I’m one of those parents who thought it would be a good idea to teach my daughter how to sign before she learned how to talk in order to communicate with me. I’m so glad we decided to use videos to help Little Miss A, because it really did help us understand her more. She would tell us when she wanted to eat, take a bath, go night-night, and when she wanted more (food in particular). In fact, I believe that because of signing her first word was, “more”. What a weird first word, I know. This girl liked to eat though!
Now I don’t personally recommend using sign with all children, because I think depending on the child’s personality, some children will use sign instead of talking, rather than using it in conjunction with speech. But, I think it’s a great way for some children and parents to alleviate those tough situations before your child can really speak to you.