In this blog, I’ll share five of the most useful baby signs to start with, why they’re practical, and how you can weave them naturally into daily routines like playtime and mealtime. I’ll also include tips for practicing signs daily and address common questions.
What’s covered in this article:
Teaching your baby Key Word Signs (KWS) offers a wonderful way to support early language development while fostering a closer bond. Research shows that signing allows babies to express their needs and emotions before they can speak, reducing overall frustration. In fact, many parents who use sign language with their little ones notice fewer tantrums as their babies grow.
Alongside reducing frustration, signing adds an interactive and joyful element to communication. As a speech therapist, I’ve seen how signing deepens the bond between parents and their babies, creating a shared language even before spoken words emerge. It’s also easy to include others in this experience—family members and caregivers can learn essential signs to be part of these early conversations. Many parents I work with find that learning and using baby signs provides a comforting structure to their daily routines, especially for first-time parents. Beyond communication, signing can gently support motor skills and cognitive growth as your baby attempts to plan and imitate those hand movements.
Research indicates that starting to introduce Key Word Signs (KWS) around 6 to 8 months can be especially beneficial. At this age, your baby is usually developing the motor skills needed to imitate simple gestures.
Of course, every baby is unique. While some parents start as early as 4 months, others wait until closer to their child’s first birthday. Babies who are starting to reach for objects, copy simple actions, or express themselves with different sounds and gestures may be especially ready to begin learning signs. This is because they are starting to show interest in engaging with you.
Watch how our speech pathologist uses different signs when singing nursery rhymes and songs here.
I understand why you might worry that teaching your baby to sign could delay their speech, but rest assured—it doesn’t! In fact, research shows that signing often encourages babies to talk earlier. Using signs actually gives your little one a head start in understanding words and concepts, which boosts their confidence to start speaking when they’re ready. Studies have shown that babies who learn signs tend to develop larger vocabularies.
So, signing isn’t a replacement for talking (because we combine signing AND speaking); instead, it acts as a bridge to talking one day.
You might also be interested in this blog here “Key Word Signs: A Strategy For Late Talkers”.
Teaching your baby some foundational signs based on Australian Key Word Signs can open up early communication and make daily routines smoother and more engaging. Here are five practical signs—“more,” “help,” “finished,” “milk,” and “eat”—that are especially functional and easy to introduce through playtime, mealtime, and everyday routines.
Why It’s Functional: “More” helps your baby communicate when they want something to continue—whether it’s playtime or snack time. This sign can prevent frustration and help you understand their preferences.
How to Teach:
How to Sign: Cup your dominant hand and place in front of your chest, move your hand forwards away from your chest once.
Why It’s Functional: “Help” allows your baby to communicate when they need assistance with reaching or exploring, which can reduce frustration and encourage communication.
How to Teach:
How to Sign: Cup your dominant hand and place it on the open palm of your other hand. Move both hands forward slightly to indicate “help”.
Why It’s Functional: “Finished” lets your baby communicate that they’re done with an activity, which helps with transitions and lets them feel in control of ending tasks.
How to Teach:
How to Sign: Put your thumbs up, and shake it from side to side.
Why It’s Functional: “Milk” is something your baby has very frequently so it naturally provides many opportunities for your baby to learn this sign. It gives your baby a clear way to communicate when they want milk.
How to Teach:
How to Sign: Open and close your hand, as if you’re milking a cow, to signal “milk”.
Why It’s Functional: “Eat” is a useful sign that helps your baby express hunger, giving them a way to anticipate and understand when mealtime is approaching.
How to Teach:
How to Sign: Bring your fingertips together and tap them to your mouth, as if taking a bite.
Here are some tips to help you and your baby get the most out of practicing signs together:
Each time you make a sign, say the word out loud. This helps your baby connect the sign with the spoken word, reinforcing both visual and auditory learning.
Babies are naturally drawn to our faces, so try making signs near your face. This helps your baby focus on both your expressions and the sign itself, increasing the chances that they’ll notice and engage with it.
When your baby makes an effort to sign, even if it’s not perfect, treat it like early “sign language babbling.” Acknowledge their attempt with a smile, say the word, and respond to their communication. This positive reinforcement encourages them to keep trying.
When your baby uses a sign correctly, respond right away to show them that their communication works! For example, if they sign “milk,” offer them their bottle or cup and say, “Milk! Great job telling me!” This reinforces the purpose of each sign.
Babies learn through repetition, so keep using the signs regularly. The more often they see and hear a sign used in the same context, the easier it will be for them to understand and use it.
Learning from others can help make signing more effective. Watch demonstration videos online, and check out resources like Online Speechie’s Instagram posts, where you can watch video demos of our speech pathologist using signs with babies.
By using these simple tips daily, you’ll create plenty of opportunities for your baby to learn and practice their new signs, building early communication skills along the way.
If you’re starting to introduce baby signs, don’t worry if it takes some time for your little one to sign back. While you can begin teaching signs as early as 4 months, many babies typically start signing back around 10 to 14 months. Every baby is unique, so some may pick it up quickly, while others take a little longer. What’s most important is keeping the experience fun and low-pressure. Consistent, simple repetition in your daily routines will help your baby recognize and understand the signs over time. Before you know it, they’ll surprise you by using their first signs to communicate!
Goodwyn SW, Acredolo LP, Brown CA. Impact of symbolic gesturing on early language development. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2000;24(2):81-103. doi:10.1023/A:1006653828895.
Kirk SL, Howlett N, Pine K, Fletcher BC. To sign or not to sign? The impact of encouraging infants to gesture on infant language and maternal mind-mindedness. Child Development. 2013;84(2): 574-590. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01874.x.
Vallotton C. Do infants use baby signs to communicate? Clarifying variation in baby signing and its implications for the study of language learning. Infant Behavior and Development. 2012;35(4): 773-785. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2012.07.020.