Welcome to TinyTalk Enfield, Winchmore Hill and Palmers Green. I’m Fiona your local TinyTalk teacher (BSL 2) and mum to two TinyTalkers, Rhys and Euan.

When Rhys was born I thought it would be wonderful to be able to communicate with him before he could talk and began to sign with him when he was four months old. He would watch me intently and began to recognise the signs for milk and food within a couple of weeks! As soon as he had good control of his hands he began to sign: “milk” at 7 months, “food” at 8 months! I was completely blown away by this little person who could tell me what he wanted. By 16 months he was signing, saying or responding to over 80 signs! I knew when he was hungry or thirsty, when he had seen a cat or a bird in the garden and when he was tired and would like to go to sleep! His speech and language developed just as quickly and friends and carers at his nursery commented on how articulate he was at such a young age. At 17 months Euan was signing away too and even making short sentences, usually “more” “food”, as well as gaining quite a wide spoken vocabulary!

As a TinyTalk teacher I have met lots of lovely babies and their carers and have helped them to share in the benefits and joy of baby signing. I still feel a tingle of excitement when I see a baby sign for the first time. Babies really do have so much to tell us, signs give them the ability to communicate.

If you’d like to find out more about baby signing and experience some of the benefits too then why not come along to a TinyTalk class? Each fun and relaxed class begins with half an hour of signing and singing to well known nursery rhymes and action songs, followed by half an hour social time: playtime for the babies (toys provided) and chat time for the adults (hot drinks and chocolate biscuits provided!), a great way to meet other babies and carers and to ask any questions you have on baby signing.