When you first set out to sign with your baby, you may be filled with visions of carrying on fluent conversations with your infant. After a couple of weeks of signing with no reaction from your baby at all, you may find yourself disappointed and convinced that your baby will never sign.

Remember that even under the best of circumstances, it still takes time for a baby to sign. You may have begun signing at just the right stage in your baby’s development. You may have started with the perfect first signs. You may demonstrate the signs every time the opportunity arises. Even still, it may be weeks or months before your baby offers you a sign in return.

It is understandable that as time wears on, you may begin to grow discouraged. This is the plight of signing parents everywhere. Talk to other signing parents for support and encouragement. Continue to follow the suggestions given in this book, and seek out as many opportunities to sign as possible. As with any other skill your baby has yet to master, this one will take time. Be patient and diligent, and soon your baby will be signing.