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In “Who’s Baby Signing in Hollywood?”, we featured fashionista Kimora Lee Simmons as one of many celebrity parents who teach their babies to sign. While her son Kenzo was barely a toddler, she used baby signing as a means to develop his manners early: “It helps with communication so you don’t have like screaming crazy kids,” she said in an interview.
“Dear Abby” would probably agree. In a fast-paced age of road rage, text-messaging and overall decline in manners, politeness is one of the most important values you can instill at a very young age – even before your baby begins speaking! . Here are some fundamentally polite signs, per Dr. Joseph Garcia’s “Sign with Your Baby” glossary:
PLEASE: This sign can be widely used, such as when asking for milk or cookies
THANK YOU: Upon receipt of desired objects, teach baby this sign
SHARE: Perfect for use in a day care or a play date
SORRY: Appropriate for a variety of “oops” situations
HELP: Using this sign will encourage children to be generous by helping others