# Baby Sign Language: When to Start, First Signs and Does It Delay Speech

> How and when to teach a few baby signs like more, milk and all done, and what research says about signing and speech.

Stage: baby - Topic: Play and development - Page: https://www.askcladle.com/guides/baby/baby-sign-language

Grounded in: AAP HealthyChildren guidance on language development and on baby signing, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) guidance on gestures and early communication, and CDC "Learn the Signs. Act Early." milestones. Summarized in Cradle's own words; none of these sources endorse Cradle. General information, not medical advice.

Reviewed: 2026-11

## TLDR

- A few simple signs like more, milk and all done let babies share wants before words. It doesn't delay speech.
- Start around 6-8 months; most babies sign back between 8 and 14 months. Always say the word as you sign.
- Benefits are real but modest. Check in if there's no babbling by 9 months or no waving or pointing by 12-15 months.

## What it is

- Using a handful of simple hand signs, usually borrowed from American Sign Language (ASL) or
  another local sign language, alongside spoken words, so a baby can share wants before they can
  say them.
- Babies can control their hands before their mouths. Many naturally wave, point and lift their
  arms to be picked up between 9 and 12 months. Signing builds on that.

## What research says

- Signing does **not** delay speech. That's a common worry, and studies don't support it.
- Evidence that it makes babies talk sooner or boosts later language or IQ is weak and mixed.
- The likely benefits are real but modest: some fewer frustrated moments, more face-to-face
  attention, and the fun of an early "conversation."
- It's optional. Talking, reading and back-and-forth play do the heavy lifting for language (see
  the talk to your baby guide).

## When to start

- Around 6 to 8 months is a good time to begin, when babies watch faces and hands closely.
- Most babies sign back somewhere between 8 and 14 months. Expect weeks or months of watching
  before the first sign. Starting later is fine too.

## First signs to try

- **More:** fingertips of both hands tapped together.
- **Milk:** a hand opening and closing, like squeezing.
- **All done:** both hands turned palms out and twisted back and forth.
- **Eat:** fingertips brought to the mouth.
- **Help, up, sleep, bath, dog:** add these once the first few click.
Look up the signs in a free ASL dictionary or from a Deaf-led source, so you learn them accurately.

## How to teach

1. **Pick 3 to 5 signs** tied to daily routines: meals, milk, bath, bed.
2. **Always say the word as you sign it,** looking at your baby.
3. **Sign in the moment:** "Do you want *more*?" while holding up more food.
4. **Repeat a lot,** every time the situation comes up. All caregivers can use the same signs;
   write them on a card for a grandparent or childcare.
5. **Accept approximations.** A baby's "more" may be clapping or a poke at the palm. Respond
   warmly and say the word.
6. **Keep talking.** As words arrive, babies drop the signs on their own.

## Families and sign language

- In families with Deaf or hard of hearing members, ASL or another sign language is a full
  language, not a bridge to speech. Babies can learn sign and spoken languages together.
- Multilingual families can pair signs with words in each home language.
- Signs can also help some children with speech delays communicate while their speech develops,
  often with guidance from a speech-language pathologist.

## When to check in

- Mention it at the next checkup if your baby doesn't react to sounds, doesn't babble by 9 months,
  doesn't use gestures like waving or pointing by about 12 to 15 months, or loses words or signs
  they had.
- Ask for a hearing test any time you're unsure your baby hears well; newborn screening doesn't
  rule out later hearing loss.