Look who's talking (From Watford Observer)

Look who's talking

3:57pm Friday 9th November 2007

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My son is smart. But at seven months old, he can't tell me his thoughts - although he lets me know how he's feeling with "uh, uh" noises, gurgles and smiles and, occasionally, he cries. Since coming back to work I've missed our chats.

So when my editor offered me the chance to leave the office, be with my son and play with him, I naturally jumped at the chance.

My Friday morning out with Freddie took me to the Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road, Watford, for an hour's session of Chatterbox Babies, a signing and activities group for youngsters aged from six months to two years.

"Are we all here? Shall we begin?" trilled the woman in charge above the hullaballoo of children and parents.

"Let's say hello' to Freddie. Let's welcome you today. Let's say hello' to Freddie; it's time to sign and play."

She cheerily sang. The other mothers repeated and copied her hand and facial gestures. And, just like the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the children stopped and listened as each child was greeted with this song. Meanwhile, my son just smiled from ear to ear because he'd heard his name harmonised by so many people.

Chatterbox Babies was established at the beginning of this year by 37-year-old mum of two Theresa Redmond.

"I advertised in the local Kings Langley newsletter and ended up with more than 40 enquiries within a week." she says. "It's not the only baby-signing group in the area, but I know this is the only independently owned and run group."

Theresa is British Sign Language (BSL) qualified and is also an accredited speech language therapist.

"I have worked as a speech and language therapist in the NHS for more than 12 years. At work, I have used signing systems with children with special needs and BSL with deaf children.

"Through this work, I became aware of the increasing amount of research indicating that normally developing hearing babies also benefit from early exposure to simple signing.

"I started signing with my seven-year-old son when he was a toddler. I figured if I understood Zac's wants and needs, it would make both our lives easier.

"It was so rewarding when he couldn't yet form words, but he could tell me he was tired or thirsty. All my friends were amazed and wanted me to teach them so they could communicate with their babies.

"I also had interested comments from people who saw me signing to Heather, my 14-month daughter, when out and about.

"That's when I decided to combine my career with caring for my children and set up Chatterbox Babies.

"The signs I use in the group are based on BSL and other signing systems. The signs differ from BSL in that they are simpler and are always used with speech.

"By signing frequently with your baby - by building the signs into daily routines when you're with your child perhaps at meal time, bathtime or bed time - your child can easily pick up the gestures and their meanings. That's why I always produce a crib sheet for each Chatterbox Babies session, so that parents can take them home and the rest of the family can learn and use the signs too."

It's important to acknowledge here that some children just don't take to signing straight away, and there's no magical time setting as to when they'll suddenly start signing back.

Theresa explains: "I started signing to Heather when she was six months old. Zac bonded with her by signing to her too. But she wasn't the earliest to sign back, preferring instead to observe. She started to respond at 11 months with just a few signs. Now it's second nature to her.

"You just have to accept the fact that some babies are watchers and some babies pick it up because they have a desire to communicate."

The Chatterbox Babies session that I attended was quite a fast-paced hour. During the first 30 mins, we managed to sign to well-known nursery rhymes including Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and popular stories such as Going On A Bear Hunt and more. The babies really enjoyed making a glorious cacophony of noise with bells, rattles, maracas and tambourines to The Grand Old Duke of York. And their senses were overloaded with the bubble machine as we sang Five Little Ducks. And, when the toys came out of the cupboard, it was the mums' turn to squeak with excitement as it meant that they could safely leave the babies to play while indulging in the homemade cakes and biscuits which Theresa had provided.

She says: "At Chatterbox Babies, I keep it fun and light. The main goal of baby signing is to enrich your relationship with your baby and simplify daily life.

"Baby signing in no way discourages them from learning to talk; in fact it has the opposite effect and adds to their language development. Song and games are fun ways to communicate with your babies and teaching them to sign helps you communicate with them before they can talk."

I'm now signing with Freddie. He thinks Mum has gone a bit mad - but I hope the next time he has a wailing fit, a bit of signing could really help us both.

For more details on baby signing and ChatterboxBabies classes, contact Theresa Redmond via the website www.chatterboxbabies.com or on 01923 446380. To book places on the new Wednesday afternoon classes, which start on November 14, call the Durban Road Children's Centre on 01923 243564.

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