Has anyone heard of the "Your Baby Can Read" series of 5 DVD's plus flap book and cards? Has anyone used it around here? After reading extensively about it I found that you sit your baby in a play pen w/o any toys, and dim the lights so all their attention is on the tv screen. They can't any other tv show ecept this one and I think you have to keep them watching the one dvd a month or so? Wouldn't your kids get bored? Isn't that detrimental to their health?! Can't you simply help them read by simply reading books?! Why can't kids be kids? or...babies be babies?? Don't want to offend anyone, but...goodness! It just doesn't' seem that great.
I absolutely HATE even the thought of this program. It makes me want to cry, puke and scream. Enough said? (In other words I think this program is just wrong wrong wrong, and I don't think it teaches kids to read, but to memorize.) Oh... and I don't even care if I offend anyone over my thoughts on this program. I agree.. what's wrong with kids being kids.. they learn sooooo much just from life, we don't have to stuff anything down their throats
Exactly my feelings, Sommer! I saw a commercial for this the other day and wanted to scream at the tv, LOL.
The thought of plopping my baby down in front of a tv with NO other choices but TV is horrible to me! My baby is 9 months and almost never watches the TV I will put kid shows on for my older ones and the baby doesn't pay them any mind, he prefers his toys. I don't want him to read (or memorize in this case) right now, I just want him to be my baby. The only thing I'm teaching my son right now is Sign Language and it's not by DVD I'm teaching him through everyday activities...when I feed him I make the sign for eat, when he nurses I make the sign for milk. I don't think that program is appropriate for babies at all!
I'm glad it's not just me!! I saw this comercial and I was like "WTF?!" If Baby Einstein got sued for making kids ADD (They were refunding ANYONE their money back on DVD's no matter how old they were...so...findings must have rang true) what is this going to do to the children?! I just disagree whole heatedly with the program and wonder why a child can't be a child.
I have an acquaintance who uses this. It is basically sight reading/memorization. She and her family think it is amazing! But wouldn't you be better off snuggling with baby in your lap with a book? Seems more cozy to me.
Not only is it more cozy, but the educational benefits from just spending time cuddling your baby/child far outweighs any possible benefit (though I can not think of any) from such a program that encourages you to leave your child alone in a room and force them (or at least try to) pay attention to the television for I believe I read somewhere once that the videos are 20 minutes each.. and they should watch them twice a day and then there are the flash cards that you are supposed to use several times a day. Ok, I can't even imagine my 4 year old sitting still for a 20 minute video on even something HE likes.. let alone something he is forced to watch. He also would never "stand" for sitting there going through flash cards.. even if they were decorated with Lightning McQueen (whom he loves.. but even things like that he may only watch for 5 minutes or so before wondering off ) Now my baby who is almost 11 months.. nope he could care less if the tv is on or off, he sits still for 2 seconds at a time and that is exactly the way he should be! He is too busy learning how to cruise around the furniture, rip up paper, dump the toy bin, pull his sister's hair, and eat crayons (who left them out anyway ) Who cares if he can "read"?? Not me.. he is perfect being a baby, he will only be this way for a very short time... I'm not about to rush him into being something unnatural for his developmental stage. PS.. as I type this all, my DD is watching cartoons while playing with a mish-mosh of little toys (Polly Pocket, Littlest Pet Shop, and some of those ___in my Pocket animals), my 4yo is outside looking for any remains of mud puddles from yesterday's rain to jump in in his snow boots, and the baby is dumping the dirty laundry hamper on the floor by my feet piece by piece since it's sitting here by me on it's way to the laundry room.
Sheesh! What's wrong with plopping Baby in your lap and everyone watching Sesame Street together? I remember my daughter trying to sing "C is for Cookie" with me and coming up with "Eeee Ookie!" Adorable!
I posted this on another thread but here it is again: My dh's grandma bought us the baby can read program and I opened it and used the first DVD (just so I could tell her I used it)...it is lacking in so many ways. First of all there is NO phonics. It is taught by sight reading and memorizing words. Honestly if you want your baby to read that young you could teach them without buying it. If you spent the amount of time this program requires daily with your child teaching them to read using ANYTHING your baby would be able to read. It requires that your child does not watch tv at all except for the DVD's in the program. But your child has to watch the DVD twice a day (20-30 minutes each time depending on the DVD) and then you have to work with your child for 30-60 minutes with flash cards and games that are included. It says you don't have to watch the DVD with your child, but seriously isn't that like letting the tv teach your child and don't you want to know what your child is supposedly learning? My kids found the DVD boring...and there really wasn't much to it other than the words that your child is supposed to memorize and a few pictures...for example: they show the word "clap" and then they show a baby clapping for about 4 seconds, then the word "elephant" is shown and then a picture of an elephant. There isn't any music and it didn't hold my kids attention at all. The program is horrible. I gave it away because I didn't even want it in my house. I agree it would be much better to snuggle with your child and read to them.
I am so glad Babyboy's Mom didn't buy this for him. She looked into it but never told me why she didn't get it. I guess I know why now. Yuck!
Yep we do this kind of thing I see nothing wrong with TV... I see my kids learn SOOOO much from it... but I don't expect a kid to sit through the torture of being "forced" to use that as their only option for interaction/entertainment that this program promotes.
Iagree it is crazy! who would want a 9 month old reading? they should be focusing on how to eat normal food at that point and sitting to play or being cuddled and loved. Life is not only for learning... WOW I SAID THAT LOL... there are somethings good about kids learning to read young but WHY would someone want to is beyond me!
I didn't know Baby Einstein was sued! Interesting. I don't really buy educational claims for any product. Baby Einstein is entertainment. Your Baby Can Read is silly. Sure your baby can learn to recognize words, but for what purpose? That said, when I first had children I was skeptical about TV teaching anything. My kids proved me wrong. They have learned so much from TV. My little girl has learned how to sign and count after watching DVDs from Baby Einstein and Signing Time.
Tmom.. I have said a few times it is more of a brainwashing thing than a teaching thing... and not having said that out loud to anyone, sometime back I made my hubby watch a bit of the infomercial and he said are "They are seriously trying to brainwash babies, what is this world coming to?" I don't think TV turns people's brains to mush (maybe their other muscles...lol, but not their brains), there is a great deal to be learned from television (my littles have all learned their alphabet both letter names and phonetic sounds from the LeapFrog Talking Letter Factory) and we watch plenty of it... but I still do not agree with this program, and never ever will.
I'm still trying to figure out the point. I mean, ok, so you can teach a 9 month old to read. Whatever. By WHY? How does it enrich their life? How does it make a difference in the long run? What advantages are they going to have, in 10 years, over my son who didn't learn to read until he was 5? OH! I know. Mum and Dad have a neat party trick. And a few home videos little Johnny can show off to his friends for years to come.
amie I think you are right. I think this is all about the parents. It is kinda sad. I know some tv is good too. But over doing anything is not good.
I fail to see the point also. My middle child didn't learn to read until he was at school. In three weeks he had caught and over taken his peers. Two years ago (when we pulled them out of school and began homeschooling) he spent most of his time outside under the tree reading one of the four novels he had on the go in his desk because he finished his work before every one else. (Not that his work was always high quality.... but that's a gripe for another day) Imagine a kid who has been learning since a baby. How boring would conventional school be? My kids were bored stiff and they are by no means a lot smarter than the average bear. Snuggles on lap the old fashioned way sounds much more appealing. I still do this with my big kids.
My gripe isn't about watching tv like Sesame Street, as someone else said. My boys watch the "Imagination Movers" and the "Wonder Pets" and they love them, and they learn from them. However, if my kid wanted to play outside and I said, "NO, sit here and watch this DVD." and I placed him in a chair with the lights out and made him focus on it. It's totally different. I see no point in having my kid read before he's ready, especially when it's just memorization and reading onnly the words they provide. What a big parlor trick for those parents. As a college graduate for Early childhood education, I see this as totally rediculous! It breaks every rule I've ever been taught about how to teach children. Young kids like that don't need to be learning to read. (young kids like 9 month olds and so on...) It's crazy!!
