We started off teaching Livia a few signs because we heard it was a good idea. You figure, the baby can’t communicate verbally so why not teach them non-verbal expressions? But really, there’s a reason why it’s a good idea… You teach a child sign language to prevent them from screaming and screeching unnecessarily.

Now that Livia is 15 months she seems to be hitting toddlerhood, the stage full of activity, hustle and bustle, and unmet desires. We’ve hit this point where our sweet, darling, beautiful Livia (okay, now prepare yourself) arches her back, screams and cries if she doesn’t get what she wants — truly shocking, isn’t it? ; ) It’s not like baby sign language is a cure for that. Afterall, even if she signed that she wanted that sharpened pencil, I still wouldn’t give it to her. Rather, the signs help because they reduce the sheer amount of back-arching and crocodile tears. Instead of needlessly frustrating her by removing the milk from her highchair, she can sign “more” and we’ll simply give it back to her. Fussiness solved. And when she’s finished with a meal we don’t have to wait for her to make a huge mess or drop food off the edge of her tray; instead she signs “all done” in response to our questions.

Granted, I feel like a moron when I repeatedly touch my chin and say “thank you” in public in order to teach my kiddo, but overall, the effort is worth it.

Signs Livia knows at 15 months: all done, more, thank you, milk
Signs we’re working on: please, no