Success Stories & Testimonials

Success Stories!

We can tell you about our programs, but it’s better to hear from parents like you 🙂

We’ve been attending Baby Fingers in Brooklyn since Demitri was just a few months old. I love it… especially because he loves it! He would just come alive when we arrived for class. The instructor holds space for learning, singing, social play, and language play. Practicing at home gave us many hours of focus and enjoyment. Demitri is 1 now and he babbles and signs in combination to communicate with us. It’s exciting and moving to watch him to develop sign and spoken language simultaneously! Beyond the joy of learning sign together, I hope that an early introduction and ongoing education in ASL will help us be better hearing allies for Deaf culture and community –Kendra and Family

As a hearing child of oral deaf parents, I was so excited to learn about Baby Fingers, so I recently dropped into a class with my 2.5 year old, and it was every bit as wonderful as I had hoped! My only regret was not learning about these classes sooner – I would have loved to have started coming with my son when he was still an infant. It’s such a wonderful way to bond with your little ones while helping them to learn language and music. It is also clear to me how valuable these classes are in helping to improve parents’ communication with their pre-verbal little ones. I highly recommend!!! Melissa Gomez

It is truly a challenge to convey how much we love Lora and Baby Fingers. Baby Fingers has been (and continues to be) an integral part of our son’s life. We started coming to class when our son was about 8 months old and each time we walked into the room, his face would light up. After only a few classes he began to sign regularly. Over a year later, Lora has literally become a member of our family. The sense of community we feel when we walk into each class feels like home. Our whole family has learned the signs to several classic children’s books and songs! Our son can sign dozens and dozens of words and continues to sign even though he can speak in full sentences. Now, we look forward to our ASL “master class” each week and we are confident our son’s strong verbal skills are a testament to all he has learned in Baby Fingers! –Kristina and Family

Edie’s Story: At a year old, James understood most of my signs, but did not produce any – until he ate lunch at a friend’s home. There was no room for his milk cup on his stroller, usually on the high chair tray. So, he requested milk with a clear, deliberate sign!

“This is absolutely the best baby class I’ve been to. My daughter loves it. She started signing milk and I’m soooo happy. Definitely a must if you have a baby… Lora ROCKS!”

~MR, uptown Mom

The community that has developed in our Baby Fingers classes is so special. The teachers really help to foster that parent/child bond and the full group bond; my child is comfortable with just about anyone in the room. We get together often and love that our kids, Deaf and hearing, can communicate with each other. We’ve become like a big family. – NYC Parent

From Gretchen: My son signed today! We’ve been taking Baby Fingers classes since he was 9 months old and he’s now almost 13 months. He got so excited our neighbor’s new puppy was licking him, between giggles he kept signing “more” and patting his leg for “dog!” I wish I’d had my phone going to record him!

The time I spend face to face with my daughter so we can truly communicate through signs, facial expressions, etc. has been incredibly special. There’s much more quality time together, and less time just scrolling on my phone other than taking and looking at pictures of her! – NYC Parent

My daughter is Deaf and is missing out on accessible language at school, especially during this pandemic. She LOVES Baby Fingers classes. It’s the only thing she has enjoyed of all her virtual experiences. If her school did it this way, she would engage so much more. She even makes videos of herself pretending she’s the Baby Fingers teacher, playing her guitar and doing all the signs. Thank you! – Happy Mom

Joanne’s Story: When I registered for a Baby Fingers class, when my firstborn was 6 months old, I never expected signing to become such a powerful force in my early days of parenting — perhaps just as powerful to me as breastfeeding. There is nothing like the bond between you and your baby when you are signing with each other. Those moments of communication are magical! And so calming and confidence-building for your little one. Read more of Joanne’s family signing story at mybabyfingers.com/blog/.

From a Queens Mom: Our favorite class each week is Baby Fingers! My daughter loves watching the teacher sign and listening to him sing. He’s so engaging and I’m certain my daughter will start signing soon!

Upper West Side Mom: Thanks to Lora and Baby Fingers, my daughter is communicating! We have LOVED our classes; we continue to sing and sign all the time!

My baby sister just asked for “MILK” with sign language that I taught her! ~ Layla, big sister

Ezekiel's Story

By the time he was 5 months old, Zeke was clearly understanding signs. He looked directly at me as I signed. When I asked him (voice off/ASL only) “where is your cow?” he looked at the five toys before him and pushed the cow forward! This was all so exciting!!

At 6 months, after signing good morning to him, Zeke responded with his first sign, “I love you.” This was my inspiration to develop Baby Fingers!

At 10 months, when his mobile stopped, Zeke made his first two-word phrase: “More music!” At one year, he understood over 100 signs, and was actively, consistently using 20 signs! Zeke’s first three-word phrase came at 13 months: “More crackers please!” By 15 months, Zeke understood at least 200 signs, and was actively, consistently using fifty. He was able to express emotions and memory of events, i.e., passing by subway and signing “daddy train work” soon after saying goodbye to daddy at another subway station. His absolute favorite signs included: MUSIC, HOME, TOGETHER…Zeke’s spoken language was really emerging by this point, though he continued to sign and speak much of the time.

Ossian's Story

At 4 months, Ossian was focusing on my hands as I signed, looking from one hand to the other. He really tuned into our music at home as well, with his focus spot on if I sang and signed. When he was fussy due to hunger, and I signed “milk,” he immediately relaxed, knowing his needs would be met!

At 6 1/2 months, he began clapping hands and later signed “more” several times during breakfast! At 7 months, he responded to the “I Love You” sign by holding up his hand. And although he was not yet requesting milk, it looked like he was signing it while nursing. Praise and repetition at these times helped to establish the use of the signs!

Ossian pushed his tray away during breakfast one day around 8 months, looked at me, and signed “milk.” Needless to say, he was very happy when I picked him up to nurse! He was understanding more and more signs, though his favorite person to watch was Zeke! At 9 months, Sian was signing “eat” when asked if he was hungry or wanted to eat! By 9 1/2 months, he was signing “water,” yet often signed “milk” when thirsty, even if he wanted water. He was also blowing kisses, which looked similar to his sign for water–we figured it out based on the context of the situation. Ossian had been signing “more” and then pointing to what he wanted, which developed into 2-word (signed) phrases as he picked up signs for those objects. It is always very exciting how once language starts, it just blossoms! Patience and consistency truly pay off.

At Baby Fingers you’ll find a wonderful community of parents and caregivers learning to communicate better with their children through sign language and songs. I started taking my son at 6 months and watched him grow from an observer to a toddler who uses signs to clarify his speech. Lora always makes us feel welcome and encourages us while we learn. Baby Fingers classes are warm and inclusive. I am incredibly grateful for the tools Lora has given me and the friendships my son and I both made. -Liz and Max

Our son’s first and second birthday parties were incredible, thanks in large part to the ‘edutainment’ from Baby Fingers! –TriBeCa Family

The Baby Fingers / Stinky Feet band is incredibly fun! Their original songs are catchy and their performance style is so engaging. Perfect for concerts and for parties! We fell in love with them at Hudson River Park. – Downtown Mom

Baby Fingers is a creative and nurturing program that grows with your family…we highly recommend it!! –Happy NYC Family

We loved Baby Fingers classes for our kids as babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. All three of our kids have benefitted in a variety of ways. Lora and her team are very special. – UWS Parent

As a stay-at-home dad, I have looked carefully for special things to do with my daughter. I am finally learning something right along with her! We are both stimulated, and meeting friends. We love this; my daughter especially loves the teacher. –UWS Dad & Baby

The Baby Fingers mommy & me class is such an amazing bonding experience for me and my daughter. She watches me so carefully, I can’t wait for her to start to sign! It’s a wonderful way to meet other friends who are also signing with their babies, and to share parenting experiences. –Sara and Emily

I took classes with Lora while my girl was 6-12 months. Lora’s style and methods are so easy to follow. She used songs and books and allowed us to ask individualized questions. The community formed in the class was a huge support in and out of class. We soaked it all in and practiced at home. My little one is 20 months now and signs all the time! She gets so excited when I know what she is ‘saying.’ We continue to add signs as needed and she lights up to learn them. I can’t say enough about Baby Fingers. I recommend it to everyone I know. – Katie, UWS

My son and I thoroughly enjoyed the class. I am continuing to sing and sign to him when he gets into a teething fuss and immediately his face lights up with joy. I hope one day that he will sign back, so we can start communicating. From A.K

We’ve developed such good friendships through Baby Fingers classes. It’s wonderful to spend time with other families who also sign together. -KWT, New York

We love having Baby Fingers teachers come to our day care and preK classes; they are professional, knowledgeable, engaging and patient. The children always have fun and learn something new. Sign Language is such a wonderful way to foster self-expression while offering an opportunity for bilingualism. –NYC early childhood center director

Martie’s Story: When I first began signing with Ayers, I thought I would probably just start doing the basics, such as “eat” and “more.” But as I learned new signs, it became fun to go ahead and sign whatever I was doing while Ayers watched. Every morning, I make coffee or we go to Starbucks. I always sign “coffee.” I always thought, “Why do I care if he knows this sign?” But I went ahead and did it – he seemed interested, and eventually started doing the sign for coffee himself! One morning, it was getting late and I hadn’t had any coffee yet. Ayers and I were just rocking and relaxing, but he kept looking at me and doing a sign. I couldn’t figure out what sign he was doing. A lot of his signs look alike, especially when he first starts using them, though I usually can figure them out through context. With this sign, I was drawing a blank. So as we just continued rocking, he signed this unknown sign, and I told him I was sorry but I wasn’t sure what he was saying. Finally, out of the blue, I said, let’s go to Starbucks and get some coffee. Well, he got really excited and started doing “that” sign again! He was really “talking” to me as if to say, “Yes, Mommy, I was wondering when you were going to get your coffee!”

From Courtnay: We’ve only been attending Baby Fingers for a couple of months now, but it’s becoming one of Charlie’s favorite classes because she loves the stories and music (and Lora, of course!) so much. It’s been such a valuable tool for us in helping our daughter communicate effectively. She is less frustrated now and watching the confidence she gains each week has been remarkable. Thank you, Lora!

From Erica to Lora: Thank you again for creating such a robust program for kids to learn ASL. Sophia and I had such an amazing time learning together and with the playgroup. I cannot express how grateful I am to a part of your tribe. I loved everything about today. It really fills my heart with joy and you are an amazing teacher.

From Alina: The very first complete conversation I had with my fourteen month old son, Gregory, came thanks to the signing he learned from Lora. Gregory was standing in front of the refrigerator, and I asked him, “Do you want to eat?” He shook his head no, and signed, “Drink.” “Would you like some milk?” I asked him. He shook his head no and made the sign for water. I poured him a cup of water and he toddled away, perfectly happy. Aries started signing “milk” at less than a year old, “more” shortly after turning twelve months, and got very emphatic about “again” at fourteen months. (She also said it at the same time as she signed it; obviously signing did not delay speech in our case.) What’s been especially helpful is that, since Aries is being raised bilingual, for me to show the sign whenever I say the Russian word for an object, and when I say the English one. I think it really helped cement the idea that they stood for the same thing.

Success Stories!

Ezekiel's Story

Ossian's Story

Subscribe to our newsletter