Do you feel frustrated when your baby cries? Do you wish she could tell you what's wrong? Be assured that most parents feel the way you do. It's difficult at times to know what your baby really wants. It's not only frustrating for you, but it's frustrating for your baby as well when she can't communicate what she wants or needs. Well, one thing that has been helping to make communication a bit easier for parents and babies is baby sign language. Sign language allows babies to tell you if they're hungry, thirsty or have a wet diaper. But you may be wondering - can your baby really communicate this way?

Baby sign language is fast catching on as a way for parents and their babies to communicate. Sign language allows babies to tell you if they're hungry, thirsty or have a wet diaper, but you may well be asking - Can your baby really talk to you?

Recent studies have shown that baby sign language works extremely well. It was created by Joseph Garcia through observing how a baby communicated with his deaf parents. This baby, who was not even a year old, was able to pick up his parent's sign language and "talk" to them. Having witnessed this, Garcia began to teach sign language to hearing parents and baby sign language was born.

Believe it or not, most babies actually can pick up the baby sign language rather quickly. In fact, it's easier for babies to sign at a younger age than it is to talk, since they have better control over their hands at an earlier age than they do the muscles in their mouth and tongue. You can actually start teaching babies sign language when they are about six months old, although some are starting even younger. Parents are constantly amazed how quickly their babies can learn this skill.

Teaching baby sign language takes away a lot of the frustration for babies. Instead of a lengthy crying session, it gives them the freedom to communicate what they need which is a huge help to both parties.

A few parents have voiced concerns that teaching baby sign language may slow down their baby's ability to talk. Well, according to studies, this is certainly not the case. On the contrary, those babies who learned to sign started talking at an earlier age. Some are now even showing a higher IQ when compared to non signing children.

It's easy to teach sign language to your baby. There are excellent classes available that can help you to work with your baby on sign language, although some parents choose to teach the baby sign language to their baby by themselves. For parents who decide to do this at home, there are many helpful resources available. You will need a baby sign language chart and an instruction book. Flash cards with pictures are another useful tool.

If you are tired and frustrated at the lack of communication between you and your baby, then baby sign language may be a great choice for you both.