Seeking Infant Educational Advice

R. I have the "your baby can Read" videos and "baby signing time" as well as the regular "signing time". My son has been watching baby sign since about 8 months. I don't ever force him to watch anything. Signing time and your baby can read are the only tv he sees or has seen. He is now 14 months old and this is his current skill level. He can say and sign between 50-100 words. He will sit and "read" books with me for extended periods of time. He is able to sit and focus on quite a few things. There are words he can read in various settings, he also has an understanding of most the words. If you are trying to maximize your value for dollars spent and also the enjoyment and reduction of frustration of your child I reccomend the "baby signing time". My son asks for it by name and loves the songs and imitates the signs. He communicates with me all the time and I think signing helps reduce his frustration. Here is the web address. http://www.signingtime.com/index.php/
Whatever you decide to do good luck.

Do NOT buy Baby Einstein. THere are new studies that show they actually delay instead of progress your cchild's learning. I made that mistake and my son has speech and development delays and is in a special preschool. I learned from the child specialists that Signing Times is MUCH better and it is. Start asap. It helps them to communicate with you earlier and believe it or not helps them talk better. I learned the hard way so learn from my mistake. The reading program is geat, I would reccomend that you do that too.

R.! It did not work for my 18 month old. She did not want to sit through the 15-20 minute video 3-4 times a day. She got bored and walked away.
I called and told them that. Got a return authorization code and returned it. Now they wont return my 256 dollars!!! Very frustrating to have to buy something that expensive that doesn't work for everybody.

I don't know anything specific about that particular program, BUT a pediatric chiropractor friend of mine who has gone on to study (over a year program) learning disorders and childhood neurology thinks that if we push our children too soon now, we could see a backlash later. Sure, kids can do it, they can read early and all the other stuff we push them to do, however, there are some studies that show these same kids are having some trouble in another area when they hit highschool. I'm not sure there have been enough studies to prove or disprove this theory whole-heartedly, but I find that when I let my kids learn something when they are fully ready, they are much happier. Who's ego are we feeding getting them to read or do math or play an instrument early, anyway? Just a thought.

I was wondering the same thing. It is very expensive and I wonder if I could do it on my own. I agree with the other mom who responded, it would take patience and persistence.

I have been using it with my son since he was about 6 months old. We love it! I have him watch it once a day when he was having his milk (formula) for breakfast. It was a gift from my mom, so the cost was not an issue for me directly, but we have seen a definite improvement in my son's communication skills. My son is now 13 months and can identify several words and pictures. He also learned to clap, wave, and raise his arms from watching the videos (he would do these things on request by 8 or 9 months). Now that he is walking, it's a little harder to get him to watch it. I put him in his high chair with a few puffs and he watches it. The videos are very colorful and each one has fun songs so the kids can sing along (we just learned "head shoulders knees and toes). Last time I looked at the program, they had a $99 money back special so you can try the first videos. I admit I have not been as good about working with him on the flash cards and books that come with the program, but we do lots of reading as well. While many call it "memorization" the videos are designed to help kids deduct language rules, without calling them rules (learning how to add a consonant on the front of "at" to make new words, etc.) Most kindergarteners who learn how to read are only memorizing too! I figure, the more exposure you give your children to words and how they related to items in their world, the better it will be! Last thought: someone gave us a bunch of Baby Einstein videos, but our son was totally not into them... but he loves his Your Baby Can Read videos. Just my opinion.

I started using this program with my son about 6 months ago when he was around 12 months old. I whould play the vidoes when he was in his highchair (so he would be a captive audience) now I play them whenever but mostly when he's in his highchair sitting still. He cannot read any of the words but I think it has helped his vocabulary. He also knows where his noes, toes, head, arm, and elow are. He knows many different animals and all the sounds they make. He is a very good talker now at 18 months old. He can say a lot of words and when he tries to say new words he does very good with his first attempt. I show him a video 2x a day and we use the flash and slide cards a few times a week. We also started reading other books to him when he was just a few months old too. I like some of the others didn't want to spend $250 becuase I was a bit sceptical too but thought it couldn't hurt so I found a used set on craigslist.

I have never seen this program, BUT I would like to say that anything that has kidlets watching TV and trying to force early academics has a definite thumbs-down from me. Research has mostly shown that trying to force skills early does kids no longterm benefits. Babies need love and personal interaction with other people (not a TV screen). If you want to encourage reading (and more importantly), then READ to a baby. Skills will come naturally on their own time.

Hi R.,

I bought the videos when my daughter was 12 months. We do not watch them on the regular basis that you are suppose too. We watch them about 3 times a week or so. But, she absolutely loves them. She loves having them on, and often when they end, I will have to put another one on.

She has learned things from them, but I am sure she would know a lot more if we watched them regularly.

But, for as much as she likes them, I would recommend them.

They seem expensive, but if you were to buy 5 Baby Einstien videos, you would pay about the same amount.

Cheers,
S.

I, personally, don't buy in to it. Yes, they are memorizing, but I don't feel they are truly decoding and reading words. I see the kids read in the infomercials, and they say nothing about them COMPREHENDING what they read. You can teach your child much more informally though play. Let them be kids.

I wish they would've had that program when i became a first time mother. I think you can do it with or without the program. It's all about dedication and patents, don't feel bad if you try it and your baby doesn't seem to be into the program just find something else that will catch his/her attention.