Not knowing what my baby wants because they can’t speak would get a bit frustrating some times for me. I learned a little of ASL when I was a kid and have used it to communicate with people. What is ASL? ASL stands for American Sign Language. I wanted to teach Kaylee some basic ASL so we could communicate with her until she can use her words. We have been using ASL teaching books and DVDs from DawnSignPress.

learning ASL with DawnSignPress

DawnSignPress creates, develops, and publishes quality American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture-related DVDs and books. Dedicated to the principle that Deaf people are the natural experts regarding their language and culture, DawnSignPress wholeheartedly supports the efforts of Deaf people to document ASL, Deaf culture, history, heritage, and literature. DawnSignPress is still on the cutting edge of the educational, cultural, and social trends that affect Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. We remain committed to producing materials that raise the standards in education, break new ground in literature and the arts, and preserve the unique and rich contributions of Deaf people. Our eye to the future, DawnSignPress seeks out the top people in the fields who teach, serve, and entertain the signing community.

baby ASL

We started out with a couple signs with Kaylee when she was about 5 months old. I would say the word meaning and show her the sign. After about 2 months of me signing she was catching on to what happened when I would sign to her. Her first sign to me was “hungry”. Then she learned to show me the sign for “more”. My baby girl is all about eating and she has quickly figured out that these signs work for getting her food.

We have the four baby sign language books from the DawnSignPress American Sign Language babies collection as well as a few of their DVDs. The books are first signs, get dressed, let’s eat, and outside. The books are board books so Kaylee can handle and look at them on her own and not tear the pages out. She loves sitting and reading them with her Daddy. I’m teaching him ASL too so he’s learning along with her. We have tried watching the DVDs but she doesn’t sit long enough to watch and enjoy those just yet. I’m sure once she’s older she will appreciate those more.

I love how the books have helped me teach baby ASL to Kaylee. They share the common words that babies would hear from Mom or Dad a lot daily. The book illustrations are cute too. You can purchase the complete set of baby ASL books for $16.99 from DawnSignPress. The DVDs can be purchased for $9.99 or you can use VIMEO on Demand to rent them for $1.99 or buy for $3.99. They offer ASL learning options for adults and older children too.

You can read more about DawnSignPress or learn more about ASL here.
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