Baby Sign Language vs. Verbal Milestones: A Month-by-Month Guide

I spent a lot of my daughter's first year Googling things like "should my baby be talking by now" and "9 month old not saying words." It turns out she was right on track. I just didn't know what to look for.

The problem with most milestone charts is that they only track verbal development. If your baby isn't saying words yet, the chart makes it look like nothing is happening. But if you're signing with your baby, you can see communication developing months before the first spoken word arrives.

Tracking both sign and verbal milestones gives you the full picture. And it saves you a lot of unnecessary worry.

Why track both?

Signing milestones appear two to four months before their verbal equivalents. A baby who signs "more" at nine months might not say "more" until 13 or 14 months. Both are communication. Both show your baby understands the concept. But if you're only watching for words, you miss the earlier evidence.

This matters because parental anxiety about speech is real. Research by Vallotton in 2012 showed that babies use signs as cognitive placeholders while building verbal language. The signs aren't a detour. They're the first leg of the same journey.

When my daughter signed "milk" at seven months, I stopped worrying about whether she was going to talk "on time." She was already communicating. The words would come when her mouth caught up with her brain.

4 to 6 months: Foundation

What you'll hear: Cooing that's evolving into babbling. Vowel sounds like "aaah" and "oooh" give way to consonant-vowel combos like "ba-ba" and "da-da." Your baby responds to their name and turns toward voices.

What you'll see (signing): Nothing yet, and that's expected. At this age your baby's hands are still figuring out how to grasp objects. They can't produce signs. But they're watching everything.

What to do: Start modeling one or two signs during daily routines. Sign "milk" before every feeding. You're planting seeds. Acredolo and Goodwyn's research showed that early exposure, even before babies can sign back, contributes to faster sign acquisition later.

6 to 8 months: Readiness

What you'll hear: Babbling gets more varied and starts to sound almost conversational. Your baby might imitate the rhythm and tone of your speech without using real words. They understand "no" and respond to simple phrases.

What you'll see (signing): Your baby watches your hands with real focus. They might reach toward you when you sign "milk," connecting the gesture to what comes next. Some early starters will attempt rough imitations.

What to do: Sign consistently during meals and play. Don't expect production yet. This is the absorption phase, and it's doing more than you can see. When your baby stares at your hands during a sign, that's recognition building.

8 to 10 months: First signs

What you'll hear: "Mama" and "dada" appear, though often not directed at the right parent yet. Your baby follows simple commands like "give me that" and understands more words than they can say.

What you'll see (signing): This is when most babies produce their first recognizable sign. It probably won't look like the textbook version. My daughter's "milk" was an awkward grabbing motion that looked nothing like the actual sign. But she did it every time she was hungry, and that consistency is what matters.

What to do: Celebrate approximations. If your baby makes any consistent gesture in the right context, that's a sign. Add one or two new signs once the first one is established. "More" and "all done" are natural next steps because they come up at every meal.

10 to 12 months: Expansion

What you'll hear: "Mama" and "dada" become specific. Your baby has one to three real words and understands far more than they can say. Pointing with intent is constant.

What you'll see (signing): Three to eight active signs. Your baby might combine a sign with a vocalization, signing "more" while making an "mmmm" sound. They might sign "dog" when the dog walks in without any prompting from you.

What to do: Follow your baby's interests. If they're obsessed with the family cat, teach the sign for "cat." If they love bath time, teach "water." Motivation drives acquisition. Kirk et al. found in 2013 that signing babies showed no speech delays during this period, and many showed accelerated comprehension.

12 to 15 months: The golden window

What you'll hear: Three to ten spoken words. Your baby understands 50 or more words and can follow two-step commands. Language comprehension is expanding fast.

What you'll see (signing): This is peak signing. Ten to 25 signs. Your baby might combine two signs together, like "more milk" or "dad help." They initiate signing on their own, pointing at something and then signing what it is. This is real conversation.

What to do: Keep going. This window is when babies learn signs the fastest because their cognitive and motor skills are both developing rapidly. Introduce signs for feelings ("hurt," "scared," "happy") and actions ("play," "go," "stop"). These are harder to express verbally and give your baby vocabulary for their inner world.

My daughter signed "hurt" and pointed at her ear during this phase. That sign probably saved us a day of confusion and crying before we figured out she had an ear infection.

15 to 18 months: The transition

What you'll hear: Ten to 25 spoken words. Word learning is accelerating. Two-word phrases start emerging. Your baby is repeating new words they hear, sometimes on the first try.

What you'll see (signing): Your baby starts replacing signs with words for sounds that are easy to produce. "More" the sign becomes "more" the word. "Dog" the sign becomes "dah." But they keep signing for words that are harder to say.

What to do: Keep signing for complex concepts. Your baby will drop signs naturally as words become easier. You don't need to wean them off signing. Vallotton's research showed this transition happens organically. The signs fall away because words become more efficient, not because anyone intervened.

18 to 24 months: Words take over

What you'll hear: The vocabulary explosion. Fifty to 200 words. Two-word sentences. Your toddler is narrating their world. "Big truck." "Daddy go." "More juice."

What you'll see (signing): Most signs are gone. Your toddler might keep a few for words that are hard to pronounce, or for situations where talking is difficult, like asking for water with a mouth full of food. Signing served its purpose.

What to do: Nothing special. The transition is complete for most children. If your toddler still prefers some signs, that's fine. There's no urgency to stop. But you'll notice them choosing words more and more because words are faster and more precise.

Looking back, the signing phase was about eight months of our lives. It started with one sign and built to maybe 20 at peak. Then the words came and the signs faded. But those eight months gave my daughter a voice before she had one. She could tell me she was hungry, tired, wanted a book, saw a dog, needed help. That's not a small thing when you're 10 months old.

When to talk to your pediatrician

Every baby develops differently, and milestone charts are ranges, not deadlines. But there are a few signals worth discussing with your doctor.

No babbling by 9 months. No gestures like pointing or waving by 12 months. No words and no signs by 18 months. Or any loss of skills your baby previously had, at any age.

These concerns apply whether or not you're signing. Signing doesn't cause delays, and the research from Goodwyn, Acredolo, and Brown consistently shows the opposite. But every baby deserves attention to their individual development path.

Track your baby's signing journey with FirstEcho. Log every new sign, see progress over time, and get age-matched daily lessons. Start free.