Two-month-old Darwen baby using sign language (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Two-month-old Darwen baby using sign language

8:38am Friday 15th August 2008

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A TWO-month-old baby girl can tell her parents when she is hungry — using the British Sign Language word for ‘milk’.

Overjoyed parents Coun Dave Hollings, 46, and Chantelle De La Croix, 37, first thought it was coincidence when baby Ivy clenched her fist, shook it and moved it towards her mouth.

But then the next day Ivy did the same action again when she was hungry and has been doing the same ever since.

Ivy’s mum Chantelle is deaf and communicates using British Sign Language to her husband and daughter.

The actual sign for ‘milk’ in British Sign Language is a clenched fist with the thumb and little finger out which you shake.

Coun Hollings, of Weavers Mews, Darwen, said: “She hasn’t quite got it right but it is clear that is what she means.

“She first did it on Friday. We thought she was waving her hands around and thought it was a coincidence that she was hungry.

“But other people have spotted it. My older daughter saw her doing it too.

“We are really proud of her. The first time it could have been a coincidence but she does it when she is hungry.

“British Sign Language is Ivy’s mum’s natural language and she has to be able to talk to her mum.

“We always use sign language around her and I speak to her too.

“It can take up to a year for babies to say their first words and it is known they can use their hands to communicate before they speak because their vocal cords haven’t been devel-oped yet. ”

Chantelle, a family sup-port worker for the East Lancashire Deaf Society, said: “I had a midwife’s appointment and she saw it.

“The midwife was very surprised.

“Sign language is really important for deaf children and children with deaf family members because it enables them to comm-unicate.”

Coun Hollings, who represents the Sunnyhurst ward of Darwen, added: “We looked up on the Internet when babies can start signing from and the earliest we have found is three to four months old.

“We are trying to teach her the sign for tired and she likes the trees when we take her out in her pram so we are trying to teach her the sign for tree.”

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