Baby

Breaking the Communication Barrier With Babies

By: Jessica Brady

There’s one thing every parent can attest to — babies cry. The reason why is bit more complicated and can leave parents scratching their heads. Maybe they’re hungry or need a diaper change. Perhaps they’re lonely or just want a toy. Or, what if they are in pain, and if so, how can a parent know? After all, babies can’t directly tell their parents what’s wrong, or can they?

Chris Parker, former pre-school teacher in Hillsborough County, believes babies have the ability to communicate with their parents through sign language. She instructs a two-hour class, at Baby Bungalow and various resource centers in the Tampa Bay area, which shows parents how to teach their babies sign language. The class is for parents only, and Parker teaches them basic signs such as “milk” and “more,” to start, but by the end of the class parents will have learned more than 30 signs to teach their baby.

“I think it really brings down frustration levels and parents aren’t constantly trying to figure out what their child needs,” Parker said. “A good sign to teach is ‘pain.’ That way, if something is hurting the baby, they can do the sign for ‘pain’ and let their parents know.”

Parker began to teach her daughter, Cassie, 8, to sign as soon as she was born in order to get her into the habit of signing. The practice paid off.

“She started responding at six or seven months and staring signing herself at nine months,” Parker said.

She recommends that parents interested in teaching their baby to sign should start when their babies are around eight months old. However, she warns that the process will not happen over night. Parents should “be consistent and not expect immediate results.”

Recently, Parker taught Efrain Castellanos and his wife various signs to go home and practice with their nine-month-old baby, Arianna. Before learning about the class, the Castellanos bought books and were interested in teaching their daughter to sign.

“I read in a magazine that it’s possible to communicate with your baby before they can speak,” Castellanos said. “Signing is an excellent way to communicate with her (Arianna) and it’s only going to improve her learning abilities.”

The experience of learning to sign with your baby has other benefits as well, says Parker. It can tighten the bond between the child and parent.

“I really felt closer to my daughter and I’m all about parents bonding with their children. It’s my mission in life,” Parker said.

To learn more about Parker’s baby sign language classes, call Baby Bungalow at (813) 356-1293.