yes she is hearing.. my husband is hearing.. im deaf but i speak well. we sign and speak at the same time
"Baby Sign" is meant for hearing families (hearing child, hearing parents) to give babies a few signs to communicate with during the first 18-24months or so. "Baby Sign" is not a Language (the name is deceiving), although some Baby Signing books are now based (at least in part) on ASL (or BSL etc depending on location).
If you use ASL (or PSE, SEE etc) then use that. Baby's do NOT need "baby sign language" - especially if there are members of the family who use REAL sign language (ASL, BSL etc).The premise for "Baby Sign" is that babies don't have the dexterity to form all the ASL/SEE/BSL etc signs. This isn't a big deal - as it works the same as when babies are learning how to speak an oral/auditory language.
Hearing babies learning a spoken language listen to the sounds of words then make approximations of the word as they are able (Bottle might start as "baaaa" then evolve into "ba ba", then into "Baaadaww" then finally something like "Bawdawl" which is very close to the correct way to say 'bottle'. For a signing baby they might see the sign for "DAD" ("5" hand at forehead) and at first use an random handshape (open hand, fist, pointing etc) and put the hand somewhere on/near their head (by their eye, nose, mouth, ear, neck, forehead etc). Then they may put their hand in a more correct location (nose, eye, ear, forehead) but not the correct hand shape. Then they might use the correct location and a consistent handshape. Finally they'll correctly reproduce the correct sign for "DAD".
Just as hearing parents with hearing infants learn that when their infant makes certain sounds it
means a certain thing ("baaaaa" for bottle), hearing or Hoh/Deaf parents with signing infants learn that a specific gesture is an approximation for a specific sign.
To help the infant improve how to say or sign a word/sign you give them the correct word/sign, then copy what THEY did, then show them again the correct word/sign. That way the infant know that YOU understand what they are trying to communicate and you are able to show them how they can improve how they are forming the spoken sound/word or the gesture/sign.
Baby's (hearing or hoh/deaf) in a signing environment will learn sign language in the same way that hearing (or VERY mildly Hoh) baby's will learn spoken language ... simply by being immersed in it!
While I sign and speak all the time to expose my infant niece to both languages - I am especially "intentional" about teaching a few specific signs which will be especially helpful if she's able to clearly understand as well as reproduce when she needs/wants something etc - just like a parent/caregiver is intentional about repeating and demonstrating certain words. To explain what I mean by "intentional teaching" I'll use the word/sign "MILK" -specifically meaning a bottle of breast milk or baby formula as my example word/sign.
When teaching her "MILK" (meaning a bottle of breastmilk/formula)- I use the sign "MILK" repeated a few times (open and closing my hand about 4-6times) plus a gesture where I mime holding the bottle to my mouth (an "S" hand placed against my mouth, index finger touching my lips). The gesturing sucking from a bottle not only reinforces how she is drinking - it also distinguishes "breastmilk/formula from a bottle" from cow's milk drank from a cup when she gets older. That way it's both clear and she doesn't have to unlearn and relearn what "milk" even IS later. MILK+bottle gesture will ALWAYS mean a baby bottle of breastmilk/formula to her (and our family) and later on (when she's a toddler) MILK+CUP will ALWAYS mean cow's milk from the carton/jug in the fridge.
When I'm teaching her - first I will slowly with slightly exaggerated movements demonstrate the basic hand movement to form the sign "MILK" - so with "MILK" I would make sure that my hand was completely open in a "5 handshape" then close it slowly to an "S handshape"/fist and repeat the movement slowly so she is able to watch it go from "open" to "closed" a number of times.
Then I will hand-over-hand with her (place my hand around/over hers to help shape her hand), and help her move her fingers/hand in the "open" and "close" motion that will become the "MILK" sign. We'll practice doing this for a few days until she copies the general "open & close" movement.
Then, when she's hungry and I have a bottle made, I'll show her the "MILK" sign again to remind her of the movements (often I do this while the bottle is getting to the right temp) and if needed "hand over hand" it again with her so she is able to do it with her hand. Once I have the bottle ready and I feel that she's seen and felt the movement of "MILK" I show her the "MILK+bottle gesture" (I repeat milk twice then the "Bottle gesture") while holding her bottle of milk in my non dominant hand AND say aloud "milk -here's your bottle of milk!". Then I put the nipple of the bottle in her mouth, smile and repeat aloud something like "Yes, that's your milk! you love your milk!" while showing her the "MILK+Bottle gesture" again.
Typically I tend to make up some type of phrase that we will then say & sign each time she's eating (the milk) - for example I'll say "milk, milk, milk, milk ... bottle bottle bottle" and when I SAY "milk" I sign MILK, when I SAY "bottle" I show the gesture for "Bottle" (ie the second half of the MILK+Bottle gesture sign).
It took her a few weeks (I started showing her at about 5months) for her to start copy us -making a very good "MILK" sign ("5" to a fist) and about half the time she would also then put her hand (usually a "5") near her mouth as her version of the bottle gesture. A few weeks after she started copying the sign she would "answer" you by signing "MILK" and opening her mouth if asker her "do you want a bottle? Do you want some milk ?" and signing the MILK+bottle gesture (or showing her an empty baby bottle)
Similar signs that you might want to "intentionally teach" (versus have them passively learn by observation) are:
"MOM", "DAD", "DIAPER", "EAT", "SICK", "BATH", "BOOK", "BEAR" (ie stuffed toy bear), "SLEEPY" (the one the draws the hand down the face like closing your eyes etc, not the sign where you put the hand(s) on the side of the hand like resting on a pillow one) etc.
This few signs you "intentionally teach" will make a HUGE difference because not only do they give your baby a REAL language to communicate their needs/wants with - they also teach the baby that the
other movements you make with your fingers/hands/arms (ASL/PSE/BSL etc signs)
mean something too (are words/signs not just movements)... so they start watching and learning language from that.
My niece lives in a completely hearing home - her parents are both hearing (and know only a handful of signs ... the ones that my niece uses) and is surrounded by hearing people all the time. I'm the only Hoh/Deaf person and only signer (I speak as well as sign) she sees. The amazing thing is that from a VERY young age (3 or 4 months) she understood that while other people used sounds to communicate
I also used my hands - and she always watches my hand movements very carefully ... much more than she does for anyone else. She also knows that I get her attention differently than other people (even though I speak with her most of the time - as I Hoh/Deaf person I use "Deaf Culture" attention getting methods). While her hearing family and friends will call her name, I call her name AND tap her - if she's sitting on the floor I'll typically tap her shoulder/back or her thigh when I want her attention. Interestingly enough - she's started doing this back to me! If she wants me, she'll reach for me and pat me (something she doesn't often do for others).
I hope that might be a bit of help .... sorry it's sooooo long!!
In short - skip the "Baby Sign Language" and use the REAL Sign Language that you use yourself for communication!!!
When it happens, simple acknowledge that you understand what they mean, then rephrase it back to them in the languages they used, and using the correct sentence etc structure when doing so.