Baby Signs

Child psychologists Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn spent years at UC Davis — with National Institutes of Health funding — researching whether babies could use simple hand signs to communicate before they could speak. The answer was yes, and the practical result is this guide walking parents through teaching signs for eat, more, hot, and dozens of other concepts. The short-term benefit is real and broadly accepted: fewer tantrums, more connection, earlier communication. The book became a bestseller and launched a baby sign language industry. The honest caveat is that the authors' stronger claims — that signing babies show lasting IQ and language advantages — have not held up to independent scrutiny as firmly as the book suggests. The evidence for reduced frustration and richer early interaction is solid; the long-term cognitive benefit claims are disputed. Worth reading for the practical approach regardless.