As you’ll know using gestures with your baby is simple and fun so keep it up through 2010 and let us know your success stories.
Don’t forget to send us photos if you’d like them to be up-loaded to the site.
If you’re new to baby signing then the benefits are:
signing promotes talking skills – signing babies typically speak earlier
it promotes understanding of spoken language – you sign and speak simultaneously. Baby sees and hears what you are communicating.
it promotes play and interaction.
Bamba’s First Comforts are fun and educational. They’re great for busy parents and are designed for quick and easy start up.
If you have a baby or are looking for a gift for a baby for this Christmas then Bamba’s First Comforts is for you.
Imagine your baby is crying. Does he mean I’m hungry, I’m thirsty or I am tired? Bamba will teach your baby to sign “drink” when he’s thirsty,“food” when he is hungry and “sleep” when he’s tired (as well as other important first words!).
The Baby Sign Factory has launched a brand new range of exciting toys to help parents teach their child Baby Signing. The range will hit shelves in the first quarter of 2010 and carry on from the company’s multi-award winning professional kit.
Developed by experienced speech and language therapists Amanda Rees and Yvonne Miller the Bamba Signing Kits offer one of the first take home baby signing solutions on the market. The pair, disappointed by current offerings on the market decided to develop a product that would make it easy for parents to learn the basic signs of baby sign. And what easier way to learn signs than through play, with a friendly monkey called Bamba to guide you!
Using a range of specially developed soft toys, the Bamba Signing Kits initially introduce six of the most commonly needed signs: Playtime, Bedtime, Food, Drink, Bath time and Look-at-me. A further eight signs are introduced in Bamba Singing Dictionary offering parents the chance to extend their knowledge gradually.
The Bamba toys are presented in five building block gift-boxes or as one complete deluxe kit. These kits offer a step by step guide to baby singing that can be built up day by day, with no classes, no courses, no books… just play!
What can I say, Bamba has been a HUGE hit in our house – I have been amazed at how quickly Kai has responded. Not only educational and fun, but a lovely excuse to sit and spend some quality time with your child”.
Buy it online here (Baby Sign Factory)
Price £29.99 *****
Initial thoughts: Kai is now 14 months old and, like a lot of boys, is a little behind with his speech development. ‘Proper’ words are very slow coming but he gestures and mimics actions beautifully and although he is towards the upper age range for teaching baby signing, we thought teaching him some basic signs might be the perfect way to help encourage his communication and speech.
I had heard some very positive things about the Bamba’s First Comforts signing kit and jumped when the chance came up to review it. And the second it arrived and I unwrapped it I knew it was going to be something a bit special. Packaged in a beautiful sturdy gift box with soft yet vibrant colours, Bamba’s First Comforts contains everything you need to help start signing with your little one.
Bamba the monkey has long arms to enable you to make him ‘do’ the signs and is accompanied by five objects representing basic signs – a bottle (drink/milk), spoon (food), blanket (bed), wash mitt (bath) and mirror (look at me!). All are made out of the most gorgeous soft velour making them incredible tactile and inviting to hold and play with. The box also comes with an accompanying booklet introducing the concept of signing with your baby and teaching the basic signs which is very easy to read.
What we liked: Kai was immediately drawn to Bamba the monkey, wanting to hold and cuddle him close and keen to play with the items. I started spending just five or ten minutes a couple of times a day sitting with Kai and teaching him the signs as we played with Bamba. He absolutely loved it, and was soon gesturing for his box of goodies all day long. Within a day he had picked up which signs and words corresponded with each item and delighted me with responding to my signing and saying “Kai… can you give Monkey some food?” to picking up the spoon and role-playing feeding Bamba. He loved to ‘put Monkey to bed’ snuggling him up under the covers and giving him a kiss! This was the first time I had ever seen him ‘pretend’ and was really special.
We weren’t keen on: The only bad thing I have to say about the kit (and this is a very minor point) was the use of a bottle for ‘drink/milk’. Kai has been breastfed so bottles don’t have a lot of meaning to him! Of course, he picked up what it was for quickly once I had shown him, but considering the age that this kit is for (from 6 months), I think a toy beaker might have been more appropriate and not run the risk of making the assumption that a baby’s drinks come from bottles. I also think that the kit would have benefited from a cloth bag of some sort to enable Kai to take his ‘treasures’ out and about for practice on the move.
Overall: What can I say, Bamba has been a HUGE hit in our house. Beautifully made, high quality, and stunning in design, I would recommend this kit to anyone thinking of trying signing with their baby. I just wish we had started earlier! I have been amazed at how quickly Kai has responded to our play sessions – in the last day or two he has already begun to copy signs back to me for ’milk’ and ’night night’, both in play and in context. Not only educational and fun, but a lovely excuse to sit and spend some quality time with your child – I have a feeling that Bamba is going to be a treasured play companion for some time to come.
“Bamba’s Baby Signing Kit is an interactive tool that you can use to communicate with your baby. It teaches the signs for your baby’s most common activites: playing, bathtime, drinking, bedtime, food and awareness of themselves. The kit is designed for ages six to 18 months and is particularly good when babies are showing an interest in the world around them. Within the package comes six soft toy items and a detailed booklet outlining how to use them to stimulate communication with your baby, through play and using sign language. The idea is that this kit will encourage babies to broaden their communication skills, as babies can often communicate with their hands, such as pointing, clapping and waving, long before they develop speech.
What is great about the kit is that it is stimulating for the children and gives us adults some inspiration at playtime when you can sometimes get stuck in the same routine of what you know already works for you and your child. With more than one child, it would be a useful tool for them to interact with one another and promote learning amongst siblings.
Not an essential for your baby’s needs but a great idea for a Christening or first birthday present”
Happy New Year to all our bloggers and customers
We are delighted to announce that Baby Sign Factory are the highly commended winner in the communication category in the Talking Tots Toy Awards 2009.
”I have a feeling that Bamba is going to be a treasured play companion for some time to come.” See the full review at 