We’ve been feeding Aiden cereal since he turned six months last week. He seems to like the stuff even though it tastes like boxed mashed potatos (trust me, I tried it) and gets more of it everywhere but in his mouth. It’s a relief to my boobs, though, they’re starting to get tired pumping out milk for a baby who is obviously more hungry than these two things on my chest are willing to provide. I’m also crossing my fingers that moving to solids will eventually eliminate his need to wake up for nighttime nursings, of which he still does twice a night.

Please oh please oh please I want to sleep!

As if he needs another toy. That face gets him a lot of things.

When you are starting with Baby Sign Language, it’s best to begin with a few simple signs you can use on a daily basis. Good signs to start with are: Mommy, Daddy, Milk and More. Mommy and Daddy are obviously the people baby sees (and loves) the most; Milk is a thing of great joy to babies! More is also a great sign to learn – this is often the first sign a baby makes. Signs which represent something concrete and meaningful to your baby will be easier for her to learn. Once you have mastered these starter signs you can begin to introduce more, increasing your baby’s repertoire.

The Signs To Start With And How To Do Them
Follow these simple instructions to make these four starter signs, then read on for our expert advice about signing.

MOMMY

To sign Mommy, extend and spread apart your fingers. With your little finger facing forward, tap your thumb on your chin.

DADDY

To sign Daddy, extend and spread out your five fingers on your strong hand. Tap your hand on your forehead. Done right you will look like a turkey. This is a lot like Mommy, but higher up.

MILK
The sign for Milk is a lot like milking a cow, but without the vertical motion – you are just pretending to squeeze the udder. Take both hands, make them into a fist, relax, and repeat. You will notice most babies have trouble moving their fingers together this way, but any kind of repeated squeezing and relaxing of the hand is likely Milk.

MORE
To do the sign for More, flatten out your hands then bring your thumbs under to make an O shape. Then, bring your hands together and separate them repeatedly. Baby will often simplify More by clapping their fists together. As they get older and more proficient you may want to encourage the more correct sign of flattening out their hands and creating the O shape with their thumbs as a fun way to help them develop fine motor skills.

How To Sign Successfully
It’s best to make the sign every time you say the relevant word to your baby. Say the word clearly, with good eye contact, while pointing to the object or person you are describing. Sign when your baby is alert and not tired. Practice the signs above beforehand so you feel confident and clear about what you are doing.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
Make the sign and say the word every time you do an action or use an object. Repetition is really important when starting to sign. Your baby will learn the signs through repetition (and so will you), and eventually it will be natural for her to sign back to you.

Be Patient
Don’t expect too much too soon. Dr. Joseph Garcia, one of the founders of baby sign language, says that a typical baby needs around two months of repetition and exposure to a sign to start using it.

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This guest post is brought to you by your dear friends at the Baby Sign Language site. We are here to help make signing easy and fun. Be sure to check out the free flash cards, first 10 signs to teach, and the blog.

Photo courtesy Sweet Spot

Before you start signing with your baby, it’s important to understand what baby sign language is, and how and why it works so well. There are many reasons to start signing, such as improved bonding and earlier speech, as well as lots of ways to make it fun. Read on to find out more…

#1: You can start signing to your baby from birth
You really can begin baby sign language as early as you like. The sooner you start signing the sooner your baby will begin to sign back. You can start at any time, even from birth.

#2: Signing to your baby improves bonding
Because baby signing is a two-way activity, encouraging communication from parent to baby and back again, mothers who sign often feel closer to their babies. Signing moms often notice and appreciate their baby’s efforts at communication earlier than non-signing moms.

#3: Children who learn to sign as babies often learn to speak earlier too
Research has shown that baby signing can act as a ‘stepping stone’ to speech, supporting the young toddler’s efforts to express himself/herself. Research has also shown that many babies who have early exposure to signing have larger speaking vocabularies later.

#4: It’s easy!
If you are thinking of starting baby signing – go for it. It really is easy to learn. You can start signing with a handful of signs, such as Mommy, Daddy, Milk and Diaper. Find more useful starter signs here.

#5: Remember – it’s supposed to be fun
Parenting these days can be hard work. Baby signing should be lots of fun – that’s one of the reasons it works so well. If you are finding it hard work, you’re probably doing it wrong! Find fun ways to incorporate signing into your day – when shopping, playing, reading together. Get all the family involved.

#6: Dads love baby signing too
Don’t forget that this is an activity dads and baby can do together. Often dads feel left out when bringing up a young baby. Signing can also help the bonding process with daddy and baby.

#7: Baby signing can help with the baby blues
The bonding aspects of baby signing cannot be underestimated. Post-partum depression can strike at any time, even during the second year. Many early-years programs teach baby sign language to moms and babies to help them build communication and trust.

#8: You can use flash cards to help learn Baby Sign Language

Baby sign language flash cards are a valuable teaching aid to help you develop the signing vocabulary of your baby. Flash cards work because they are a visual stimulus for you and baby, and create extra interest in the idea or object you are signing.

#9: Baby signing will make your friends really jealous!
When you and baby are out with friends, they will be amazed when your baby tells you she’s tired, hungry, or too hot – just by making hand gestures. While your friends struggle through the baby years, you and your baby will be communicating happily with each other.

#10: Signing reduces tantrums
The last – but by no means least – thing you should know about baby signing is that it has been proven to reduce frustration (for babies and for parents), and to help children through those toddler-tantrum years. Most tantrums are caused by communication frustration, and when your child can express what he wants he is happier and calmer – and so are you!

Please visit the Baby Sign Language website and follow them on Facebook.

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A big thank you to Misty from BabySignLanguage.com for the first of a series of guest blogs on baby sign language. I am very excited to have you join me in learning and teaching my (and your) baby some signs. I think it’s going to be an easy and valuable experience that’ll help ease the communication between Aiden and me.

Photo courtesy of Momz

I need to apologize for being absent here for over a week. Long story short, Aiden and I are currently moving into a new apartment with the baby daddy, I’m working on perfecting a wedding cake before September 4th, I’m launching a small business, trying to get to the gym more than once a week, and OHMYGAWD MY FACE JUST BROKE OUT FROM ALL THE STRESS.

I just whisper-shouted that last part because the baby’s taking his morning nap. Please don’t wake the baby. If you do, I will kill you.

I managed to grow a third arm that can hold an attention-seeking baby while I do other things like pack, bake, and wipe my butt. It’s amazing what the hormones after childbirth can do! And for my next trick, my breastmilk can cure cancer!

Something something why buy the cow, something something milk for free… mehhhhhhh.

I’m a little disappointed that I haven’t been able to take as much photos of Aiden in the last few weeks as I usually do. My cellphone camera is getting a lot of use at the moment, for when I want to take a quick photo but my digital camera isn’t nearby. Plus Aiden does more moving so it’s become more difficult to take a picture in focus without making my baby look like he’s doing his Linda Blair in Exorcist impression.

So, as a consolation to the handful of you who have been wanting to see new pictures of the cutie who can be yours for 3 low payments of $19.99! here’s some halfway decent cellphone photos from mine and his dad’s phone.

And my favorite:
 

He’s still cute, right? High five!

Apparently there’s an iPhone app that turns pictures of people into zombies. My friend Bill turned Aiden into a zombie.

Before zombification

And after

Sweet dreams, kids.

Aiden is only a few days short of six months but he’s already so long, or tall, or however you measure babies’ length. I still put him in a rear-facing carseat and I’m pretty sure he’ll need to face the rear until he’s about 12 months. Car rides make him fall asleep which makes me happy. Though a tiny part of me wonders how comfortable he really is back there. I mean, the other day I took a peek at him from the driver’s seat and I saw his feet propped up on the backseat. If I raised my head any higher I’m pretty sure I’d see him relaxing and drinking a Corona and lime.

Hey, I don’t remember throwing all those empty beer bottles on the floor of my car….

Aiden is working on his balance while sitting up. It’s funny to watch him slowly tip to the side and then use his elbow to keep himself sort of upright. He’s like, oh hey, I’m just gonna lean a little this way I hope you don’t mind. Keep talking to me, I’m still listening.

One of my weekly baby emails told me to sit him up in different areas of the house so he can see his surroundings upright for once. I’m sitting him on everything that has a stable surface and now he thinks everything is funny-looking. He’s like a cat, he stares at random things off in the distance and I wonder why the heck something over there is so interesting.

I’m also getting ready to start Aiden on solids. I was given a box of cereal but my friend said I didn’t need to give it to him, though I might try to incorporate it into the baby food I’ll be making. One of Aiden’s great aunts sent me a book of baby food recipes that I am eager to use. The food is so fresh I wouldn’t mind eating it myself… don’t tell Aiden I told you that.

In addition to that I think it’s a good time for us to learn some baby sign language. My friend brought up a good point that babies can use sign language to allow them to express their simple wants and needs in a nice manner instead of screaming and crying until I’ve gone down the mental checklist of what he could be fussing about.

It beats checking the same diaper five times!

Every mom has her diaper bag and every mom wants to carry less than everything but the kitchen sink. Some moms probably carry the kitchen sink with them, and bless them for having the strength to do so. I can’t.

I’ve been trying to carry the least amount of items for the baby whenever I venture out of the house. I try to do this by planning my outings as short as possible. A timeframe of between 2 nursings, a diaper change, and maybe a nap. IN YOUR DREAMS!, you say? I heard you.

I almost made the idea possible by using one of my oversized clutches that fit a few disposable diapers, wipes, a couple teething toys and other small items. It works. Then I found out a few friends have a mini diaper bag, looks like a roll-up toiletry bag or a small pouch with a handle, that they bring with them into restaurants and such. I looked up some websites online and found out that there are actual diaper “clutch” bags that can hold the few necessary items.

I checked out a variety of diaper clutches and saw ones made with nice prints and organic fabric, but priced more than I was willing to pay. I found this reasonably priced one by Bumkins that has Keith Haring‘s art printed on it. Haring is one of my favorite artists from the last 50 years so I had to have it. It’s the coolest baby-related thing I own. Thank you Bumkins!

Buy it at Bumkins: Finer baby products, $19.95

Other options because my mama told me I better shop around:
JJ Cole diapers and wipes pod, $16.95
Diapees and Wipees, $14.99 to $19.99
Joyababy, $56
Patemm Pads, $55 to $88
BabiesRus
On Etsy:
Ava Girl Designs, $28
“Diaper Diddie” by The Pat-a-cake Baby, $25
Rosey Corner Creations, $22
Sass Rocket, $15

I got a Bumbo for Aiden because all the mamas told me to. Well actually I’ve been wanting to get one since I was pregnant. It used to be all the rage in the last couple years and I wanted to be a cool mom who buys all the cool new things for her baby.

Anyway, it’s supposed to help babies sit up who aren’t able to support themselves yet. It’s great for average weight babies but mine is kind of on the chunky side so his thunder thighs fit a little snugly in the leg holes. He still sits fine in it, it’s just funny when I take him out of the Bumbo because I need to hold him up then squeeze his legs out of it or else it comes with him.

The unforeseen incentive to using a Bumbo? It makes Aiden poop. Constipation an issue? Use a Bumbo.