Ever Heard of "Your Baby Can Read" Program?

Hi, N.,
How thoughtful of you to look around before your mother-in-law makes the purchase.
Let me say right up front: I am NOT a fan of tv/video programs. Children learn to read by being read to, held while they're read to, cuddled with while they're read to. My sons were reading before they turned 4. I NEVER gave them any formal instruction. I read to them from day 1 every day before naps, before bedtime, in the morning after breakfast...any time they brought me a book.
There is research to support the notion that the physical warmth and contact with the child are a greater factor than just about anything in learning. So, no, i've never heard of it, but I'd beg you to consider the cuddling time with grandma, with you, with dad, with aunts, uncles, friends, etc...before purchasing a cold, screened program of instruction.

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It is basically garbage. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against letting a child under 2 watch any TV/DVD. Some of the National Institute of Health researchers involved in the last big study reporting on all the negative impacts of TV/DVD/Internet exposure for kids suggest 5 rather than 2. Time spent doing 3-d activities is much better for development. The book "Einstein didn't use flash cards" is an excellent summary of all the research on early childhood development and has some great info on the so called "educational toy" industry. Leapster, VTECH and all the rest, they may be fun, but your child will generally learn by a much more interactive, contextual learning method. And part of learning is actually biologically based and so can't really be sped up. So for instance, many toddlers can say their numbers 1-10 or 1-20 and maybe they can even do it in another language. But that doesn't mean that they really know how to count or exactly what the words mean. To really count, they have to learn that the numbers are sequenced, that there is one to one correspondence and that the last number you say is the number of the total. This doesn't mean you can't encourage them by interacting with them and talking and asking them questions etc. but don't waste your money on those toys and don't feel too pressured to engage in academically oriented activities when play will be more beneficial for them.

I would not spend my money on it. I've seen the commercial. What I've seen is that there are some kids that learn to read at any early age, but that is no guarantee that they will be gifted or ahead of the other kids. It seems to even out around 2nd grade.

One of my boys is in the gifted reading program at his elementary school. There are 7 kids in the class out of 100 in the grade. He was a late reader, so go figure.

If your mom wants to get something educational, get some good board books that you can read and your baby can follow along. The ones with different textures, like Pat the Bunny are lots of fun.

I know that parents have some pretty strong opinions on this, but I just want to put it out there for consideration that perhaps babies/toddlers don't actually need to read, that their time may be better spent cuddling, singing, playing with toys, rolling around and generally just doing baby things.

I am all for parents and loved ones sitting and reading colorful books with babies and toddlers. It is great for them to hear our voices and feel our warmth while making meaningful connections. But, I don't think sitting a baby in front of a DVD or computer screen is quite the same.

That said, I am interested in hearing differing opinions!

Some friends of mine have this and they do admit that it does in fact work. I just believe that children watch so much tv as is and now we want the tv to teach them to read. It so expensive and the money could go to greater use. I agree with a previos poster that mentioned reading to the children. Even when it seems like they are not listening, they are still taking it in and learning. Stick to the old school basics and forget tv teaching.

M brother read when he was 3 from the tv guide because we watched tv all day. my parents worked 3 jobs and it was the only way back then. my son now enjoys watching tv also. he is 2 and knows all his letters, is fluent in 2 languages and starting to speak some spanish from tv. you can do with your child for free what the programs offer. the main concept is to see the word, hear the word, and then have them say the word. put the word to a meaning and they will remember. if your child has fun with it keep going. don't listen to all those negative comments, you know your child best.

Yes. It most likely helps kids whose parents ignore them, but as someone who was an educator in a past lifetime, let me just say this: in studies of language development, kids acquire language best through dialogical interactions. Since TV's cannot provide such interaction, I would question anyone who posits the idiot box as an educator.

Waste your money on some books for her and yourself. Read in front of her. Let her see your own passion for learning.

I wouldn't waste the money. Tell Grandma to invest that money in children's books, which you all then can read to the baby.

It probably won't do harm, but I agree time would be best spent elsewhere. Also some thinking indicates that eye development isn't ready for reading until much later - like 7 years old. That said, consider your relationship with your mother in law. If saying no would harm the relationship, or hurt her feelings, it make be worth letting her purchase it. If you do make sure you gently let her know you don't want to push your baby, but you will let her buy it if she wants to.

I agree with one of the previous posters, babies don't need to read until they are a little older.
What we do is we read a LOT to my kids and now when my son started Kindergarten the teacher is amazed how quickly he's picking up reading, she says he's the best reader in his class and is one of the smartest kids. I really believe this comes from all this reading we've been doing with him.... my husband even read to him when I was still pregnant....
So read, read, read with your child. That really works.

I saw the infomercial too, and my thought was "Does my baby need to know how to read?" I don't think so. She loves hearing me read to her, and we enjoy cuddling up during story time, which can not be replaced by a dvd! My oldest is turning 4, and is doing well on starting to read by learning the old-fashioned way. I don't think that learning any earlier would have benefitted her. Nice thought from Grandma, but I wouldn't do it.

My son is also in gifted reading (he's 8) and didn't read early.

I don't think it's harmful or anything, but I think early childhood should be about child-led learning, doing what they are drawn to developmentally. If that's reading, great. But what's the rush? As I tell my son, "if you do everything when you're 8, what's left for when you're 10?"