Mummy's Reviews » The Baby Loft

Baby Sign Language: Our Experience

MieVee @ MummysReviews.com — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0000

I first learnt about sign language for babies during my pregnancy. It sounded interesting but I did not think that it was essential. After Vee was born, he proved himself to be a colicky cry-baby (especially at night), and we tried very hard to guess what he needed. I re-visited the idea of baby sign language and invested in the Baby Signs® Parent Kit (bought from The Baby Loft, listed price: RM180), hoping to improve communication between Vee and us.

The Parent Kit provided very clear instructions on how to introduce sign language to Vee. The articles in the Special Topics section provides convincing evidence on the potential benefits of the Baby Signs® Program on the “social, emotional, cognitive and language development of babies”.

Ever since Vee was a young baby, I incorporated sign language into our daily activities, such as feeding time, bath-time, nursery rhymes and bed-time stories. When he was about 8 months old, I bought the Baby Signs® Concept Cards (Set 2) (listed price: RM70 or USD15.99) to inject more fun into learning the signs. (Set 1 was out of stock at that time.)

Finally at 10 months old, Vee showed us his first hand sign for ‘milk’ and we were elated! As his palmer and pincer grasps improved, he started picking up many signs, and it has become much easier to meet his needs. This led to a more contented baby. Our objectives met at last! (Read his developmental updates at 11 months and 12 months.)

Beyond these initial objectives, we also realised that Vee learns very effectively when signs are incorporated in songs. Often, he would start signing on his own while attempting to sing and we could guess the song that he is thinking of. His speech has also developed well at the same time. Interestingly, he has never done the signs for “Daddy” and “Mummy”, and proceeded straight to saying “Da” and “Ma”. It is likely that he pronounces the easier words and signs the more difficult ones.

We are very pleased to have invested the time to introduce baby sign language to Vee.

P.S. Do you use sign language with your baby? What has your experience been like?

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Baby Signs® Parent Kit:

What we like about it:

Clear step-by-step instructions for parents
Well-illustrated cartoons to show each sign (I didn’t even need to watch the DVD to learn the signs!)
Large number of signs relevant to baby’s daily activities
In-depth articles to prove the effectiveness of using baby sign language
An overall convenient reference guide

What can be improved:

Include more signs in the glossary (I’m a greedy Mummy!)
Include more signs in the flip guide (there are less signs here than in the glossary)

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Baby Signs® Concept Cards (Set 2):

What we like about it:

Thick and water-resistant cards that withstand baby’s rough handling

What can be improved:

The sign for “happy” is repeated in the set (Could have included another sign instead)

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Get Your Own

You may check the price at Amazon.com here: Baby Signs Parent Kit*

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Review: Lucas Papaw Ointment

MieVee @ MummysReviews.com — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:31:00 +0000

Baby V started teething discomfort at 4 months old and began to drool a lot. He rubbed saliva all over his face and developed a red rash on his cheeks and chin. Upon my sister-in-law’s recommendation, I bought a 25g tube of Lucas Papaw Ointment (listed price: RM18.90) from The Baby Loft. I apply a thin layer on Baby V’s rash twice a day — after his afternoon bath and before he sleeps at night. The rash improved within a couple of weeks.

Pros:

Effective in clearing saliva rash
Gentle to sensitive baby skin

Cons:

Not organic (I would prefer to use organic products for Baby V’s skin.)

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Review: Sound Oasis Sleep Bear

MieVee @ MummysReviews.com — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:03:00 +0000

In order to get some white noise for Baby V to help him sleep, I bought the Sound Oasis Sleep Bear from The Baby Loft. It was at a discounted price of RM275 (from RM299). It is priced at quite a high premium compared to US$49.99 stated on the Sleep Bear’s website.

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Update on 31 May 2010:

Now that Vee is 15 months old, he sleeps with the Sleep Bear (without the sound box) beside him. Although he has yet to use it as a lovey, singing and patting the bear to sleep is part of our sleep routine, which helps to tune him down.

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Pros:

Great sound quality — loud and clear
Time settings available — 30, 60, 90 minutes or continuous play. In the last 10 minutes, the sound gradually gets softer.
Portable white noise — we bring the bear out for Baby V’s naps on the go.
Easy to clean — machine washable

Cons:

High maintenance — drains 4 AA Energizer alkaline batteries in a week (played about 16 hours daily). More suitable as white noise on the go, not to be used for every time baby sleeps.
Velcro straps gives out loud noise when open, may wake baby up if meddling with the sound box during sleep-time. We use the sound box outside the bear at home.

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Review: Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe

MieVee @ MummysReviews.com — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:02:00 +0000

Baby V outgrew his Bumble Bee swaddles, so I started searching for large swaddles and finally found Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe (large) at The Baby Loft. It is rare that babies still need to be swaddled at 5 months old in order to sleep well. Baby V certainly needs a lot of sense of security when sleeping!—

Update on 31 May 2010:

Vee weaned himself off the swaddle at 6.5 months old.

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Pros:

Good fit for large babies (supposedly up to 9.98kg). Baby V is 8+kg and the swaddle fits him snugly, with room for growth.
Comfortable 100% cotton fabric
Smart design that allows swaddling in car seat or stroller (small hole behind the leg pouch for belt strap to go through)
Good quality velcro tabs (unlike the ones in Bumble Bee, which harden and flare out after washes)

Cons:

Arm flaps are a bit short, so if the swaddle is wrapped too high on the baby, his left arm can easily slip out

Note: The cotton fabric is relatively thick, so baby needs to be dressed lightly (e.g. in a short sleeve bodysuit and diaper) in a cool room.
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Get Your Own

Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe is available in most major baby stores. Beware of counterfeits as I’ve seen one in Malaysia, using the same name “SwaddleMe”.

You may also check the price at Amazon.com here: Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe 100% Cotton Knit, Large*

*: affiliate link to support the growth and maintenance of Mummy’s Reviews™

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Review: Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.