Hywel Dda Health Board speech and language therapists Amanda Rees and Yvonne Bruton-Miller’s success with their innovative baby signing kit continues to grow with the launch of a bilingual DVD and a new website www.bambasign.co.uk.
In 2008, Yvonne and Amanda created and produced Bamba’s First Comforts – winning the pair British Female Inventor of the Year Award, Silver at the Practical Pre-School Awards and Playtime Product of the Year Award. Since then Bamba’s First Comforts has added a string of accolades to this list including Talking Tots Great Toy Award, Great Toy Guide Award Winner and most recently Right Start Best Toy Award (highly recommended).
“Bamba” is a soft-toy monkey that forms part of a package to teach sign language to babies, allowing them to communicate before they learn to talk.
Yvonne said: “The reaction to Bamba’s First Comforts has been wonderful. Babies learn through hearing, seeing and touch and Bamba has been carefully designed to follow the beginnings of normal language development.
“Signing can be introduced to your baby as early as six months. Some parents worry it may delay speech, but, in fact, babies who learn to sign typically start speaking and saying their first words before babies who have not learned to sign.”
Pictured is baby Rose whose mum Yvonne Burson has already bought Bamba’s First Comforts for friends and family. Yvonne said: “The Bamba kit is a really lovely set of toys and Rose absolutely loves them. It is very exciting to be able to help Rose to communicate with us through English and Welsh.”
Yvonne and Amanda have used signing professionally for over 20 years to help people with communication difficulties but they have also seen babies without any such difficulties reap benefits from the technique.
They now plan to develop links with the US market with the continued support of the Welsh Assembly Government andwere recently invited by Carwyn Jones First Minister of Wales, and the US Ambassador, The Honourable Louis B. Susman, to a reception aimed at developing trade links between the US and Wales.
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Nodiadau i’r Golygydd / Notes to editors:
- Practical Pre-School Awards 2008 – Score 83.3%
What the testers said: “Gorgeous, cute toys that are exceptional quality and have a luxury feel. The idea behind the kit is fantastic, as communication is important, and this kit works surprisingly well with such young children. Bamba’s First Comforts is durable, portable and storable. It catered well for the age range and the children loved to play with it. It is extremely useful to develop skills, such as physical, social and emotional development, communication and understanding of the world. It really appealed to the children throughout the trial, with interest and enjoyment from start to finish.”
- Talking Tots Review 2008
“This first signing kit promotes natural gestures and language development. We love the fact that it’s based on the words that are most meaningful to young babies. It’s beautifully made and gorgeously tactile, too!”
- Angels and Urchins Review 2008
“The six-month-old angels&urchins’ twins are just starting to learn to sign with the help of Bamba, the first baby signing kit that we have come across. Bamba is a cute monkey who comes out only when signing (ie he must not be treated as a toy). They are already catching on with just a few minutes’ practice each day. The idea is the babies will be less frustrated because they can communicate long before they can talk. It’s good fun too.” Am ragor o wybodaeth, neu i dderbyn y datganiad hwn yn Gymraeg, cysylltwch ag: For further information, or to receive this press release in Welsh, please contact: Alexandra Fry Swyddog Cyfathrebu Allanol / External Communications Officer 01267 239576 alexandra.fry2@wales.nhs.uk
