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I have a 7 month old. Before these helpful tools came into my life, I was left to decipher the varying ranges of crying and emoting (hers, not mine) as our only means of communication. That, and intuition. For review, I received two products from mocobabies: the Signing Flash Cards and the Little Helper Signing Stickers. This Canadian company is located in Owen Sound, Ontario and manufactures its products in China. Their goal is to create educational tools that facilitate communication with your preverbal child by way of interactive sign language cards and products.

mocoThese brightly coloured interactive cards make learning to communicate with one another far less frustrating and even loads of fun. Based on American Sign Language, the 35 cards and 50 stickers utilize basic signs that you would need for everyday life. We gravitated toward the absolute essentials first, like “milk”, “more” and “eat”. Even if she doesn’t fully understand some of the signs, my little one enjoys the pictures and laughs at the animal cards, the same as she would for any beautifully illustrated book. She also gets a big kick out of her mother acting like a nut, especially when I sign “monkey”. And because the cards are waterproof, I do not have to worry about her licking habit; these cards are virtually indestructible!

moco2The stickers are predicated on the same idea – repetition is everything, although I am pretty sure that that is more for my benefit than for hers. The stickers don’t actually stick; they are more like window decals, so they can be moved repeatedly without damage to them or the surfaces that you put them on.

As a parent, I often wonder about the efficacy of the thousands of baby learning tools on the market. I am skeptical of the claims that educational cards, CD’s and the like can actually make your baby smarter or their learning any easier. And although she is obviously bright (and I can obviously convey simple messages), I was doubtful that I could teach my kid sign language before she actually said her first word. I was cynical right up until the first time I signed to her. Before breastfeeding, I signed “milk” to her, making sure I caught her attention before making the motion with my hand. It took two days before it was evident that she knew what I meant. Two days! Needless to say, I am completely sold on this product.

moco3The decals are prominently displayed in my home, on every stick-able surface. So, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when I discovered that some of their valuable information had slowly leaked into my brain by osmosis. After a fitful night’s sleep (breastfeeding every 2 hours all night long), I wandered into the kitchen to find my perky husband wishing me a good morning. Unable to talk in my pre-caffeinated state, I signed “morning” to him without thinking about it. It wasn’t until he looked at me in an odd way and repeated his cheery sentiment that I realized what I had done.

It isn’t difficult to figure out why this company won the 2007 iParenting Media Award (an on-line community for parents to receive valuable information from conception to the teen years) for their Signing Flash Cards. In addition, this company has received the 2008 Seal of Excellence Award from Creative Child Magazine and the 2008 Top Choice of the Year Award in the Baby Educational Toys (also from Creative Child Magazine) for other mocobabies products.

If you go to mocobabies, you can see where you can purchase their products and figure out just how many of their products you want on your wish list! The approximate $ value for each is: $25 CAD (flashcards) and $15 CAD (stickers)

Buy it: To purchase, visit  mocobabies online

Giveaway: mocobabies would like to offer lucky My Wee View reader a gift package of Signing cards and stickers

To Enter: Visit mocobabies online and make a comment back here about something you saw on their site

Bonus Entries:

Giveaway closes September 28th @11:59 pm PST. Open to US and Canada

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY