Noob Baby has been talking up a storm lately. Everyday I realize that she is a sponge. Sometimes I’ll ask her to identify something, an object which I haven’t explicitly taught her the name of, and she can manage to say the name of the object (not spot-on, but close enough for me to understand). She’s clearly been listening to my conversations. Soon she’ll be saying, “Blah blah blabbedy Rob Pattinson…. blabbedy… hottie …. goo goo… mommy needs a drink…”
One thing I definitely recommend for your little noob, whether she’s already started talking or just a few months into her noobhood, is some baby sign language. I started using some basic signs with NB when she was around 4-6 months old. At around 10 months, she started signing. When I prepared her bottle, she signed “milk.” When she was finished drinking, she signed “all done.” It was a much anticipated (but highly, highly, I mean highly doubted) surprise.
Of course, I was a little smug when she’d start signing in front of the naysayers (Mom! ahem Noob Daddy).
I know I can’t be certain that the sign language has contributed to her faster language acquisition, but it certainly has made communicating much much easier for all of us. Before she turned one, she was telling us when she wanted her milk, if she wanted to eat, and when she was “all done.” I was surprised to learn she was still hungry after her meal, constantly asking for “more” fruit, blueberries, Cheerios, etc.
And of course, it’s definitely a fun little party trick too 
Yeah, I’m that shameless.
When NB was old enough to hold my gaze for longer periods of time, probably around 4-6 months, I started using some basic signs when I would talk to her. I tried to teach her the signs that would be used more frequently- eat, milk, more, all done, cat (because they were chillaxin together everyday). Repetition and consistency is key. Obviously, they’re pretty young at that age to coordinate their hands in the motions, but if your little noob is watching you intently, he’ll be soaking it all in.
Around the same time that she started signing, she would also say try to say the words with the sign. But, she definitely used the signs more regularly when she was too tired or not in the mood to form the words. Sometimes she’d make up her own variations of signs, but it was usually close enough for us to figure it out. Anyway, the point isn’t to be a stickler… but just to get your noob communicating. I’m hoping this will pay off when she gets to that frustrated “terrible twos” phase.
At almost 17 months now, Noob Baby is primarily talking. She still uses some of her signs, but mostly in conjunction with speaking. I’m thinking about finding some new words to teach her to go along with words that are harder to pronounce. It’s a great way to get your little one speaking two languages and develop different cognitive skills.
The fun part is watching all your friends and family learn the signs and start using them as well. Be careful though, your infant may soon be very demanding and opinionated! Here are two helpful websites with photos and online glossaries to get you started:
and a short, easy book with good information:
Sign with your Baby by Joseph Garcia
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