Signing Time vs. Baby Signing Time

[texaslady22]

Alright...

I've seen Signing Time many times on PBS, but I've never heard of Baby Signing Time until I went and looked at the site today. Does Baby Signing Time use official ASL signs or modified baby signs? Which one do you use for you kiddos?

[rixu]

i don't know about baby sign time but we are using signing time and it very good one. my daughter  love them all. especially the caterpillar dream cos she loves butterfly

[ksomom]

The Signing Time videos use American Sign Language (ASL).  They consist of an adult demonstrating the signing, followed by footage of two kids (Alex and Leah) and others also showing the signs in use.  They include songs too.  The main age "focus" for these are 1-8... although I personally feel they would be better for at least 3+.  (Though many find them to be great videos for younger ones too!)  The videos are about 30 minutes long and the DVDs always have extra stuff on them.  

Baby Signing Time is intended for babies & toddlers 3 months to 3 years old... and while I think they are great and useful videos, I think they are better suited for about 18 months and up... although I'm sure that many people find them very good and useful for younger babies too- I don't think there's really anything wrong with using them early on.  The signs in this series, vs. the regular Signing Time ones, are oriented toward those that baby/toddler would find most useful and probably easier to do.  Like the Signing Time videos, these ones have an adult that shows the signs, along with footage of others using them, and lots of songs.  This series also has cartoon animation of Alex and Leah, and what I think is a little frog.   I think the Baby Signing Time videos are a lot like the regular Signing Time, but somewhat altered to be more baby & toddler friendly.  I'm pretty sure the signs are ASL, because they use many of the same ones in the first few Signing Time DVDs.  

I prefer Baby Signing Time over Signing Time for my nearly 17 month old daughter, and would recommend them.  Particularly for you- since it appears your child is older than mine.   

BUT I also prefer My Baby Can Talk signing videos over the Baby Signing Time ones.  I think the My Baby Can Talk videos are better suited to young babies and my daughter's learning style in particular, and would HIGHLY recommend them.  These videos are the reason that I think the Signing Time videos are better suited to slightly older toddlers... simply because the My Baby Can Talk ones seem like a better option for younger toddlers... but, that could simply be our unique situation and is, of course, just my opinion.  My daughter loves and watches My Baby Can Talk and I can actually SEE her learning and trying to do the signs better each time.  She will literally look at the screen while they show the sign, then try to do it and look down at her hands and back at the screen as if she's seeing if she's doing it right.  And EVERY time she watches the videos she either learns and consistently uses a new sign (at least one!), or refines her skill at signs she already knows.  I always sit and watch them with her (and talk about it with her), but she seems to learn so much so quickly that I can't even keep up.  She will be doing all kinds of signs and I feel silly because I should know them too.  It's incredible!   

[Ellieamazing]

I'm considering buying "My Baby Can Talk". Would you recommend this dvd over Signing Time for a 6 month old, ksomom?

[nhockaday]

I use both BST and ST, but BST is my favorite for a baby or toddler. Gabriel has learned about 30 signs from them in less than a couple of months. I have tried one of the My Baby Can Talk DVDs, and I did not like it. It was too much like the Baby Einstein videos.

[Ellieamazing]

Does BST cover "basic" signs?

[nhockaday]

Yes, they are more basic, everyday signs that are easier for a baby to sign. You can check out the website for lists of what each video includes. http://www.signingtime.com/shop/baby-signing-time/

[Ellieamazing]

Thank you very much    I think I will buy BST

[nhockaday]

That's a great decision. I signed with my son for months before playing the videos, but it wasn't until he started watching them that he started signing back!

[TABS]

Hi there,

Great discussion!  I too am considering getting some Signing Time DVD's, it's been mentioned what ones have used for little ones - how about a 3 going on 4 year old?  Anyone using anything for that age group?  I was amazed to see the amount of DVD's that they had on offer and am totally unsure of what to get.  I have never seen the video's but can see from the reveiws and your comments they do a lot of good.

TABS

[nhockaday]

Look at the words that each one teaches and decide which ones have the signs that you would like to teach the most, and get those videos. They are all good, but some videos have more common, everyday signs, while some have signs that aren't that important.

[Kappasweet]

I think I may pick up My Baby Can talk DVD.  My husband and I are having a frustrating time with our baby and him having several tantrums a day.  I would like for him to be able to sign milk, water, cookie, etc.

[nhockaday]

I do not like My Baby Can Talk. It is too muck like Baby Einstein for my liking. I don't think children need to see toys moving around the screen. That is showing nonsense, just like letting them watch TV. There is nothing educational about toys moving around. Plus, there is one baby doing the signs, and the baby doesn't do most of them correctly. Your baby needs to see the signs done correctly by many children. BST is much better. I highly recommend you try one of them instead of wasting your money on MBCT.

[Joha]

nhockaday,

In your opinion, are the BST cds and the flash cards necessary? Or are the dvd's enough?

Thanks!

[nhockaday]

No, I actually bought non-BST flash cards (before my son was born) so that I could learn some signs. I wish that I would have just bought the DVDs initially, instead of buying the flash cards, because they cost as much as the 3 DVDs would have cost. Gabriel didn't sign back to me, even after I signed to him for several months. He didn't start signing until we watched the videos. He has learned his signs (I have lost count, maybe 80 or 90 by now?) from the videos, not from me. We watch them together, and I learn the signs right along with him. I help him make the signs, and he tries to do some on his own.

So, I don't see where the flash cards are necessary. All you need to do is watch the videos with your child, and he/she will learn a great deal from them. The flash cards that I bought were great for teaching me the signs, but I could have just as easily watched the DVDs to learn them while my son did the same, instead of months of signing to him with no results. I am certain that, if I would have started showing the videos at 6 months, instead of at 12 months, he would have been signing much sooner. He started signing almost immediately after we watched the first video a couple of times.

document.getElementById('recent_loading').style.display = 'none';document.getElementById('recent_page_box').style.display = '';

Page: 1/4  

Loading...

Members

• Total Members: 214825
• Latest: MariaR

Stats

• Total Posts: 110526
• Total Topics: 19136
• Online Today: 231
• Online Ever: 1341
• (October 21, 2025, 05:16:15 PM)

Users Online

• Users: 0
• Guests: 107
• Total: 107