Infant Your Baby Can Read

I will admit to being an old mom, my kids are 17 and 21. They each read some words at about 3+. If this reading program works, why do you want to do it? I think reading, science, and math are critical to everyone, but there are a lot of things for young children to learn by experiencing the world. I would rather spend the time and money on a zoo membership, science center or botanical gardens, music concerts, etc. My OPINION is that I would rather my kid see a cow, bat, or dog then read the words.

I don't know much about this program but I do know that the younger you read to your child they tend to read early. My oldest son loved to be read to. He would bring us books to read to him at age 9 months. I would point to the words as I read them not sure he was paying attention to the words or just looking at the pictures. One day when he was 4 he picked up a book and started reading it. I was surprised and then thought well maybe he has that one memorized as we had read it often but then I gave him a book we hadn't read and he also read the whole book which was a Dr. Seuss book. I don't know how long he had been actually reading books himself but just happened to see him reading that day while he was playing in his room. Anyway when he started Kindergarten he was reading at a 5th grade level and is now a junior in high school doing well and taking several college level classes and honor classes.
I also had a cousin that loved having books read to her as a baby and was reading well before Kindergarten.
The earlier you read to your child the more they tend to like reading and usually start reading early or pick it up real fast during Kindergarten.

I haven't tried the system but I think educational TV is well worth the bad habit. My daughter is 8 now but has always had an extensive vocabulary and read well from an early age and has always been big on catching her television shows (I was careful to limit them and make sure there was some value to the content) from early on. My son is 2, he won't watch a television show at all and his speech is delayed. I don't necessarily believe it's because of the lack of educational television; but I do believe there is some value to good programming. I'm not sure any of this is a help but I think if the program seems like a good one, then the benefit is probably worth a little television time.

Hi T.,

I agree o much with Kathy! I have no clue why in this Country they keep forcing little kids to grow up fast, they want them to read when they are still learning to use a spoon.
I have two daughters, and we speak two languages at home, my girls are bilingual (both of them).
But I read a lot to and I pushed my first one to read and write and learn her letters since she was about 2 1/2 and didn't learn until the end of kindergarten. I am not pushing my second one at all, not teaching anything at all and she is already spelling and writing some words, she just turned 4.
I believe it is a mtter of being ready and the only thing I regret is pushing my first one to do somethign that she wasn't ready and using that time to learn what she did not learn instead of having fun together.
That's my though...oh! I have a Montessori training and taught at schools for several years.
I do wish schools stop pushing kids and parents to know more at an early age. It is not going to make them smarter but less happy.
Again, my thoughts....Good luck!

Hey! I know that I already sent a personal message to T. about my thoughts on this subject so I won't rewrite them here. But I know that I sometimes just like to read others responses to questions. So that's why I'm posting this, for the viewers. If you're interested in reading an excellent thought provoking article, please click below on the following links. Here's an excerpt from one of the articles (just to let you know what it's about)

Happy reading ... and best wishes to all of us who want to instill a love for learning in our children ....

--- M. L. :)

http://www.youandyourchildshealth.org/articles/teaching%2...

HERE's THE EXCERPT FROM THE PRECEDING LINK:

There is a widely-held belief that if we just start teaching children to write, read, and spell in preschool, they will become better writers, readers, and spellers by the time they reach the first and second grades. This is, however, not true. The truth is that children only should be taught to write, read, and spell when their neurological pathways for writing, reading, and spelling have fully formed. There are many neuropsychologists, developmental specialists, occupational therapists and teachers who are concerned that our current trend in this country of pushing “academics” in preschool and kindergarden will result in even greater increases in the number of children, particularly boys, diagnosed with attentional problems and visual processing types of learning disabilities.

http://www.youandyourchildshealth.org/articles/teaching%2...

HERE'S THE EXCERPT FROM THE PRECEDING LINK:

Susan R. Johnson MD, FAAP, 1/20/03

I am responding to the front page article in The Sacramento Bee from December 12, 2002 entitled Preschool push: The learning curve may begin soon after diapers. I am a single mother of a 9 year-old son and a behavioral and developmental pediatrician. I can understand the need to have a reliable, safe, and loving environment for preschool children outside of the home, but I have great concerns about teaching preschool as well as kindergarten children to read and write. Developmentally and neurologically it doesn't make sense.

I have never heard of this program. I'm not sure that infants have the ability to coordinate all the body systems that are involved in reading, but they can learn sign language as early as 6 or 7 months, my great niece did. So I guess it may be possible they could grasp the concept of reading when they can understand language and it's expression.

It seems that there are many conflicting views on here, but I am also an educator and I agree with most of the others that posted here. I think that if you read to your child, talk to your child and give your child experiences you can do the same thing as this DVD for much less than $200!! Children who have the biggest vocabularies are the ones that are read and talked to by their parents, keep that in mind. Good luck with your decision.

I would be highly doubtful of the program. Most baby programs that promote early math/early reading skills are highly intensive programs that do little more than train by rote. Instead, read to your baby and talk to your baby ALL the time. This approach has proven statistics for the greatest success in learning. When in doubt, read, read, read! Good luck! I would be curious to hear what you think after watching the program. K.

I learned to read when I was 2-3 years old. My whole family reads a lot. I think it just came of natural curiosity, but my sister didn't read until she was older. I don't think it will matter what program you get for your son. If the interest is there he'll do it, if not he isn't going to sit still long enough for it to sink in. Always worth a try though and please keep us posted on your results. As for the TV issue, I don't think it would cause a problem since you don't ever have it on anyway, but you never know. All children are so different.

I've been getting the signing videos from the library and purchased letters, numbers, shapes and colors by Preschool Prep from Costco. My daughter loves the videos and is learning so much. I can confirm this by the amount of signing she has picked up and by asking her to point to a letter, number, etc and having her do so correctly. I'm very much a proponent of working with children at an early age but I think you have to be careful of your expectations. My daughter is 22 months and is just now expanding her vocabulary. I don't think its realistic to expect her to learn to read right now when she can't form a sentance of more than 2 or 3 select words. If I were you I'd work on some other skills that are more developmentally appropriate. You'll know when he can talk enough to be able to work on reading skills. I know plenty of kids that can read by age 3.

Hi T.,
I would say, don't get sucked into the propaganda that your baby needs to learn how to read!!!!! I think business people are trying to do two things: play on parents' egos so that they have bragging rights when their kid learns to read at age 2. And they also like to prey on our fears that our kids will fall behind the learning curve unless we buy their product and shove it down our kids' throats.

I say, just do what you as a parent already know is best...read to him every day (he will hear your tone, inflection, and witness a love for reading.) Have plenty of face time with him singing and laughing, as you probably already do.
There's a cute song about letter sounds that goes, "Every letter makes a sound, and A says "aaah". (And so on throughout the alphabet.) He will give you the cues to know when he's ready to understand how the the letter sounds come together to make words. Some kids catch on early, and some catch on around age 7 or so, which is developmentally normal. I've heard that even if kids are little reading prodigies around age 3 or whatever, they all pretty much even out around 3rd grade. And more important than when a kid learns to read is that they practice reading everyday. So if you're looking towards the long run, I'd say it's a waste of money for this business product. :)
A.

Run...don't walk away from this silliness of babies 'reading.' But I would run to my local Library! :o) I'd suggest reading to your child! Children will learn to appreciate books and reading when they are read to. They will learn drama, imagination, symbols, creativity, expression...

Because I provide brain integration therapy for people with learning difficulties, I help a lot of kids work through problems with reading comprehension problems. One of the problems I am aware of in education is that we are not waiting until the brain is far enough along in its development before we teach reading. The pressure to read too young can be very detrimental in the long run.

Logic functions do not really come on board until age 3. Both hemispheres are necessary for good reading comprehension. The ability to decode symbols into words needs to be able to function in pace with the ability to assign meaning to the word. If you develop the decoding skills too early, before the logic function is available and these two functions do not develop in tandem, the result is likely to be someone who will read fluently, sound like they understand what they are reading, but have little to no comprehension or recall.

I don't know why it is such a popular belief that children need to read before age 7-8. According to my understanding, if we wait until the brain is ready, children will learn in 2 months what we push them to learn for at least 4 years. Why do we want children reading before they can really comprehend much? I truly feel pushing children to read early and the anxiety adults feel about it discourages the child's natural love of learning. The children perceive that the adults are frustrated, or at least not displaying the excitement they do when another child is reading at age 4. The message they often receive from our disappointments is that they are less capable learners. This affects their motivation to learn.

Hope this info is helpful to you and your husband.

I can't comment on the program. But I can comment as the parent of a child who was a fluent reader at an early age. Just remember schools focus on teaching to the general education level. My son started kindergarten a year early. He could read and do math at a 2nd grade level but because of his age was not a mature socially as the rest of his class. As a result he was very bored in school even in the gifted classes and had very little friends. He is now in high school hates school. I think it is wonderful that you want to teach your child to read but just keep this in mind. Smart kids are outcasts. As a genius I also know this first hand. If you are going push your child to educationally make sure you don't forget the other aspects of school. Make sure he gets alot of play time with other kids so he can excell socally too. Going through life without friend because you people don't like being around so one alot smarter then them is no fun.

My son is seven months old and we are working with it. I like it so far. We just started a few weeks ago working with it, so I have no results. Here's a tip though...if since you called and just got the $15 video...don't do anything else. In about a month or so they will call you and offer you most of the package for less than $100. You will get all the videos, learning cards, audio CD's. The entire package which is $200 includes things that aren't necessary to have. So be patient and heck for $100 it's worth a try!!

Hi T.,

I have NO opinions JUST experience and you can go from there! My niece has been using the set (My Baby can Read) for 5 months, she just turned 2 years old and is reading over 50 words and reading some beginners books by herself!

My son is 2 also, and I have not used it as consistently as my sister-in-law but he is reading quite a few as well!! My son gets very excited b/c you see the word and then what they word is, such as the word elephant and then you see an elephant walking around raising his trunk. **This does not imply that mom should just sit back and put her feet up and let someone else teach her child, but I use this as a great way for my son to still be learning and stimulated while I am cooking or doing the dishes, and I also watch it with him and interact with my son while watching the dvd. We are big readers! Lots of books everyday, I never forced anything on my kids just tried to find what excited them, they beg to read and my youngest begs for these dvds also and is learning a lot. I find nothing wrong with letting my kids learn if they want to :o)

My sister-in-law does avoid t.v., she is a former educator (before kids) and we differ on a few things but we both believe that My Baby can read is wonderful!

I am an Usborne Consultant and I sell the whole system for $79.95! I just had another lady buy it the other night b/c she wanted it but did not want to spend the $200.

Please let me know if you would like to contact my sister-in-law, she is open to talking to anyone about it especially with your concerns.

Please let me know how I can help,
S.

email: ____@____.com
online catalog: www.ubah.com/w2474

HI,
I bought these for my son after seeing them on Channel 2 news interview with Margie Elisor. I only let him watch them while I was in the shower. He is almost three now and he can sound out most words, he can point out any letter of the alphabet you ask him to. I found them helpful, and he was very interested in the while they were on, they are not an overload for a child. They simpply say the word show a clip of the word and a picture of what the word means using other children. They also sing a song or two. My almost three year old watches them with his younger braother now and still enjoys them. I do not let my children watch tv, only these vidoes when I take a shower. I am not saying these are miracle videos, because I also have began reading to him before he was born and we read everyday, but I feel they they interested him in wanting to learn to read. If you have any other question about them please ask. I am not always good at explaing things in writing like this.

K.

If you want to satisfy your husband's need for more stimulation, I would suggest finding a Kindermusik, Musikgarten, or First Steps/Melody Hounds music class in your area. I know that Kindermusik has a class locater on their website at www.kindermusik.com, and while the programs are pricier than other "lessons" for that age, it is well worth the price (and still cheaper than a $200 price tag for videos) all the programs listed can be found with a google search.

I just joined...

I also saw the infomercial. I am wanting to try this for my 9 month old baby, and possibly two other kids 3, and 5 (who already reads some, I got to do it by writing words on index cards and having here pick out a word I asked out of 4, then 8, then 12 and so on and she started memorizing mainly and could read things like Old Hat, New Hat at 2 1/2.). Um, $200 is a lot! I've been trying to find it at the library, with no luck. I plan to ask them to buy it. Maybe if there's enough interest from KC they will. That or buy it used or with other moms to split the cost and move it around.

Hi T.,

We purchased the "Your Baby Can Read" dvd set when my son was 3 months old. For over a year he watched the show once per day. It was really the only tv he watched. We can not say enough good things about the dvd! My son can not read but is EXTREMELY intelligent! He spoke a lot earlier than most children and his vocabulary is amazing. We also purchase the flash card books and he could read several words in the books. We have not kept up on the reading aspect of it because we feel a two year should not have to read but the results are amazing! We definitely think that the dvd's helped with his amazing speech capabilities and his vast vocabulary!

Follow UP PSS. Have Hubby read Mama-source that should do it.."Laughing More". One of Corbin's Favorite shows to Watch daily is Jeopardy. Hint Hint!!

Good Afternoon T., Even though I won't probably get any brownie points on this one here goes...lol Ding ding ding.

I watched romper room as a child,I want Miss Fran to see me and say my name too...loll but didn't watch Sesame street when our kids were young, I watched something in early morning to learn Spanish when i was in grade school. Can't remember most of it now though. BUT our 3 1/2 yr old gr son watches Diego and Dora and is learning a few words of Spanish. He also has a very vivid imagination through made up story's and books we read daily. He does watch Sesame street and loves it. He also knows sign language that I have taught him since he was an infant. So he can tell me he wants Milk & Cookies for a snack or Pancakes, cereal or fruit for breakfast. He tells me if he wants a ball or blocks to play with or just wants a book and story time.

In my opinion for what it's worth the more you do with your child the better it is for them to catch on. I do have Baby Einstein DVD's and music CD's, I have two video games from learn tech, that do or has helped with coordination, motor skills and eye tracking. Corbin is by no means a genius child, he just loves to interact with what we together work on or play with.
He has known his colors, numbers and ABC's since before he was two cause that is what we played with, blocks.

He can make up his own story's and sing made up songs with a good tune also. I am not bragging, but I am a proud Nana of 5. he can do all these things because I personally took the time and energy to help him learn. If he watched Dora, I watched Dora, if he watches sesame street then so do I. TV is not a Baby sitter in my home, but can be a great learning experience. I am doing the same with his baby brother Zane, I know all children learn at different levels & times. So whatever I can do to help each of them along I will do it.

Our Son's were labeled ADD long before it was as popular or common as it is today. Both placed on Medication to CORRECT their disability or behavior. If they didn't understand a math concept, it was To bad So Sad and they went on to the next lesson. In the end after 4 yrs of medication I stopped the Ritalin and Home Schooled them both through HS. They both excelled in Science, Math, English and language comprehension. Why Because I took the time to work with them.
Our eldest son (34) loves Nascar, but would rather watch the History and Discovery channels.
Eldest is an Electrician the Youngest is in Carpentry, building almost anything. Both use Math skills daily.
A lot of parents don't have the luxury to stay home with their children or grand children like I have had. But any time you have with them is important to them and to you.
Anytime you have, to help them go & grow is so awesome. When Corbin says Look Nana I can do it!! With that heart melting smile it is all worth the time spent.

He told me the story they heard today at pre-school , in Genesis, In the beginning God made the Light and Dark, All the animals and even made people and Told them NO touch that Apple tree. But they did and God was not happy!! In his own way he got it!!!

So leave the Infomercials Alone and be with your child.
Parents can and should be the best teachers a child can have.

God Bless
K. Proud Nana of 5
PS Any Brownie Points ? *Laughing*

Haven't heard about it myself...but I thought the $200 price tag was a little high...went trolling on ebay and found a BIN for $69.95 for 5 DVD + s/h...I too am interested if anyone has had any success with this... There also seemed to be quite a few of the first and second VHS or DVD tapes.

Oh and BTW...worrying about your kids watching too much TV may be a mute point...the schools are HEAVILY using TVs in the classroom...My kid watches TV in Preschool & Kindergarten and sometimes it's educational (Leapfrog, Sesame Street, Between the Lions) and sometimes it's not...SpongeBob, Fairy Tales, etc. Better to get them watching something worthwhile then sucked into the mindlessness of SpongeBob (UGH).

You indicate you are an educator. Why would you want your baby to learn to read? I am not an educator, but know you should only teach your child age appropriate things and this is not age appropriate. I completely do not understand why anyone would want to TRY to teach their BABYor TODDLER to read. Besides I do not believe it is even possible. Sounds like you were suckered out of $15.00.

Let your baby be a baby.

A 15-month-old doesn't need to learn to read. Honestly, he is not going to be smarter because he read at age 2 than if he learned to read at age 4 or 5. Do you really need to be able to brag that your son read before he was two? That is for YOU not for HIM.

Reading programs are great for helping kids who are BEHIND. You 15-month-old is not behind. Don't get caught up in the adversisments or the stress of teaching him to read. Potty-traing is stressful enough for the little tykes.

I have done a lot of research about teaching children to learn to read early. That is wonderful that you are taking an interest in his education at this young age. I am not certain this method will teach him to read early BUT make sure that you don't spend too much time trying to make him advanced in areas that are not developementally appropriate for his age. It will only frustrate both you and your child. Even if he does learn to read earlier than other children his age, the other children will catch up to him around age 6 and there will be no noticeable differences. The most important thing is that you allow him to play. For a child his age "play" is essential for learning the skills that he needs to learn right now. It is wonderful that you would like him to read early but make sure you also give him plenty of room to learn on his own. I have seen mother's who push advanced skills on small toddlers and later the consequences have been they are delayed in other areas because they were not given the opportunity to learn appropriately the best way they know how to learn. By playing. ( :
Good luck and I am sure your little guy is very clever!
P.S. My son could recognize any letter and say the alphabet by age 18 months. I was both astonished and proud of him. He learned by just playing on his own. He took an interest and just did it. I can't take any credit for it. You will be surprised what your son will know!
I believe a show he watched "Super Why" taught him the alphabet so don't be afraid of a little TV. ( :

Wow...I wish I had waited to read everyone's responses first before responding.

I do not have any personal experience with this program. But I used to use the Hooked on Phonics with my daycare many years ago before I loaned it out in pieces and parts and finally gave the rest away.

I have found that my own methods of sitting down and working with the kids in a phonics based way to be enough. But I am NOT against using the tv to reign in order in my house. People always say how clean my house is. Well with 5 kids in my house at all times days, nights, weekends and holidays included, I'd never clean without tv.

In the old days, people would put those kids to work or just send them outside to play while the mom is cleaning. The oldest children in a family would be responsible to watch over the youngest. But this isn't the little house on the prarie days. We can't send them outside and all my kids are at a very dangerous age that I can't leave them unattended for a second. So sitting them in front of an educational program is something I must do when I clean. It happens often in my home.

But shocker of shocker I love Disney movies and even let my kids watch an occasional afternoon of Boomarang cartoons. For Pete's sake. It didn't hurt us and I think if most of us were honest we'd admit that we eagerly waited for Saturday morning cartoons.... Well, many of you are probably too young to remember a time where Saturday was the only time we really watched cartoons!

I see far too many very strong opinions on this site when it comes to this sort of thing. Most of you haven't been mothers or even teachers long enough to hold such strong opinions. I know that I often express dogmatic views on this site. But it comes from almost 200,000 hours working directly with children of all ages and backgrounds. If I include my experiences with my own daughters I have 210,000 hours with children under my belt.

I appreciate this discussion. Interestingly enough, I heard about this program here and then one of my parents brought it up to me and then I received an email about this program in just 2 days time. Apparently, I need this for my daycare and God is telling me so.

Okay...My question is: Why do you need for you 15 month old to read right now? Things are pushed on kids so young and they are expected to know so much...When are they supposed to be kids? I work in a school library, and I love books and reading, and YES reading is so important...But at your childs age, just sit with him and read books together...Enjoy the time together, let him see you reading and enjoying it. If he asks questions about letters or words answer him, but I think it is a mistake to spend money on a program like that...Pushing a child who isn't ready for those steps could have a negative effect on his reading...He may learn how, but will he want to..? Your best bet is to make reading a daily activity. Teach him sight words like STOP on signs, or EXIT on a door, HOT on a stove...Things that are important, but don't push him into a program like that...Let him play. Look at books together..."see the car, C-A-R spells car..." He'll put the pieces together when he needs to and that will give him the best start..Let him be little, it doesn't last that long.... Good luck with whatever you decide.

I think your husband should listen to YOU.
You have thought this through and have it figured out correctly.
You don't need us to tell you that, but maybe your husband does ?
You sound like a smart girl. Trust your instincts, and remember, they are selling those things to make money. That's their bottom line.

"But if there's a chance it will help him out, isn't it worth it?" I'd love some responses to that one. ""

How about, asking what he is missing out on, by doing this? Reading is only one skill, and one that is pointless before a certain age. In that time, your child could play with playdough and improve fine motor skills, read a book with you and have an enjoyable story and cuddle time with mom and dad, help cook to learn abbout food, help fold laundry to imrpve fine motor skills and learn to hep his family, play on a trycycle to learn to enjoy being active outside, play with blocks and knock them down leanring about cause and effect, etc, etc, etc.

There are a million age appropriate activites your son could be spending that time on, things that will help him develop age appropriate social, emotional, physical AND cognitive skills.

Is there really a point to basically teaching him to memorize some words, when in a few years he will learn how to figure words out for himself and actually read them, with very little effort and time? It seems as though, it is a waste of his time right now, when he will be able to do it with almost no effort in a few more years.

Just a few things to mention to your husband. =) Good luck, it can be hard when parents disagree over the right course of action.

T.,

As an early childhood and elementary educator I can tell you that this program is nothing more than memorization. I saw the program you are talking about and yes, I do believe what I saw - but the babies are not reading they are simply memorizing shapes and motions. There is no real meaning or comprehension behind what they are doing. Also, this system encourages your baby to spend quite some time in front of the tv and I encourage you to look at the research of babies and tv. Research shows that babies need to learn language through people - there are absolutely no benefits for a child's development from tv (sorry baby einstein lovers) and there may even be negative effects. Tell your husband that research shows that if you want your son to read - he needs dad to read to him and he needs to see dad reading on his own. That is the best place to start. Boys love to be like daddy!!! Good luck convincing your husband you are right.

Go with your gut instinct, the baby is just 15 months old. Why rush into something and he can't even speak well yet. Let the baby be what he is....a genious in his own time and a BABY. You will regret rushing him. People come up with this stuff to get your money. Be careful, you may produce a couch potato. :-0