Singing, Signing and Second-Time-Mumming

I’m writing this today quite literally from underneath a baby - my 10-week-old son is napping on my chest as I type. He’s tucked up in the classic baby curl, legs right up underneath him, and snoring away without a care in the world. So far, so idyllic - and so unlike my first experience of motherhood!

As a pretty new second time mum, I’ve been amazed by the changes in myself between my babies. The first time round, I was obsessed with measuring, timing, marking everything; every feed, every change, every nap (or lack thereof!). This time, I haven’t even opened the app that governed my every move, and I’ve forgotten more about the Wonder Weeks than I think I ever knew. It’s been eye-opening for me in many ways, most of which I didn’t expect. Who knew that I would care so little about where he napped, or whether his onesies were gender-appropriate? (This boy wears a lot of pink, courtesy of his big sister’s hand-me-downs.) And who knew that I would care so much about how cosy he feels as he sleeps on my lap, his still-evident newborn scrunch, about noting each little baby-specific thing he does?

I’m more aware of how transient each stage of babyhood is, this time. I know none of it lasts forever, and most of it lasts barely any time at all. It doesn’t make the broken nights any easier when I’m in the thick of them, but it does help me to know that this is just a season, like any other. And as a result, I’m being far more choosy with how I spend my time with him. With less time to spend experimenting, I’m going for the baby classes ones that stuck with me from my first time round, that gave us both real benefit.

It won’t be a surprise, given what I do, that top of the list is Sing and Sign. I first went to my local class on a bit of a whim; I’d heard positive things from friends who’d tried baby signing, and as a musician myself I loved the emphasis on singing. From class one, I was hooked. I felt that unusual thing: that both my baby and I were learning something, together.

Signing with your baby has many well-documented benefits, from reducing frustration (on both sides!), enhancing early vocabulary and understanding and encouraging speech development to building confidence and self-esteem. Sing and Sign’s unique approach harnesses simple, clear signs to familiar songs (often based on nursery rhymes) that fit seamlessly into your everyday life. This is key to building consistency (as you’ll actually use them!) which is in turn key to helping your baby understand and eventually use the signs themselves.

My daughter loved the classes, the community we built from the friends we made there, and so did I. She started signing from about 10 months old, was speaking in short sentences by 18 months old and hasn’t stopped since. I truly believe our Sing and Sign experience has helped make all of this possible, giving us both the tools we needed to support her communication skills.

So when the chance to own and run a Sing and Sign franchise came up myself, I jumped at it! A fellow musical mum friend, Emily, and I took over the South Herts and Harrow branch in early 2024, and we’ve been running classes in Rickmansworth, Watford, Bushey and Harrow ever since. We both love meeting mums and babies, seeing their confidence and ability grow week on week, and building the same communities that we benefited from ourselves.

Of course, I’ve begun using the skills I’ve learned from Sing and Sign with my son right from the start. Sing and Sign’s Babes curriculum (focused on 0-6 months) forms the building blocks of our programme, concentrating on embedding core skills that will then help with later signing. I’ve made sure to work on building the connection between my son and me, with eye contact, repetition and anticipatory games - all key parts of communication. And - obviously - I sing to him! Nursery rhymes, signing songs, silly made-up jingles; all of it goes into this amazing time we have together. This groundwork will help make all the difference when I begin the more structured “signing” practice of our Stage 1 classes from 6 months old.

I know that I’ll never have as much focused time with my baby again, and second time round I’m more aware of that than ever. I want to make sure that I spend it as best as I possibly can, and for me, signing is a huge part of that. It’s the ultimate long-term investment.

So what would I say to someone about to embark on this incredible, life-altering journey?

Simply: find what you love, and what your baby loves, and you’ll never regret spending that time together.

And if you want to come along and see what our signing is all about, head over to www.singandsign.co.uk and try out a class - we’d always love to see you!

Rosie x

Sing and Sign South Herts and Harrow