Baby Sign Language

I toyed with the idea of teaching McKenna sign language almost from the moment I knew I was pregnant. It just seemed like a win-win situation to me - I could teach my daughter how to communicate with me, and she would learn a valuable skill that she would be able to use well into adulthood.

Last week, I made the decision to start learning some signs myself, and to introduce her to the ones that are most important for her right now. "Milk" was an obvious choice. Although I find the gesture somewhat awkward (it literally looks like you are milking a cow), this is probably the most important word in her life right now. Plus, I would prefer she make the sign than scream out "boobies!" in public. In addition to "milk", I have added "more", "mommy", "daddy" and "finished/all done" to my repertoire. It's actually pretty fun. McKenna loves the silly gestures right now, but hopefully she will eventually come to associate them with the action they are being paired with. If not, well at least I've made my daughter smile.