Baby Dickey » Guest Post

Planet Fassa: interactive children's website to get kids reading & back outside

babydickey — Fri, 13 May 2011 20:07:53 +0000

Planet Fassa is a new website whose goal is to give kids the opportunity to read books, participate in activities, on-and-off line, and communicate with friends and family members through various activities. The site provides tools for parents to make being active fun and exciting for their children.

The colorful, easy to use site makes it simple for children to find their favorite activities and start playing right away. Through a series of books called “Fassa Tails”, children can go on adventures with their favorite Planet Fassa characters. Each story includes activities that inspire children to recreate situations outside that the characters faced in the stories and each book gets added to their virtual bookshelf, showing their reading progress.

The site also allows parents to find activities that fit with their child’s specific needs. Planet Fassa has over 250 “nuggets”, which are games and activities that all have reward-earning points that motivate your child to get off the computer and play. Children’s reward points go into their virtual allowance which can be redeemed with their parents. Parents can even create their own rewards for children to work toward. Parents can narrow down the “nuggets” database based on the amount of time they have, issues they are facing, materials they have available, what they want to do, and location, personalizing each activity for that child. Nuggets include anywhere from “Tupperware Towers“ where children build towers made of Tupperware to “Doctor’s Office Hangman” where children play an exciting game of hangman while waiting at the doctor’s office to “Be an Earth Protector” which makes learning about taking care of the Earth fun for kids.

Planet Fassa can also be an excellent tool for working parents. Parents are able to log in and view their child’s activities as well as become a member of their children’s village. Friends and family can all join your child’s village so they can all stay connected and see the progress that the kids are making. Most important of all, parents can rest assured knowing that they can choose and monitor who their child interacts with on the site.

Planet Fassa encourages children to read, imagine, and participate!

Check out the site for yourself at Planet Fassa

**The text above is a guest post from the makers over at Planet Fassa–a fun website for kids! Please welcome them and show some love!**

Financial Success and Independence guest post for Financial Literacy Month!

babydickey — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:29:57 +0000

As you know, April is financial literacy month. If you haven’t already gathered from my previous posts, the Baby Dickey household is big time against debt! I found a wonderful writer from debtconsolidation.com, named Nicole Bostic, who wanted to share some of her best tips for becoming financially independent and staying out of debt.

It seems everyone these days is looking for the key to financial success and independence. What most people tend to overlook is the fact that success and independence does not start or stop with your finances. The truth of the matter is that financial happiness starts with personal happiness. Express gratefulness; do away with feelings of want or lack. There are a multitude of tricks and tips for obtaining financial bliss but they’re useless if you don’t first start at the root of the problem. As a consumer based society we all tend to perceive needing and wanting as the same thing. The first step in eradicating debt? Realizing that they’re not. The only thing necessary for a fulfilling life is to have your needs met. We have to recognize that most of us have everything, and then some, that we could ever possibly need to make us happy. Acknowledging this truth and always acting from a place of gratitude will make the process of getting out of debt less of a process and more of a natural course. Here are some tips to get you started on your way to a financially independent life:

+ Pick one day to run your errands. Crazy idea right? It’s one of the most simple and practical tips, but rarely, ever put into practice. Obviously, due to the erratic nature of living, you can’t always do this, but try. The most relevant reason being, you’ll save money on gas which, as we head into summer, is sure to do nothing but increase in price. One trip will also help cut down on the “oh, maybe I should pick this up too” effect that happens when we’re only buying one or two things at a time. Best of all, having a designated day and time will force you to plan ahead and make a list. The benefits to planning ahead? Taking advantage of coupons, sales and other opportunistic promotions. That and you won’t forget to pick up that loaf of bread.

+ Keep it simple, focus on the things that you need. Simplicity is about sensibility. Despite the American consumerist mantra that more is better, it simply isn’t true. The plethora of gadgets and gizmos that are supposed to make life easier, in truth, often times actually turn a simple task into a difficult one and a general waste of money and time (think IT help … awful, emotionally draining, inexplicably difficult, incredibly frustrating IT help). It’s easy to get caught up in want, but more often than not it’s a fleeting feeling: an impulse. If you want something, give it some time. You can save yourself the buyer’s remorse if you wait. By the time you know in your heart and gut that you still want something, you’ll have the money to pay for it.

+ Self educate. Technology does have its merits, use the internet! The information needed to help you learn and grow is out there, you just have to seek it out. Most importantly, use multiple sources. What may have worked for one individual or family might not be applicable for you and your family. Gather whatever and as much information as you can and extract from it what will best suit your financial situation now, and in the future. Education and creativity is also the best way to stay debt free. It’s an ongoing process and a lifestyle, so keep your wits about you and stay curious. The more informed you are, the more prepared you’ll be when/if the next financial bump in the road springs up.

Those are some great, Zen-like tips if I do say so myself. Again, thanks so much to Nicole Bostic for guest posting this article via dectconsolidation.com!

9-1-1... 9-1-1... 9-1-1!

babydickey — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:33:31 +0000

My mom is guest posting today! I was just about to write this story myself when she asked me if she could… just Ryan being crazy! Enjoy!

The police are pounding on my front door last night around 5:30 p.m. WHY?????!!!

Emily’s brother, Jeff, and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, have been here from Colorado for a few days. Yesterday we had family over to see them. Emily, Steve and Ryan were here. Ryan was a little shy and quiet at first but then began with his usual explorations of the house. He was playing quietly in the sunroom while all of us were talking.

My land line never rings (only when my mom calls). It rang and Elizabeth was near the phone so I asked her to pick it up for me. I heard her sweet voice trying to explain something to the caller..thinking it was a wrong number. She got off and told us it was 911 calling to see if everything was ok!!!! WHAT???!!!

So now we know what Ryan was doing in there! How can a 15 month old actually pick up the phone and get 911!!! I know!!! He is a genius!! He is MY grandson!!!! We all laughed and then began to wonder if the cops were going to show up at the door. We thought they had to…but 45 minutes passed and no visit.

Minutes after everyone left, Jeff heard a POUNDING on the front door. Yep!! They were here! OMG…so I had to go to the door and explain what happened. Luckily, he was very nice about it and said kids do that all the time. “BUT.…he is only 15 months old!” I exclaimed..partly embarrassed and secretly quite proud of his brilliant accomplishment. That’s right…this granny is so proud of my little precious grandson! So, I am thinking, “Hmmm he does this at 15 months old!” What NEXT???

Then I remember he is not my son..and I get to sit back, wait and watch for the next surprise he is going to pull! Have fun with that, Emily and Steve!!

Haha, thanks mom! Side note: I was upstairs taking a nap when all of this happened. I woke up to the pounding on the front door and my brother yelling to my mom that the cops were there. I had no idea why or what was going on and I hear my mom explain to the cop that it was “her grandson.” So I’m sitting upstairs thinking, “what?! what did Ryan do?!” hahaha. Will that be the last time I have to worry about that.…..??? Probably not, haha. At least we didn’t get into any trouble, like this guy:

A fun Valentine's Day infographic

babydickey — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 05:57:45 +0000

Psychology Degree
Online

Treat Yourself this Valentine's Day and SAVE on Glasses!

babydickey — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 04:42:54 +0000

**This is a guest post written by GlassesUSA–great discount code if you’re in need of glasses!**

It’s hard being a woman — we split our time between our kids, a husband, perhaps even work. When do we find time to treat ourselves? When do we find the time to do the simple things like buy fashion glasses? When was the last time you took care of yourself? GlassesUSA.com is making it easier — and cheaper — for us to take care of our eyes with their affordable private label and designer glasses.

Take your latest eyeglasses prescription and buy glasses online! Right now, GlassesUSA is having a HUGE Valentines Day sale! If you think that in order to buy glasses frames, you need to physically try them on — GlassesUSA gives you an option to try glasses online — allowing you to try it before you buy it!

From now until Valentine’s Day, you can take $30 off any order of $200 or more with the code: BeMyValentine! That means if you buy glasses with a total of ~~$201~~, use the code and your total becomes $171! Compare that with a $500 price tag for glasses at your local optical store — it’s a steal! Plus you get FREE SHIPPING to anywhere in the U.S. or Canada.

Take advantage of this great sale! Need to wait until after Valentines Day to buy glasses? No worries — use the code Mommy10 for 10% off any order.

This post was paid for and sponsored by GlassesUSA.com.

Guest Post: hopes for a VBA2C

babydickey — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:00:30 +0000

**This is the sixth in a series of guest posts about VBACs (vaginal births after cesareans). In an attempt to have my own VBAC (hopefully next year), I’m hearing stories, trying to overcome my fear and learning as much as I can. This post comes from Allie (Baby Birthing Mama) who is hoping to one day attempt a VBA2C (vaginal birth after TWO c-sections). Please read her story below and visit her blog.**

My name is Allie and I am the mom behind The Baby Birthing Mama. Ironic really since I feel like I haven’t truly birthed either of my kids. I am a mama of two wonderful little monsters. I was a young first time mom. I found out I was expecting Landon when I was just 17. I knew immediately that I wanted a medication free vaginal birth. Sadly I went to the private insurance OB/GYN. He told me at 39 weeks that I should just schedule a section because if I tried to labor I would probably end up with a c-section if we tried induction. I still harbor strong negative feeling towards that OB and don’t EVER recommend his practice when asked.

With my daughter I was 18 (almost 19) when we found out I was pregnant with the spitfire that is Emaree (emery). I picked up a couple books from Barnes and Noble. I was lucky because they had Henci Goers “The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth!” This book was what moved me toward a VBAC attempt. I unfortunately was unable to achieve my VBAC due to cascading interventions. Emmie was born via cesarean under general anesthesia due to an incompetent Anesthesiologist. Emmie had no heart decelerations or any other reason for the general beside the fact that the Anesthesiologist couldn’t place a spinal correctly in my back. Again I’m still bitter, but more so about this attempt than my other non-attempt.

Next year, if all goes as planned, we would like to start trying for our third baby. I love babies. I would be a Duggar if my fiance and finances approved. I am seriously one of those crazy ladies. For our next little one we will be trying for yet another VBAC. The difference is this time I would really like to try to have our little one in our home (hba2c). I know I can do it! I know my body is equipped to have a vaginal birth. I also have fears like other VBACing mamas. My main fear is another c-section. I had such difficulties bonding with our daughter after her birth and still feel the effects of it from time to time. My other big fear is having to be transferred to a hospital. I know that if I’m not close enough to pushing I will be an automatic section again because I am attempting a VBAC with two uterine scars.

I have so many other things I want to prepare before starting to conceive again. My main goal is finding a midwife I’m comfortable with who will attend my birth. I really hope to avoid the hospital again so this time we will shop around before we just choose. My advice for any mama is check around for your provider. If you start seeing red flags GET OUT FAST! Also PLEASE make yourself knowledgeable. You dont need to know everything but being uneducated can kick you in the ass down the road! It can also be hard to come to the realization that you may have been able to prevent something if you just known better. My final piece of advice is YOU ARE STRONG! Your body is made to have babies. Trust it!! So many woman today don’t trust that they have the strength to birth, but they can!!

VBAC Guest Post: calling in the troops

babydickey — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 15:00:04 +0000

**This is the fourth in a series of guest posts on VBACs (vaginal births after cesareans). In an attempt to plan for my own VBAC (hopefully next year) I’m hearing stories, I’m learning and I’m trying to overcome fear. This post is from Jill (Long Lean Mama). She also had a c-section in December of 2009 and is right on track with me on hopes for a future VBAC. Please read her story and check out her blog.**

Ever since LLB was born via c-section in December 2009, I have experienced all emotions: joyful to have had my beautiful baby girl, grateful that she was born healthy, but also had feelings of disappointment, failure, and frustration because I had a c-section. First and foremost, let me be clear…I know I am blessed to have a beautiful baby girl who is healthy and thriving, but the delivery was not and is still not how I wanted it all to go down. It’s possible that things could have been different even though I have done everything to convince myself otherwise.

Over the last 14 months, I have heard and read countless stories similar to mine…5, 10, 15 hours or more passed and not progressing enough, the baby was positioned the wrong way, the heart beat was slowing down, and so on. I convinced myself that LLBs delivery was how it had to be. Well, maybe not. My husband and I truly believed we would be able to achieve a healthy, natural birth with the help of the doctors, nurses and each other. But, my agonizing back labor combined with my incredibly slow dilation process was TOO hard to take. It was near impossible for my husband to watch me be in any more pain beyond the 15 hours we spent at the hospital before the c-section. He was scared, worried, and concerned for my and LLBs safety…as he should be.

I have the most wonderful, strong, supportive husband ever and we believed that his support and coaching would be all that I needed to guide me through the labor & delivery process; but the reality is, it’s a tough job and sometimes you need to call in some special troops. Troops that have mama, baby and their natural birth plan in mind. Troops like doulas and midwives. We actually researched using doulas before LLB was born but decided not to have one, mostly due to finances, despite all of the statistics that say using a doula can decrease your chances of a c-section by up to 50%. Perhaps having a doula there would have allowed us to have a natural birth, and maybe not. We can’t change the past, but we can try to achieve a different outcome in the future.

So, as my husband and I begin to plan for our next baby, we have decided to do everything we can to have a natural, vaginal birth (referred to as a VBAC — Vaginal Birth after Cesarean). Some of you might be wondering why this is so important? Just schedule the c-section and be done with it. Lets not forget that ac-section is a major surgery with serious risks. Risks that, in my opinion, far exceed the risk of uterine rupture in a VBAC, which is .2 to 1.5% (approximately 1 in 500). Bottom line, I do not want a drug induced surgery, followed by a doped up haze for days, and finally and long, painful recovery time where I can’t pick up my toddler for weeks. I want to at least try for a beautiful, natural birth.

So the journey begins. I have started by reaching out to local doulas, midwives, and birthing centers to understand all of our options. This time, we are going to call in the troops.

Guest Post: hopes for a VBAC

babydickey — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:00:06 +0000

**This is the third in a series of guest posts about VBACs (vaginal births after cesareans). In an attempt to prepare for my future VBAC (hopefully next year), I’m hearing stories, overcoming my fear and gaining knowledge. This post comes from Kimberly who is in the same place as me… a c-section mama dreaming of a future vaginal birth. Please read her story and visit her blog.**

Hello, Baby Dickey readers! Emily sent a call out on Twitter on Friday night, asking who would like to share a story about their VBAC or a story about if we’d like to try one. Let’s get the formalities out of the way, first. My name is Kimberly and I’m the writer behind Fashion Momma. I’m under the “I want to try a VBAC” group, so thank you for letting me share my story with all of you.

I had an extremely healthy pregnancy (save two dislocated ribs, due to my 4’11″ stature), and during birthing classes and all of my appointments, I avoided discussing a cesarean. I was completely confident that I’d have a vaginal birth and so was my doctor. If you’ve been pregnant, you know the feeling of having a birth plan and expecting everything to go perfectly, especially if you’re healthy. Toward my 36th week, my blood pressure was rising more at every appointment. At 38 weeks, my doctor ordered blood tests. I’d gained 11 pounds in two weeks and my blood pressure was rising up to 160/100. Throughout my entire pregnancy, up until that 36th week, my blood pressure was maxed out at 115/62. The verdict was in, and I was being treated as preeclamptic. I was terrified. Everything had been going so well for so long, and all of a sudden, right in the homestretch, I had a wrench thrown in my chain. Doc ordered induction for January 30, 2008, when my baby girl was due February 5. I felt comfortable enough with the date, because 39 weeks was plenty far along. I was afraid of taking drugs to speed up labor, but was also excited to finally see my daughter. With mixed emotions and sky-rocketing blood pressure, I was ordered to rest for the last 3 days before I went to the hospital. Being at home, by myself, was probably the scariest part of the whole situation. I kept thinking about drugging my baby and drugging my body. I was so terrified to go to the hospital the morning of the 30th, that I was shaking in the car, shaking while checking in, shaking while they hooked me up to my IVs. And then… nothing. Nothing happened for hours. 2 CCs of pitocin, 4, 12, 20, 28… Just nothing. The machines were reading contractions, but I wasn’t feeling them.

The night of January 30, my doctor took me off of the pitocin drip and inserted Cervadil to help dilate my cervix. I was 2.5 cm dilated at 37 weeks, and after an entire day of pitocin, I was still at 2.5 cm. The baby’s health was perfectly fine, but my blood pressure was still higher than normal. I woke up at 6:00 a.m. on the 31 to an exam– 2.5 cm. We started the pitocin, again, and by 11:30, still, nothing was happening. My doctor performed a few more exams, confused by the “uteral spasms” showing up on the contraction charts. She said my uterus was working hard to push baby down into my pelvis, but nothing was happening. It turned out that my pelvis was too small to fit those little shoulders. Around 12:00, the doctor came in and told me that we had to do a c-section. I immediately burst into tears. I knew nothing about this. I wasn’t prepared. I was healthy, my baby was healthy. I was about to get sliced open against my will… I literally thought I was going to die. We had to sign my life away, pretty much, in a matter of minutes. They wanted to rush me into surgery because my baby was essentially “stuck” in my pelvis. Needless to say, I went through with the cesarean and survived it. My daughter scored 9 out of 10 on both the first and second Apgar tests, and everything was peachy… or at least with morphine pumping through my body every 10 minutes, I seemed to feel fine. I hardly noticed that I didn’t get to see my baby until over an hour after she was born. Sad, huh?

About that– HOW can you possibly love and nurture and nurse your brand new baby when you’re completely drugged up? It’s really, really difficult. And how can you remember what the lactation consultant is telling you when you can’t remember the last two minutes? Let me tell you what– I was trying to nurse the night my girl was born, and she was screaming, so the nurses came and took her away from me for FOUR HOURS and gave her formula without my permission. You know why? “Ma’am, you just had major surgery. You really need to get some rest.” Well, ladies, excuse me for having an opinion, but, “I didn’t want this surgery and I want to hold and nurse my baby!” They took her, anyway. I laid in bed and cried until I saw her, again. What rest?

To make matters worse, I was back in the hospital when my daughter was 2 weeks old. My c-section incision burst open with MRSA and it took 3 weeks to find the abcess, which was over 3 inches deep. I had to have the wound re-opened, cleaned and stuffed with peroxide and bleached dressing for 14 weeks, and if it wasn’t completely inappropriate, I’d show you a picture of my incision. It looks horrible. I had to start pumping, exclusively, because it hurt to lay my daughter on the boppy pillow. Pressure on my abdomen sent me into shock every day. Today, my daughter and I are very happy and healthy, but I never want to experience ANYTHING like that, ever again.

I won’t stop until I find a doctor or midwife that agrees to at least let me try a VBAC. I want to hold my child as soon as he/she is born. I want to snuggle and kiss them, nurse them right away, and not be on insane drugs for the first 24 hours of my child’s existence. I don’t want to risk another major infection that keeps me off my feet, out of work, and hinders my experience as a new mother, again. If our bodies are capable of creating life and carrying a child, I don’t understand why so many people doubt our body’s ability to give birth the way that God and nature planned.

Little S. will turn 2 on January 31, 2011!

Thank you so much for letting me put all of this out in the world. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully heal, emotionally. And I’ll always have a faulty looking scar to help me remember my story. But the support of other mothers-to-be, mommies, doctors, and midwives who believe in our ability to TRY will help us move forward!

xoxo,

Kimberly

VBAC Guest Post: Induction

babydickey — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:52:50 +0000

**This is the first in a series of guest posts about VBACs (vaginal births after cesareans). In an attempt to prepare for my own VBAC (hopefully next year), I’m hearing stories and trying to overcome fear. This post comes from Sarah (Naptime Mom Tog) who had an induced VBAC. Please read her story and visit her blog.**

Hi, my name is Sarah I write over on Naptime MomTog. I have 2 wonderful boys and I love to take pictures.

I am going to take you back to my pregnancy with my 1st son Dustyn. At 20 weeks they said he was measuring big so they wanted to keep an eye on him. We did several ultrasounds and he just kept getting bigger and further away from the size he was suppose to be. Genetics were not on his side, hubby was 10lbs 5oz at birth and I was no small baby either weighing 8lbs 6oz. Many ultrasounds later it was determined that he was going to be a very big baby so my doctor told me she thought it would be best to schedule a c-section at 39 weeks. I was a young new mom, so I listened. I was also scared because my hubby ended up stuck at birth and they almost lost him and his mom {they ended up doing and emergency c-section}. We did the c-section and he came out 10lbs 4oz. At the time I was thankful for the c-section because I honestly didn’t believe I could have had him naturally.

{Dustyn born February 29, 2008}

Fast forward two years, I am now pregnant with Carsyn. Some where in those two years a seed was planted about VBACs. I was blogging at the time, so I am sure I read it one someone’s blog. The power of blogging, seriously, is awesome! I had decided I wanted a VBAC for several reasons, main one being if I had another c-section I was going to be done having kids. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be done. Also having a 2 year old to chase around and pick up after a c-section would not have been ideal. From the beginning I was going to a midwife and planning for a VBAC, then found out she was pregnant and wouldn’t be back in time. I heard terrible things about her colleagues, so I found a new doctor at 15 weeks. She was amazing and 100% supportive of my plans.

Another skip in time, I am now 38 weeks pregnant and Carsyn is starting to measure a little big, so they try to induce me and it fails. At this point I am disappointed and scared on whether I will be able to have a VBAC. The doctor decides to wait another 2 weeks and try to induce me again. I was actually having some contractions on my own before they started inducing me, but they weren’t doing anything. She started me on a very, very low dose of Pitocin, we all know VBAC’s and Pitocin don’t mix well. So they went up slowly and would only go to 20ml of Pitocin. We reached the max and I am dilated enough for her to break my water. After that the contractions were very strong and close. I wasn’t getting a break in between them so she suggest I try half a dose of Nubain to take the edge off. It worked, I was actually falling asleep in between contractions. It gave me a little relaxation, which was enough for me to dilate the rest of the way. You see, I was totally against an epidural for several reasons. I wanted to be able to feel my contractions, I didn’t want to stall and I wanted to make sure I could feel if my uterus had started to rupture.

So here I am fully dilated, they had turned off the Pitocin by this point. They moved me to the big room and I started doing some practice pushes while they got everything ready. My doctor was really amazing, she acted more like a midwife then a doctor. She was there the ENTIRE time I was pushing. She walked me through everything and told me what I was feeling. I loved this, then I knew what I was feeling was normal and was getting me closer to meet Carsyn. I pushed for 30 minutes and Carsyn was born into this world May 11, 2010 at 12:47 am. It really was such an amazing experience and I would do it all over again. I hope to have more kids in the future and now I feel like I can. For those wondering he was still pretty big 9lbs 5oz.

Do I think I could have had Dustyn natural? yes. Am I glad they did a c-section? yes and no. I am glad he is here and I didn’t have any issues with my c-section, but I wish I would have been given the chance to try. You can read Carsyn’s original birth story here. Thanks for reading my VBAC story, if you have any questions feel free to email me sarah@naptimemomtog.com. My advice to you if you are trying for a VBAC, believe in yourself and your body, and find a doctor that supports your decision.

Baby Sign Language: guest post

babydickey — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:06:15 +0000

I am sharing an article with you today about baby sign language because it’s something we’re attempting to do with Ryan and I think it’s fascinating! As this article mentions, using signs is so natural–who doesn’t talk with their hands, right?! We just need to learn the correct way to use them! Right now I’m work on “more” and “milk” with Ryan… I’ll let you know when he catches on Enjoy!

Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language

One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.

At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it’s likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

Signing Before They Can Speak

A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.

This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

”…by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves before they know how to talk.” (Glarion, 2003)

The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that “using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration…[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music” (Glarion, 2003).

The Best Time To Start

Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Georgia child care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose child care schools. Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.

Baby Dickey » Guest Post

Planet Fassa: interactive children's website to get kids reading & back outside

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Guest Post: hopes for a VBA2C

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