Blossom Birth Services - Live Public Site
(650) 321-2326
  • Home
    • Online Class List
    • Full Calendar
    • Plan Your Visit >
      • Wellness Living - Frequently Asked Questions
      • New Student Discounts
      • Socially Distanced Park Classes
      • Become a Lifetime Member
    • Health and Safety >
      • Maternal Health Equality
      • COVID-19 FAQ
      • Resources During COVID-19
    • Special Events >
      • World Breastfeeding Week
  • About Us
    • About Blossom >
      • Offerings and Resources
      • Testimonials
    • Meet Our Team
    • Meet the Educators >
      • Yoga Instructors
    • In the News
    • Jobs
  • Learning
    • Events >
      • Sustainable Diapering Class
    • Choosing a Childbirth Class
    • Childbirth & Baby Prep
    • Newborn & Beyond
    • Parent-Baby Groups
    • eClasses, Web Apps & more online!
    • Private Classes
  • Yoga & Fitness
    • Prenatal Yoga
    • Mom & Baby Yoga
    • Back to You Yoga
    • In Harmony Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training
    • Events - Yoga & Fitness >
      • Menopause Workshop
  • Perinatal Resources
    • Find a Community Provider
    • Help Me Find a Doula! >
      • Doula Services During Pandemic
    • Birth Equipment Rentals
    • Private Consultations >
      • Lactation Consultations
      • Sleep Consultations
      • Babywearing Consultations
    • Considering Community Birth
  • Community Professionals
    • Become a Community Provider >
      • Provider Listing FAQ
    • Program Brochures for Providers
    • Help Me Find a Doula Referral Program
    • Doula Brunch Meet and Greet - Doula Page
    • Professionals Support Groups >
      • Postpartum Doulas Support Group
      • Birth Doulas Support Group
    • Continuing Ed. & Business Dev. for Professionals
    • Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Doula Volunteer Program
  • Shop
    • Retail Items
    • Purchase a Gift Credit
  • Donate
    • Ways to Give & Make an Impact
    • Become a Sustaining Donor

Baby Talk Before Baby Talks—Sign Up for Signing

4/18/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
by Evelyn Preston
Excerpt with permission from Parenting on the Peninsula

Every parent’s been there, those fraught moments when their cuddly, cooing, oh-so-cute baby suddenly turns into a cranky, frustrated infant or toddler, spitting food, constantly crying, or even throwing tantrums. When it’s a toss-up over who’s more frantic and confused, baby or mommy, and it’s definitely not colic, a bump or a burp, there’s an ingenious way to ask baby “What’s up?” The little tyke may not yet have any words but definitely demands to be heard.

To bridge this super charged communication gap, Happy Baby Signs’ dedicated instructors teach new parents how “to talk” with their young offspring via American Sign Language. The amazing results calm everyone, get baby’s message across and offer brain enhancing benefits: accelerated language ability, reduced aggressive behavior and positive interaction plus the bonus of a stronger bond between baby and parent.   

The fun-filled classes with songs and interactive activities teach classic American Sign Language to parents (babies welcome), who then weave it into their infants’ everyday routines. Tricky to learn from a book, however an experienced “personal trainer” can fuse the nuance of signs, sounds and gestures that will work—and stick.

Parents begin the Happy Baby Signs programs just as children’s long-term memory and motor skills kick in at about four to six months old.  At eight to ten months, as kids start mimicking adults and gesturing their wants, simple signing provides a jump-start for the verbal skills ahead. The 90 minute Introductory Workshop presents the basics and benefits of signing (with a proof-positive video of adorable babies signing), prior to the follow-up six weeks of themed, one hour courses designed to help absorb about 100+ signs (for foods, colors, clothes, animals, playtime, etc.), that cement the magic.

According to Teacher Bill, even the youngest babies want to be connected to the world around them and can be clever and resourceful while learning how. Infants will emphatically indicate, “all done” after meals and baths or begin moving their hand to their mouth when they’re hungry. Emotions shine via smiles and hugs to the unmistakably signal “I love you.”

With mom, dad and grandparents consistently reinforcing with words, expressions and body language, signing kindles indelible associations in the fast forming infant brain. “It’s like riding that proverbial bicycle,” explains Bill, “once learned, not easily forgotten.” Early communication in languages, whether signing, Chinese, English or all together, becomes natural, interchangeable, useful and fun. Babies just do it and quickly catch on! As children mature, the pleasure of being understood enhances self-esteem that in turn, encourages confidence toward increased communication which leads to more effective signing…a lasting circle of learning that spirals on to pre-school and beyond. 

Parents wholeheartedly endorse this training. Just read the testimonials. Happy Baby Signs' instructors are lauded and loved for their special expertise and super enthusiasm. Paraphrased excerpts include, “My baby is rarely frustrated and therefore so am I; my child was so excited when we understood him; such a fun way of presenting the material—never too rigid; my daughter adds signs together for sentences...like 'MORE' + 'BOOK'.” and “the payoff is tremendous!”

As a speaker, Mommy’s Coach, and class participant, Carrie Vawter-Yousfi, says, “I especially appreciated Bill’s teaching by example, his wonderful stories of how signing with his own two young sons made their family life so much easier. I learned to start early, the sooner the better.”

Liza Baskind, mother of three, dispels the mistaken notion that signing will limit speaking. “On the contrary,” she says; “especially for so many children with delayed speech ability, signing will coax out more words, another factor in reducing frustration for parent and child.”

With the increasing popularity and positive results of Happy Baby Signs classes, parents who consider saving for a far off college future can make a nominal investment of time and money for their babies today that pays huge dividends in just a few months. It’s proven that children who communicate early via signing are verbally ahead a year or more by age three. Along with Thoreau’s premise that “language is the basis of all knowledge,” Teacher Bill reminds parents that “You can never redo those most important first two years of life!” 

Happy Baby Signs Classes with Bill are offered Saturday mornings at Blossom. For older children, teacher Erika leads Toddler/ Preschooler Sign Language at Blossom on Wednesday mornings. Their website is HappyBabySigns.com.

And get their international best selling book, Signs of a Happy Baby!








1 Comment
Mariam W link
12/14/2020 07:46:55 pm

Great post, thank you

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Follow Us on Instagram

Picture

About Us

Special Events
FREE Demos
Calendar

Join Newsletter

Get Involved

Payments & Policies

Volunteer
Sponsor

Become a Member
Lending Library

​Teach a Class
​Rent Our Space
Fee Schedule
Payment + Registration
Make Up Policy
Refund Policy
Privacy Policy
​Gift Certificate (Electronic)
YogaReg Access

Awards

Mommynearest
Classpass
​Guidestar
Bayareaparent
Donate

Contact Us

P. (650) 321-2326
E. blossom@blossombirthandfamily.org
290 S. California Ave, Suite A
Palo Alto, CA 94306

Office Hours

Mon - Fri: 10am- 2pm
Sat: 9am- 12:30pm
and by appointment

DISCLAIMER.                                                       Photo credit: Images by Rosalinda, Lilia Faith Schwartz, Photographer, Devin Begley, and Christy Scherrer, bellymotherbaby
Blossom is not a Medical Provider and Does not Provide Medical Services.  It is understood by all persons who use Blossom’s  services that: (a) Blossom is not a medical provider and does not render medical or other health care services or treatments to any and all persons who use Blossom’s services and Blossom’s services are not intended to or shall be interpreted as imposing, any duty or obligation to provide such health care services; (b) Blossom is not in any way responsible for the health care that is delivered by a health care provider to any and all persons who use Blossom’s services; (c) health care providers are solely responsible for the health care they deliver to any and all persons using Blossom’s services; and (d) health care providers are not Blossom’s agents or employees.