Anyone Have Experience with the "Your Baby Can Read" Videos?

I personally have not used them, but this question has come up before on this site. If you use the search function, you can find lots of responses. From what I have read, the overall consensus was that it was not recommended. It teaches the child to memorize, not to actually read. Several teachers have posted and said that the kids who learn to 'read" this way actually have a harder time later in school when they need to learn to read the correct way (i.e., by sounding things out). We have decided not to use it.

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It sounds like you've made your decision, but I just thought I'd share why we have opted not to do YBCR. A study published in 2007 found speech delays among children who watched EDUCATIONAL television before the age of 2. Several studies have also shown that children learn language much faster when interacting with a real, live person than a face on a TV screen.

There are believed to be two reasons that viewing causes delays: even if you don't just park your child in front of the TV to babysit the baby, video viewing necessarily cuts into the face-to-face time you spend with your child, which is the most beneficial from an educational standpoint. Also, many believe that baby's brains just aren't cut out for TV viewing and that it causes overstimulation and possibly interrupts some of the connections being made.

I will say that YBCR was not studied in the studies I mentioned above, so you might not find the same negative effects from using those videos. However, it is not a great leap to think that if one educational video causes delays that other might as well.

I absolutely agree with you about the importance of reading; I myself was a VERY earlier reader who always read many grade levels ahead. I learned to do this the way most early childhood educators suggest is best -- my parents read to me every chance they got and taught me letters and letter sounds from a very early age. I then learned to read phonetically, rather than memorizing specific words as with YBCR. I just wanted to point out that there are other ways to teach your child to read early that don't involve early television viewing or simple memorization if you wish to avoid those methods.

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Just curious, as this question comes up again and again, what do you hope to gain if your baby CAN read?

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If you teach your baby to read he will be bored stiff in kindergarten and first grade and probably learn to dislike school. Experts have discovered that the Baby Einstein videos have done nothing to improve a baby's brain and I dont think teaching a baby to read will make them any smarter either, when they learn math and science in school they will learn at the same pace as their peers. Also the social implications should be considered. Picture your 5 year old reading second or fourth grade books and bragging to his/her classmates. How would this make the classmates feel?

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Why push it? Your kids will learn how to read! Everybody does! Read books with them, play with them, enjoy the outdoors, play music, teach them an instrument, etc. You don't need a special program (can you say $ rip off?) to foster a love of reading in your children.
As to your post about educators being derisive when they find out your daughter can read.... I'm sure these teachers tire of parents who think their kids are extra special and smart and MUST be treated that way and educated to their level. If your kid is that smart, then continue the teaching at home if you're doing such a good job. School would only be boring and you'd always be butting heads with derisive teachers. LOL

In my opinion, this system doesn't work. You are only teaching the baby to associate pictures (which the letters look like to them at this stage) with words, which they can already do. They will associate the letters with sounds at the same time as all other kids whose parents read to them. And the reason they read better and enjoy reading is because their parents are spending time with them do so. In other words, if you want a child who loves to read, can read early, and has confidence in that area, all you have to do is read to them, and make reading a fun, happy activity to do with mom / dad. Which you are probably doing already : )

I think the studies are ALL conflicting. I heard a study recently that said children actually learned faster in school if they watched a certain amount of educational tv.

I bought the YBCR set for my daughter BECAUSE....I had already been using video tapes of things like Bee Smart Baby vocabulary builders and my daughter loved them, so I wanted more of something similar. Yes, I needed a little bit of a babysitter, but what is the harm in seeing a bear then seeing the word bear or whatever animal?

We don't use the other tools as much, but I think children want to know, to learn and practice their skills. I use an Italian DVD with very simplistic pictures and words and my daughter listens so attentively, I don't think it is bad at all.

I actually bought the smaller set and you have to have your child watch the videos over and over and over. My son liked the flashcards but the videos got tiring. (You can get word flash cards anyware for a lot less) Actually, you can teach a dog to recognize words on cards in much the same way. Wouldn't recommend it... who cares if kids can recognize words at a younger age? They all catch up and even out in a few years. It wasn't very much fun and at that age... if it ain't fun, don't do it!

WE did buy the system, and you are right. There was more involved than just watching the videos!! It is very time consuming

we started around 17 months old and I think that may have been too late. My son already was impatient, didnt want to do the activities and wanted to watch sesame street instead of the videos. I do think that if I started it at an earlier age it may have worked. (but have no research to back that up) I wound up returning them.

I bought it primarily to increase his language skills. I too think although kids this young dont need to know to read whats the big deal if they can??

good luck with your decision!!

As a retired reading specialist, I advised my daughter against getting this for my grandson. Here's why: a child who is encouraged, supported, exposed to books and language will learn at his or her own pace. There is the possible consequence of the child being bored or "turned off" to reading instruction in pre-school or kindergarten. Also, it can create a social problem if your child is the only one already reading.

We got the series soon after our son was born. We aren't trying to make him into a genius but thought they looked interesting. He has always loved both the videos and the flashcards. Not sure if he can 'read' at this stage but he loves, loves books and words and signs so I think it has some influence on him in a positive way.

Our friends used the videos on their son and he liked it, but basically started memorizing the videos and wasn't really reading. I don't think you need to spend that kind of money on a program. I say keep reading as many different kinds of books as possible, teach your child names of things everywhere, speak to him in full sentences and as often as possible, and make books about your child and read them with him. There are a ton of other ideas, but as a teacher I think oral language and range of vocabulary is what should come first. The reading part is actually easy if you have those two in place.

I have no experience with this particular set of teaching tools but I think that most of the videos and such that are offered on tv are probably a waste of time. You cannot expect your baby to actually be able to "read" before they can even identify the individual letters and the sounds they represent!! I would think you would have a lot more long term success if you simply start teaching the concepts of phonics to your child....the sounds that each letter makes...my grandson has learned his alphabet by playing games with his parents, using the magnetic letters, on the back of a metal cookie, he has learned to identify all of his letters and knows what letters that a lot of words start with. NOT because he can read but because they have done repetitive drills with him, he understands what "sounds" each letter makes and can tell you what letter a word that you say starts with. He is now 27 months old and I think that this is FAR advanced over what is usually understood by someone his age.
What I am saying is that there is no 'Magic bullet" that is going to teach your baby to read...you just are going to need to spend time with your little one, working with him or her.
Mom and Dad are the best early teachers!!