Guest post: Baby sign language
Postnatal depression is a very real, common and debilitating condition, affecting 1 in 4 new mothers. Symptoms range from not sleeping well, fatigue, irritability, feeling low or inadequate to not eating properly.This can last over several months or, for some, well over a year.
When you then factor in that new mothers have a little one to look after and, no matter how many anti-natal classes they’ve attended or videos they’ve watched, being a new parent is a whole new world! It’s learning on the job which can be a very overwhelming situation, not really feeling ‘in control’ at all of what they’re doing.
It’s also very isolating for many new parents. Having been used to working in a social environment, they’re now at home, without much adult interaction. Oh and we have the added ‘bonus’ of a Global Pandemic!
Add to the mix sleep deprivation, from a newborn baby’s erratic sleep patterns, and hormone changes, from having just given birth, it’s almost a recipe for disaster. Far from feeling happy and ‘sky high’ with having a new baby, it is not surprising that 25% of new mothers find the experience very challenging and, in fact, too much to handle. Postnatal depression can also have a very detrimental effect on the life experiences and development of young children. Therefore early recovery is seen to be crucial to limit the effects on mother and baby.
Surprisingly, there are some very straightforward solutions. A study in the British Journal of Psychiatry has shown a range of ways that can help. However, as with most things in life, they are easier said than done– but considerably worth the effort.
Getting out the house and socialising with others is very important. Connecting with others and sharing what you’re going through, can make a significant difference to how you feel about everything, putting problems into perspective and improving your overall coping skills. It’s not always easy to get yourself and your baby ready to leave the house but, once you’re out, you’re out! Leaving the house, and the suffocating isolation that it can bring, will, literally, give you a new perspective and allow you to feel more in control.
Another finding is that doing something worthwhile, especially for others, will make you feel a lot better. By helping others, and being altruistic, we also help ourselves. Attending a weekly class for your baby, whether it’s singing, signing, swimming or massage, will also make you feel better, knowing that you’re doing something beneficial for someone else.
Finally doing an energetic activity, such as dancing or singing, has also been proved to make a difference. Any movement session that increases your heart-rate will make you feel good, both physically and mentally.Top of the charts is actually singing. The endorphins released from this activity give you such a ‘natural high’ that postnatal depression symptoms are improved twice as fast as by any other means, including taking medication. New parents reported a significant difference in just a few months of attending weekly singing classes with their babies.
We are therefore absolutely thrilled to declare that weekly TinyTalk classes, with lots of singing followed by a dedicated social time, can make you happy!
So TinyTalk classes make parents happy. How do they help babies to be happy as well?
As the classes are full of fun nursery rhymes, action songs, musical instruments and sensory activities, we hope that our babies are going to be enjoying themselves each week. However, on top of that, they’rebeing taught how to sign so that they can communicate before they can speak. Any good parent knows, just by looking into their baby’s eyes,that their baby understands so much before they’re able to talk. They have so much to say but are unable to get their message out verbally. Baby signing allows pre-verbal babies to say when they’re thirsty (for example needing some ‘milk’), or when they’re scared and wanting to go ‘home’ (such as from a local firework display). They become very visual and look around for more things to comment on, such as the ‘bird’ they can see in the tree or even what they can’t see, such as‘Daddy’ ‘where?’ The fascinating thing about baby signing is that it gives you an insight into how your baby is viewing the world and how they are beginning to make sense of it all. Also, far from hindering speech, signing gives babies the confidence in their language abilities to begin making initial speech sounds, such as ‘b’ for ‘book’ or ‘d’ for ‘dog’.
Babies that are able to sign and make themselves understood are very happy little ones.
So TinyTalk makes a difference to the happiness levels of both parents and babies!
I absolutely love my job. I get to see the babies develop and grow in confidence and I support all my lovely families. Raising babies is hard work and I love that our TinyTalk classes help parents to understand their little ones before they can talk – and give them a chance to chat, have a cuppa and make new friends. I also had the privilege of supporting my class families in the toughest of times. To be able to see their smiling faces, through the power of online classes, was amazing. A massive learning curve for all of us but I was so proud that we were able to continue throughout lockdowns; maintain that connection, support each other and continue to learn the skills for communication. Best job ever.
TinyTalk is an award-winning team of over 100 franchisees across the UK and Switzerland. Created in 2002 by Katie Mayne, a former primary school teacher and now managing director, the company is proud to have supported thousands of young families over the years, making a considerable difference to both their communication and their happiness levels. When babies know that they are understood, they feel valued. When parents feel supported, they are strengthened. TinyTalk is proud to be providing this service to our class families.
If anyone is interested in reading more about the research then the articles can be found here:
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