups. However, it’s worth noting that families who commit to baby sign language may also be more attuned to their children’s communication attempts in general, which could contribute to these outcomes independently of the signs themselves. The bonding benefit is harder to measure but frequently reported by parents. Learning signs together creates intentional interaction time, and successfully understanding a baby’s signed message produces a visible moment of connection. When a 14-month-old signs “bird” while looking out the window, the shared attention and mutual understanding reinforce the relationship in tangible ways.
How Long Does It Take to See Results from Baby Sign Language?
Most families need to commit to two to four months of consistent signing before babies produce their first intentional sign, though this varies widely based on the child’s age and temperament. Babies introduced to signs at six months typically won’t sign back until nine or ten months at the earliest, while babies who start learning at ten months might produce signs within six to eight weeks. The key word is consistency””sporadic signing rarely produces results because babies need repeated exposure to connect the gesture with its meaning. However, if you’ve been signing consistently for three months with a baby over ten months old and seeing no reciprocation, this doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem. Some babies are observers who absorb information for long periods before demonstrating it.
Other babies may attempt signs that parents don’t recognize because the motor execution is imperfect. A baby trying to sign “milk” might just be opening and closing their fist in a way that looks like random movement. Parents should watch for any consistent gesture that appears in relevant contexts, even if it doesn’t match the textbook form of the sign. Importantly, receptive understanding develops before production. A baby may respond correctly when you sign “time to eat” long before they produce signs themselves. This comprehension phase still represents meaningful progress and often predicts that production is coming soon.
Does Baby Sign Language Delay Speech Development?
The concern that signing delays speech is one of the most common objections parents encounter, but research does not support this fear. Multiple studies have found that signing babies either develop speech at the same rate as non-signers or slightly earlier. The theoretical basis for this makes sense: signing provides more language interaction, not less. When parents sign while speaking, babies receive linguistic input through two channels simultaneously, which reinforces rather than replaces spoken language learning.
The key caveat is that parents should always speak while signing””this is not about teaching babies a silent visual language but about providing a temporary gestural support for verbal communication. A parent who signs “dog” should say “dog” at the same time. Babies will naturally drop signs and shift to spoken words as their verbal abilities develop, typically between 18 and 24 months, because speech is faster and more socially reinforced than signing. Some speech-language pathologists specifically recommend baby sign language for late talkers and children with speech delays, using signs as a scaffold while verbal skills develop. For children with certain developmental differences, signing may remain a valuable communication tool well beyond the toddler years.
What Signs Should You Teach First?
Starting with five to ten highly functional signs produces better results than introducing many signs at once. The most useful first signs relate to daily needs and high-interest items: “milk,” “more,” “all done,” “eat,” “water,” “help,” “hurt,” and “diaper” cover basic needs, while “dog,” “cat,” “ball,” and “book” often match toddlers’ interests. The specific signs matter less than their relevance to your baby’s daily experience””if you don’t have a pet, teaching animal signs is less immediately useful than teaching signs for favorite foods. Compared to formal sign language curricula that introduce signs alphabetically or thematically, the practical approach focuses on high-frequency communication situations.
Every diaper change is an opportunity to sign “diaper” and “all done.” Every meal involves “eat,” “more,” and “all done.” Every nursing or bottle session involves “milk.” This repetition in natural contexts is more effective than dedicated signing practice sessions, though some families do both. One practical tradeoff involves sign complexity. Official ASL signs for some words involve fine motor movements that babies can’t replicate. Modified “baby signs” are easier for small hands but diverge from actual American Sign Language. Families planning to pursue ASL more seriously might prefer the authentic signs from the start, accepting that babies will approximate them imperfectly.
What If Your Baby Shows No Interest in Signing?
Not every baby takes to signing, and pushing too hard can turn communication into a power struggle. Babies who are particularly focused on physical development””early crawlers or walkers””sometimes show less interest in signing because their attention is elsewhere. Similarly, babies with highly verbal older siblings sometimes seem to bypass the signing stage because they’re absorbing so much spoken language. This doesn’t mean signing failed; it means the baby may develop communication skills through a different path. The warning sign to watch for is using signing to measure your baby against developmental expectations.
Baby sign language should reduce pressure, not create it. If you find yourself anxious that your 13-month-old hasn’t signed yet while your neighbor’s baby signed at nine months, the comparison is counterproductive. Developmental variation is enormous in the first two years, and late signers often become enthusiastic signers once they start, while early signers sometimes abandon signs quickly when speech arrives. If you’ve tried consistently for several months with no apparent interest, it’s reasonable to scale back and simply expose your baby to signs without expectation. Some babies produce their first sign suddenly at 15 or 16 months and then quickly add more, as if they were absorbing everything and waiting for the right moment.
The Role of Caregivers and Consistency
For baby sign language to work, all regular caregivers should use the same signs consistently. A baby who sees one sign for “milk” at home and a different gesture at daycare will take longer to connect the sign to its meaning. This doesn’t require elaborate training””sharing a simple list of five key signs with grandparents or childcare providers is usually sufficient.
However, some daycare environments actively use baby sign language as part of their curriculum, which reinforces home learning significantly. Parents choosing childcare might consider this as a minor factor, especially if they’re committed to signing at home. Conversely, if your daycare has no interest in signing, the primary responsibility stays with home caregivers, which is still workable but requires more consistency during evening and weekend hours.
Long-Term Impact and Transitioning to Speech
Baby sign language is a temporary tool that naturally phases out as spoken language develops. Most children abandon signs entirely by age two or two-and-a-half, though some continue using signs for emphasis or when verbally tired. The long-term impact studies are mixed””while some research suggested IQ benefits from early signing, later meta-analyses found that these effects were not statistically significant when controlling for other variables like parental education and engagement.
What does persist is the experience of early communication success. Families often report that the signing phase created a template for responsive, patient communication that carried forward even after signs were forgotten. Children who learned to get needs met through signing may show more confidence in expressing themselves verbally because they experienced being understood.
Conclusion
Baby sign language is a worthwhile investment for most families willing to commit to a few months of consistent practice. The benefits””reduced frustration, earlier communication, and enhanced bonding””outweigh the modest time investment required. The key is approaching it with realistic expectations: a handful of functional signs, not a complete language; results in months, not weeks; and a natural transition to speech as verbal abilities develop.
If you decide to try baby sign language, start with five high-frequency signs related to your daily routines, use them consistently while speaking, and involve other caregivers in the process. Give it at least two to three months before evaluating results, and don’t compare your baby’s progress to others. For most families, the signing phase becomes a memorable period when a nonverbal baby first made their thoughts and needs clearly understood.