Reviews on My Baby Can Read

I've seen it, it looks like it's mostly memorization.
I have "school" with my 3 and 2 yr old and each day we learn a different letter. everytime we go out my boys can recognize their letters and can even spell several words.

Hi, V.. I have not used this product, but I do have an opinion on such things. As a mother who has made this kind of mistake, I truly do not think it's a good idea for any parent to push his or her child to perform stuff that's way above and beyond the norms for the child's age group. The exception to this is the child who is extraordinarily gifted and talented, such as kids who are musical prodigies or born olympic athletes. But those kids don't need that much pushing; they have a drive to do certain things, and they end up pushing the parents to help them succeed.

It's wonderful to expose a baby to colors, shapes, songs, stories, and loving attention, all of which will prepare the baby's wonderful brain to read some day. But I really object to the "Your Baby Can Read" sort of thing. Actually, the baby isn't reading in any meaningful way, but just performing a trick, sort of like getting the child to do a funny trick like jumping up and down or whatever, but the baby isn't understanding what he or she is reading. Even though everyone is very impressed with a baby reading a word or a sentence, it doesn't mean that learning to recognize words on paper will make the child a scholar or that the child will become a good reader with good comprehension. The parents' egos benefit, but I don't think the child does in the long run.

In fact, I have a horrible feeling that if a child learns to recognize words that early, he or she might get bored with it and stop wanting to read before actually learning what reading is truly about. Plus, a child who enters kindergarten or first grade already knowing how to sound out words is going to be at odds with all the other children who are just learning to knock vowels and consonants together.

Now, I am not saying that everyone has to conform to the same average level. I learned how to read very, very quickly once I learned my alphabet and learned that each letter represents a sound. I basically taught myself to read. I was way ahead of the rest of the kids in my class throughout elementary school, and there were actually teachers who disliked me for that. No one pushed me to read; that's probably why I loved it so much. If I had to do it to please my parents and get their applause, I don't know if I would have learned to love it. Probably not, because I am the kind of person who hates to be pushed to do things. Encouragement is wonderful, but when people pressure me, I tend to close myself off to them and to the thing they are trying to push me to do. Eventually, all kids go through a rebellious stage and stop wanting to do what their parents want. I'd hate to think that a child would rebel against reading just to spite his or her parents!

My last thought on the subject is this: Why are people trying to make "superbabies" out of their infants? Childhood flies by so quickly, especially these days when marriages end in divorce and the economy robs us all of the opportunites to just be together and do fun things as a family. I don't think it's good at all to try to get a child to mature faster than he or she is naturally inclined to mature. How can it be good to accelerate childhood? I don't believe in cutting childhood short. I made that mistake with my own son, and we both paid the price. Children need to be children, not little performing machines. So I, personally, would not use that product. There are better ways of helping a child reach his or her full potential at the right stage in life.

Anyway, these are my two cents' worth.

Peace,
Syl

Hi V.,

Ok so I bought the whole set back in Nov., if you go to their website you can buy all the DVDs alone for I think $60-70. But I am going to make a HUGE suggestion I think for less than $20 you can buy the first DVD. Buy that one and see if your son will watch them, they are sort of boring and my 17 month old will not sit or even pier at them. If I could do it all over again I would have started these DVDs way back when he was a infant, in lieu of those Baby Einstein DVDs. Another suggestion, my son LOVES this show it is on PBS and it is called “Super Why” same premise as these DVDs they do letters and words. Now I feel that show has taught him more than the DVDs, they sing the ABCs several times and they sing it different than I have ever heard it before and my son hums along he has the tune down pat. Another cute PBS show is “Sid the science kid” I know it is way over his head but he loves all the songs and he will sit and I mean sit threw both of these shows start to finish. About once or twice a week I try and run the Your baby can read DVD but he just leaves the room or finds something else to do and pays no mind to it. I hope this helps, please know I do not regret buying them as the next child will start them much earlier on and I think that is the key. Unfortunately my son has a personality now and he knows what he likes and doesn’t like.

Now I have not tried or even looked into the program V. mentioned but I can say on a lot of the home schooling web sites all the moms give it great reviews…that will be my next course of action if the Your baby can read program does not catch on…

Oh also in the mean time there is a website www.starfall.com that is so cute they have a super cute way of teaching the letters, my son asks to do his “leder” (letters) a couple of times a day. I click threw the site but he sits on my lap and watches. We started with the letters in his name…its just a fun way to reinforce the letters, I don’t know how much he is really understanding, but I feel it is better than nothing, and he LOVES it…

HTH?????

Yes, yes, yes, it definitely works. My son, I thought was delayed in speaking. It was just that he wasn't ready yet because he's not around a lot of children his own age. Well, I bought the "Your Baby Can Read" package and yes, it works!!! My son even knows how to read his shows that come on when I have the digital cablebox guide channel on. If he sees his shows he gets excited and wants me to turn it there. He's only 2 1/2. I can show him the cards they provide with the program and he reads the word before he sees the picture. The program is kind of expensive but if you have a slow talker, it's well worth it. We also write his name and when I wrote his name one day I asked him what it was. To my surprise, he said, "that's me". He knew that was his name. Besides the shows he likes to watch, i.e., Litle Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Blue's Clues and Super Why, these DVDs he begs for. He loves learning and singing the songs. I catch him singing when I'm not looking, all the time. I like the DVDs because they are innocent unlike some of the cartoons and shows you have these days. Some of them have some very mean things in them. You have to be choosy on what they look at. Even with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger has a speech impediment and makes up words. Sorry but I don't want my child, at such a young age picking up those habits because these little children are sponges.

From an educator perspective. Children can learn to read, but the parts of their brains that allow them to process each part of reading comes at different stages. The toddler and preschool stage has so much in store for them. They are learning all about relationships, rules, order, and how to place them selves in society. They are also asking questions questions questions. You can encourage early reading skills by helping your child find excitement in finding familiar shapes and colors. Ev en as early as 15 months, can we start to say "Circle" Look honey, I see a circle...then show him. You can advance this to colors and other simple shapes. If it gets too complicated, he will struggle with being right and will lose his confidence. We used to talk about letters in the grocery store and when we walked through the parking lot on license plates. We learned the letters of their name, but putting my childs name on everything, even their placemat at restaurants and I would write it slowly and say each letter. Also read read read, use your finger to follow along with the words. All of these steps are slowly absorbed and your child will learn to read without frustration and pressure. Most boys can grasp the concept by 5 to 6 years old, some girls can learn earlier. I had two kids who struggled with it and finally became good readers at age 6 the other one was barely 3. The youngest is three today and really has no interest. Her interest is in learning how to say EVERYTHING in spanish...so that's where we are helping her, in what she's interested in. I do print out each spanish word to show her the letters and we sound it out to figure out how to pronounce it, so she's getting a reading lesson regardless.

I've seen the info-mercials and wondered too. But I haven't bought them because my boys are already doing great with reading without it. My 4 year old has been reading since he was 2.5 years old and is now reading at a 1st grade level. And my other son is 2.5 years old is just starting to sound out words and recognize some easy words.

What did we do? We watched many sign language movies from about 9 months of age. Each of them said the word, showed the word, showed the sign, and a picture of the word. Then when my oldest was about 18 months, we started watching "The Letter Factory" by Leap Frog. He hated the movie at first but I kept it on and let it play over and over again. Kids love repetition and pretty soon he was humming the words to the songs and started watching it. Once he knew all the letters of his alphabet (and not just the alphabet song), we got him the next movie in the series "The Talking Words Factory". This DVD keeps all the same characters (each alphabet letter has its own character and personality) as the first movie and adds to the phonics they have already learned. And put together simple 3 letter words and an introduction to blended sounds like "sh" and "st". Then we had to get "The Code Words Factory" where they teach more 4 letter words and the "silent e", "when 2 vowels go walking the first one does the talking" and one other "code" that I cannot recall.
They also have "The Talking Storybook Factory" and "Math Circus" DVD's. So now my just turned 4 year old walks around the house spouting off math equations "3+3+3=9" and 8-2=6". He loves to write his math stuff while he colors with crayons and often writes the words that he has learned across his coloring picture. So for us, we got the end result with Leap Frog DVD's and I always have them "show off" in front of other people and then proudly share my "secret". Many moms have gotten the Leap Frog DVD's on my recommendation and had similar results.

Just wanted to recommend some reading before you decide on a learning program for your baby.
Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn--and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Lesshttp://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Never-Used-Flashcards-Lear...

There is so much research about using playing to teach vs exercises and flashcards and they bring a lot of it together in one book.
Here's an excerpt from a summary:
"Instead of pushing preschoolers into academically oriented programs that focus on early achievement, they suggest that children learn best through simple playtime, which enhances problem solving skills, attention span, social development and creativity. "Play is to early childhood as gas is to a car," say Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff, explaining that reciting and memorizing will produce "trained seals" rather than creative thinkers."

I'm just going to throw this out there. Most studies indicate that regardless of what age a child learns to read by the third grade most children are reading at about the same level. It all evens out by then.

In the preschool my children have all attended, most parents freak out if their child is not reading half way through Pre K 4. I read to my daughter from when she was a baby and continued to do so all through Pre K4, when she was the only one that couldn't read yet.

Now in first grade, she is reading at a high second grade level and her teacher comments on her ability to COMPREHEND what she is reading. Many people don't realize that if you push the child to read when they are not ready, it affects them later on in their comprehension levels.

My advice is to relax, read to your child EVERY night and when he is ready he will read (anywhere from 4-6 years old). I have 3 kids and the one thing I've learned is to enjoy the stage they are at and stop rushing to get to the next stage.

Just another way to throw your money away.
Your child will learn to read from your reading to him/her.
Dr. Seuss books are great fun! Try Harry the Dirty Dog. I know it by heart

No. Not familiar with it. But, if you are serious about helping your child learn to read, I CAN suggest "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". I did this program with both our kids. My son, starting a few months before his 4th birthday, and my daughter when she was 3 1/2 yrs. They are both excellent readers. My daughter was especially INTO it. She was reading (with fantastic comprehension!!) before her 4th birthday. I mean, she was picking up books (like Henry and Mudge, or Frog & Toad) and entertaining herself in the car READING. NOT looking at the pictures, or remembering the story. Reading stuff she had never seen before. My son had bit harder time sitting still, but he learned. It only takes about 20-30 minutes per lesson. Depending on your child and how into it they are.
Just what we did.... fwiw

p.s. just wanted to add:
My kids showed interest in reading before I started the lessons. DS was trying to figure out the names off of business signs as we would drive by in the car, among other things. DD learned the alphabet on her own playing with a LeapFrog frog and loves books of all kinds.. and would try to read them to me via memorization of the words. She would yell out "STOP!" when she would see a stop sign, etc. (Also LOVED the I Spy books). Once we finally started, she would bring ME the book and ask "when are we doing my reading lesson?" We would sometimes do 2 in one day... Once she completed the program, her older brother's 2nd grade teacher sent home a stack of outdated school reading books for her to read on her own- because she could and she enjoyed doing it. She was only 4 years old!
The program is great, and gives step by step what to do AND what to SAY (and not do or say) but is not for toddlers. Wait until he is showing an interest. What seemed to promote interest in reading for my kids was lots of exposure to great books! Books were part of naptime and bedtime... all the favorites including almost all of the Dr.Seuss (of course), Winnie the Pooh, and Goodnight Moon from babyhood. DD really wanted to know what to look for in the I Spy ones, and so she wanted to learn to read the words... Also, there is a School Days I Spy book that has the letters of the alphabet, among other school items, and you can look for specific letters. The great thing about the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" plan, is that they don't even need to know the alphabet. They learn what SOUNDS they represent first, then teach the names that go with them closer to the end of the book. Even teaches them how to write them! You can get it in Barnes & Noble (or you can just flip through it) for about $20, but I recommend getting it online where you can get it for less than $10, and still in great shape. There is no writing done IN the workbook. We used a magna-doodle to do the writing that they practice.
15 months is too early for anything like this... but I would look into it when he is closer to 3 yrs. In the meantime, read, read, read to him so he associates books with fun and comfort! That's the one splurge we have never denied our kids. If they wanted to buy a book.. YES. Some cheap toy... don't need that. Already have enough of that.
They are 10 & 7 yrs now, and we STILL read a bedtime story almost every night.

My son is 20 months old and knows all of his letters, numbers, and shapes. We are working on colors. He learned them all at about 17 months old using the series from preschool prep co. They are called "meet the letters" "meet the numbers" "Meet the shapes" and "meet the colors" and can be ordered from preschoolprep.com. He absolutely LOVES them and still cries to watch them everyday. He has recently started liking the leap frog video "the letter factory" and pretty much knows all the letter sounds now too. The preschool prep videos will only work at this young age. Older kids would not find them entertaining. I think my son loved it so much because it was like learning new easy to pronounce words everyday.

Hey V., I did purchase the whole set. The problem is that they recommend showing the videos to your baby at least twice daily. I work part-time, so on the days that I do work this is impossible. I like the concept, and I think if you're able to show the video as often as recommended it would make a difference. My 15 month old is so busy that he won't just sit and watch the entire video continuously. He likes to walk around while the video is playing, so he doesn't get the full benefit. Good luck. I'm gonna keep trying the video. I'm sure any little bit will help.