Baby Sign Language at Bedtime: Signs for Sleep and Milk
Baby sign language at bedtime works best as a small, boring ritual: three or four signs, made the same way every night, with the word said out loud each time. Start with milk, more, all done and a sign for sleep. The AAP’s HealthyChildren site says babies shown simple signs at 6 or 7 months “could begin using them to communicate at as early as 8 or 9 months.” Be honest with yourself about the payoff, though. Signing has not been shown to speed up talking, and no study I could find measured whether it improves sleep. What it can give you is a calmer, more predictable wind-down, and a baby who can tell you “milk” before they can say it.
What the research actually says
The best-known trial is Elizabeth Kirk’s, which she summarised in The Conversation in 2015. Families were randomly assigned to baby sign training or a control group, and the babies’ language was measured from 8 to 20 months. The babies “learnt and used the signs (often before they could speak),” but signing “made no significant impact on their language development.” They did not start talking any earlier.
The same piece rounds up the wider evidence:
- A 2012 analysis of 33 baby sign websites traced their claims and found “more than 90% were based on opinion articles, not science.”
- A 2005 review of 17 studies called the earlier research “methodologically flawed.”
- A 2014 review concluded “there is no strong evidence to support the claimed benefits of baby sign.”
- And on the reassuring side, “No studies have reported any negative effect of learning baby sign language on children’s outcomes.”
One more finding is worth knowing before you buy a course: Kirk reports that parents who chose a baby signing class “had significantly higher stress levels” than parents at other baby classes. If signing starts to feel like homework, drop it.
The AAP’s page, These Hands Were Made for Talking, is warmer about it. It frames signing as a way to bridge the gap between 8 or 9 months, “when babies start to really know what it is they want,” and 18 to 24 months, when most start to say it. Its rule is the one that matters: “As long as signing does not take the place of speaking, it won’t get in the way.”
The bedtime signs worth starting with
Pick signs for things that happen every single evening, because repetition is the whole method. The AAP’s list of common first signs includes milk, more, done, sleep, nap, blanket and good night. For a bedtime set, I would start with four:
| Sign | When to make it | How it is usually made |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | As you offer the last feed | Opening and closing the hand, per Kirk’s description |
| More | When they want another song or another rock | Touching the fingertips of both hands together, per the AAP |
| All done | As the feed or the bath ends | Turning open palms over, per Betteroo’s guide |
| Sleep | As you lay them down | Any gesture your family agrees on |
There is no need to learn ASL properly for this. The AAP’s advice is to “use the same signs consistently,” and to share them with every caregiver. A homemade sleep gesture used by everyone beats a perfect ASL sign used only by you. If you want a longer starter list with each hand shape described, Betteroo has a practical one. A small board book such as My First Signs is also useful for the other adults in the house, so everyone makes milk the same way.
Where the carrier helps, and where it hides your hands
A front carry is a lovely place to talk to your baby and a poor place to sign to them. Your baby is chest to chest with you, close enough to kiss, and your hands are below their line of sight. Signs only teach if your baby can see them.
So use the carrier for the words and sign at the transitions:
- Before you put them in. Face your baby on your lap, say “walk” and make your family’s walk gesture, then load the carrier.
- During the carry, talk. An evening walk in the carrier is a good time to narrate in a low voice. That is the spoken half of signing, and the AAP is clear you should not cut back on it.
- When you take them out. Sign and say “all done” every time the carrier comes off. Babies learn the signs that predict something.
- On the hip. An older baby in a hip carry sits beside you rather than against you, so they can see your face and hands, and you can see theirs.
And one hard rule. If your baby signs milk while they are in the carrier, take them out to feed. Ireland’s HSE carrier safety page says, “Do not feed your baby in a carrier or sling,” because it could raise the risk of SIDS or suffocation. Our breastfeeding and babywearing page covers the out-feed-back-in routine. A milk sign is a reason to stop, not something to answer on the move.
A bedtime sequence that uses the signs
Here is a simple shape you can adjust to your own evening. It assumes a baby old enough to watch your hands, usually from about 6 months.
- Last carry or walk. Talk, keep the lights low, and sign “all done” as the carrier comes off.
- Milk. Sign and say “milk” as you offer the last feed, out of the carrier.
- More, or all done. One more song if they ask, then “all done.”
- Sleep. Make your sleep sign and say the word as you lay them down. The AAP’s Getting Your Baby to Sleep page says to put babies to bed “when they are drowsy,” not once they are fully asleep, and on their back for every sleep until age 1.
If your baby has fallen asleep in the carrier on the way, the AAP’s safe sleep guidance is to move them “to a firm sleep surface on their back as soon as possible.” The carrier-to-crib transfer is the method for doing that without waking them. Skip the signs that night. Signing is an awake-time tool, and at 3 a.m. it is no use at all: the AAP’s advice for night waking is to keep things calm and quiet, and “If you speak, speak softly.”
When to mention it to your pediatrician
Gestures are part of normal development whether or not you sign. The NIDCD’s speech and language milestones checklist lists, for 7 months to 1 year, a baby who “Communicates using gestures such as waving or holding up arms.” If your baby is not using gestures or sounds the way you expect, or you are unsure about their hearing, ask your pediatrician. That conversation is worth having whether or not you sign.
The dry aside: once your baby learns “more,” be ready for it to mean one more song, every night, for months.
Signs learned, sleep still patchy? Look at the timing.
A steady wind-down helps, but bedtime battles are often about naps and wake windows. Betteroo turns a short quiz into a sleep plan for your baby's age.
Take the sleep quiz →
FAQ: baby sign language at bedtime
What age can a baby learn sign language? The AAP says babies taught simple signs at 6 or 7 months could start using them as early as 8 or 9 months. You can start earlier, but expect to wait for the first sign back.
Does baby sign language help babies sleep? No study I could find measured that. The research looks at language, and found signing neither speeds talking nor harms it. Signs can still be one predictable step in a bedtime routine.
What are the first signs to teach for bedtime? Milk, more, all done and sleep. They happen every evening, which is what makes a sign stick. Say the word every time you make the sign.
Can my baby sign to me while in the carrier? In a front carry, your baby is too close to your chest to see your hands or show you theirs. A hip carry gives you both a better view. If they sign milk while being worn, take them out to feed.
