Sign language is a new trend that more parents are teaching their infants as a way to communicate.

Parents say it gives their kids a way to communicate before they can actually use words.

Not only does it cut down on crying, it may also help their kids later in life, NBC11's Marianne Favro reported.

At 13 months, Josh Chi can't tell his parents what he wants, but he can sure show them.

Demetria Chi started teaching her son American Sign Language when he was just six months old.

The idea is to give children a way to communicate until they learn to talk.

"It definitely eliminates a lot of the crying and fussing because you can actually see what they want," Demetria said. "They're signing you and they're telling you -- it's been great."

Josh is able to tell his mom he wants a snack by signing, and once he gets his food he uses a symbol to tell her he wants more cereal.

Some parents question whether teaching their baby these symbols will delay their ability to talk, because they can rely on signing instead.

"When we really look at children and their development, children don't use only gestures. Gestures give support to verbal language, so research has not shown that to be true," said Maria Morgan, speech pathologist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

In fact, teaching babies sign language can actually help them do better in school.

Researchers at the University of California Davis found babies taught sign language had significantly higher IQs in the second grade than kids who never learned sign language.

Books, classes and videos can help parents learn how to teach their infants sign language. Parents only need to teach their child a few symbols to see results, but remember it may take months for your baby to catch on.

Still, parents who've tried it say it's a wonderful way to bond and interact with your child.

"They have a means to communicate what they want," Demetria said. "They're much happier and you're much happier."

Some programs are based on American Sign Language, while others use slightly different symbols.

And some parents make up their own gestures based on symbols their infants can easily make.

Speech pathologists say the important thing is to offer your child a way to better communicate with you, Favro reported.

More Information:

Baby Sign Language Resources