Baby sign language offered in Eugene

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Story Published: Oct 29, 2007 at 4:23 PM PST

By Laura Rillos

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Your baby is crying.

If you're the average parent, you try changing his diaper or putting him down for a nap.

None of that works.

Now imagine your baby can tell you what he wants.

That's the idea behind baby sign language.

"The whole, I think, original push was to help limit the crying and the whining and the frustration of not knowing what your baby's trying to tell you," said Kathy Faber.

Faber taught all six of her children American Sign Language and now she's teaching Eugene parents to do the same.

Her classes are the first of their kind offered by Eugene Parks and Rec.

Louisa Chavez and son Rio began attending classes four weeks ago.

Three month old Rio is too young to sign, but Chavez says he's already beginning to recognize her gestures.

"It seems to me that when he's upset and I say, you want milk, he seems to feel a little calmer and know that it's coming up," said Chavez.

Babies begin to understand language before their vocal cords develop, making sign language a natural fit.

Some parents are concerned babies who sign won't speak, but that's not true, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In fact, research has shown children who sign as babies have bigger vocabularies and higher IQ's.

The appeal is different for Faber. She says signing with her children is about communicating and connecting.

"It's just like, woah! It's like, i've made progress, I've tapped in to this little person and now I know that we are speaking together," said Faber. "It's very exciting.

Another round of baby signing classes will begin in January and March. They're offereing in the morning and at night.

For more information, call Eugene Parks and Recrecation at (541)682-5311.

For more information, visit http://www.babyseensign.com.

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