我住在香港.  (Found this free online translator, http://www2.worldlingo.com/en/products_services/worldlingo_translator.html hah!)

I agree with the above posts. 

The content matters a great deal, as does the quality of the production (i.e., in terms of "age-appropriate-ness" and how overly stimulating it might be).  And, like what KL wrote, interactivity is very important.  It is imperative (in our household) that the kids do not sit and watch alone, even with educational programs.  An adult watches with them and we talk to them about what we see onscreen, engage them by asking questions, relating what they see onscreen back to things they know / are familiar with, etc.

你们好！Great to meet you all.  Where are you based?

I can speak/read a bit of Mandarin, too, but unfortunately I don't know how to type it. (I copied and pasted the greeting above, haha!).

I actually started with Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Goodwyn's BABY SIGNS: HOW TO TALK WITH YOUR BABY BEFORE YOUR BABY CAN TALK.  They are the pioneers of the infant signing movement and whose research all other signing programs (including Joseph Garcia's, et.c) use and cite to tout the benefits of signing with hearing babies.

I wish I had the Baby Signs® Complete Starter Kit when I first learned about signing with my son; it would have come in so handy with the manual, DVD, board books, video dictionary, and the Signs at a Glance™ Flip Guide. 

Hi, Joanne.

That is a very common misconception.  The Baby Signs® Program is backed by over 20 years of scientific research and findings have shown that babies who learned to sign actually learn to talk sooner!  http://www.babysignshongkong.com/faq.html

No, you don't have to buy the DVDs, although many families have found it really helpful to attend a Parent Workshop or at least get themselves a Complete Starter Kit (http://www.babysignshongkong.com/cat-starterkit.html) to get them started.  Learning (and teaching) the signs is very easy, as many of the signs used are very "intuitive" and closely resembles the concept that it represents.  My husband had zero experience with sign language, but he took to it pretty easily, and was in fact, the one who got so excited about the whole signing experience that he encouraged me to get further training and to bring the Baby Signs® Program here to Asia. 

The book BABY SIGNS: HOW TO TALK WITH YOUR BABY BEFORE YOUR BABY CAN TALK is available at the public library in both English and Chinese. 

You can also check out this site to learn the signs:  www.aslpro.com

If you check out the other thread, Signing with your child, there is a whole wealth of info on the topic, too.

Good luck & happy signing!

Hi, Joanne.  I totally understand how you feel, as I was working full-time still until my son was 6 months old. 

Now I am a work-at-home mom;  I run my own business teaching baby sign language.  I've been pretty lucky in this sense, as what I do allows me to spend much time with my kids. 

Whether working mom or stay-at-home mom, I'm sure we all do what we can for our little ones and you are doing just fine, I'm sure! 

Hello to you both. 

I can read a little Chinese, but I don't now how to type Chinese, so my post in this thread will all be in English. 

Glad to meet you here.  What a coincidence that both of you are in Australia.    Anybody here in Hong Kong?

Hi, Leana.  I agree with nhockaday that you (and whoever else is helping to care the baby) have to model the signs for the babies for them to learn.  Also remember to say the word as you do the sign --very important.  We always stress to the parents that they have to SIGN and SAY the word.  I highly recommend the Baby Signs® DVDs if you want your baby to see other kids signing without worrying about what he/she's watching being too fast-paced or too overly stimulating, as these DVDs have been designed by child development experts.

Could anyone whose kids are signing already take videos and upload?

Here's the link again to the video of my baby signing --> http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=E47173AC13575E35
I'll try to take more videos and share.   

Going to start teaching my daughter, I guess, especially because I am planning to start potty training as well.

Here is a link to the Baby Signs® Potty Training Program website for more information.
http://www.pottytrainwithbabysigns.com/

Happy signing!

VERY interesting topic!

I see no problem in teaching two (or even more) languages at a time.  Children are way smarter than we give them credit for... and they easily code-switch, especially when they learn the languages very early on.

I'm very thankful that my parents exposed me to different languages when I was quite young.  By the time I started kindergarten, I was fluent in two kinds of Cantonese dialects, English, Tagalog (living in the Philippines at the time), and Hokkien.  I learned Mandarin when I started school.  I took up Spanish and French during/post-university.  I am able to carry general conversations in Mandarin, but would not say that I am very fluent.  My French and Spanish are very basic. 

When we are exposed to languages very early on, we "acquire" it, as opposed to "learn" it.  That makes it easy for us to pick up nuances and naturally think in that language, without having to translate everything from a language that we are more comfortable in.

Our son is now in a bilingual kindy (Mandarin and English) and when he started, he spoke zero Mandarin.  Now, almost a year into school, he is able to speak in complex sentences, with a quite extensive vocabulary (let's just say that he knows terms that I don't even know!).  Although initially, hubby and I spoke to him primarily in English, as it is what we're most comfortable with, we are now making more of a conscious effort to speak Mandarin with him more (and he sometimes even demands that we do!).  Our helper speaks to him in Tagalog.  He understands and speaks all 3 languages.  He does occasionally mix some words, but we're okay with that.  I do that myself, too, when I am speaking with somebody whom I know also knows the same languages as I do.  It's fun (and convenient) and it does not mean that I can't speak a language "purely."

What I have found to be helpful when helping my children learn the languages is the use of sign language.  Sign language helps bridge the different languages;  same sign for the same concept expressed in different languages.  For example, this helps them make the connection that APPLE is ping guo in Mandarin, mansanas in Tagalog, pomme in French, peng kuo in Cantonese... It has become something of a game for us --trying to express a concept in different languages (including sign language).

Sorry for rambling on...     I would love to hear others' experiences on the topic, as I find this sooo interesting!

Here are some useful sites for you to look at:

1) To learn the signs
www.aslpro.com
This site works like a video dictionary.

2) To learn more about the research behind the Baby Signs® Program
https://www.babysigns.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/institute.research/research.cfm
Research findings about the benefits of signing with babies, its effect on cognitive/language/emotional development, etc.

Where are you based, Teresa?  Reason I ask is that you might actually have a local Baby Signs® instructor in your area who can help you on the ground.

Have fun!

Hi, Teresa. 

Yes, there are many benefits to signing, but what's more, it is really fun!

If you want, you can start learning and practicing a few signs now before the baby comes, so that by the time he/she is here, you will be more adept at it and hopefully, by then, doing the signs as you say the words becomes second nature already.

It's never too early to start.

If you need help or encouragement, I'm sure there are many of us here who would be more than happy to help and support you.  Good luck and happy signing!

Definitely agree that patience is required.  The little ones learn by repetition*, lots of it.  Heaven knows how many times I'd read the same book over and over and over again (in one sitting), because they keep signing MORE!  It does pay off beautifully, though.

*I don't mean that we ram it down their throats or doing it in any intrusive way --i.e., forcing them when they're so obviously not in the mood.

It even speeded up the potty training because she actually was able to show me that she wants to change, later on that she is peeing and later even that she wants to go to use the potty.

pupisek --So good to meet another mom who is using signs to help with potty training! 

We are now also doing the same.  While bladder control is not quite there yet (she's 14 months), she definitely can tell us when she needs to "go."  She does the sign for POTTY, says "pah" and then actually walks to the washroom door!  It's now a matter of us getting to her and getting her on the potty seat in time.   

Thanks, Leanna. 

It is great that increasingly there are more parents who sign with their children. Personally, apart from the scientifically proven benefits that signing brings, we just find it so much fun!

Hello, Kristina.  I have replied to your query in the signing thread that nhockaday referred to. 

http://forum.brillkids.com/introduce-yourself/signing-with-your-child/