Signing is about enhancing, not replacing language.

Signing should be used along with normal speech so your baby can make the link between the gesture and the word.

Parents of children who have deafness or significant hearing difficulties may need to learn a signing system, such as British Sign Language. I take my baby and toddler to these great language classes called 'Bilinguasing' and they use signing / British Sign Language to help little ones connect the two languages.

It may well be their child's main way of communicating.

The idea of taking this one step further, and teaching babies a range of signs, was inspired by child development expert, Dr Joseph Garcia.

He found that hearing babies of deaf parents easily copied their parents' signs and used them to communicate.

So, why shouldn't hearing parents of hearing babies enjoy the benefits of signing, too?

After all, thought Dr Garcia, if a baby can sign for what he wants instead of screaming, mum, dad and baby will all be happier.

You may worry that teaching your baby to sign will slow down his normal speech development. Signing may actually help your baby learn to talk and add new words to his vocabulary.

Try searching online for baby signing classes near you.

To learn more about formal signing systems, visit the following websites: Acredolo L, Goodwyn S.