Infant Your Baby Can Read - Joliet, IL

one of my daycare parents got this and had me try it out with the kids. It was a total waste of money and wouldn't even help my 1st grader read let alone a baby. It did not hold the attention of any kids let alone the babies.

Hi J.,

There are different way to learn to read. These programs teach you to look at the word as a whole and recognize it. It starts with the matching picture and word and then you take away the picture and the baby recognizes the word. It's basically a matching game, not really reading. I would recommend waiting and teaching phonics when the child is 4 or 5, or maybe as early as 3. That is when they are more ready to make sounds and sound blends. It is better when they can read out loud and make the sounds and you can see their progress and correct any errors. Later (even as adults) they will be able to sound out big words.

Whole word VS. phonics is a big debate and I recently heard that only 1 in 4 public elementary schools teach phonics, but it is proven as a better way to learn and develop a lifelong love of reading. Those who learn phonics also tend to be better spellers and better at reading comprehension (they don't NEED pictures in the books to know what is happening in the story). Why don't the schools teach phonics? I have no idea, but my guess is that it is more time consuming.

One of the BEST ways to build excitement and readiness for true reading is to read to your child as much as possible. Make soft baby books and board books available to them to look at as they desire. Read aloud, read aloud, read aloud! And let them see you reading. My youngest is 17 months and she is not talking but only babbling, yet she see's my book and tries to say "book" (comes out "bup"!). Hope this helps!

I agree with some of the other cautious posters and add some of my own experience. I suspect my son was reading at about 1-1/2, but knew for sure at 2 when he started talking (late talker). I never did any "programs" with him. I did, however, read to him A LOT, simply because it was enjoyable for us both. He also so me reading A LOT. Another thing I think played a part was the "Fridge Phonics" by Leapfrog, which I got because he LOVED letters.

I think that a child reading, when they are ready, is a terrific thing. However, I would be cautious when "teaching". I always follow my sons lead. We have been doing many, many things together - exposure to a lot of different experiences - and then see what (if anything) comes of it. I think if it is "forced" (not at all saying you would do that), it is much less beneficial and may cause the child to turn away from what you are trying to teach. Believe me, if they are interested in early learning, they will take you through many paths and pick up a ton in the process!

Also, keep in mind what your end goal is. Why do you want your child to be able to read early? For advanced placement in schools? If yes, remember that the child will not necessarily pick up other things as quickly. Uneven development may be more of a problem than it is worth.

Choosing books becomes a problem as they continue. Books at their "reading level" may contain things they may not be able to handle yet.

The above being said, I have to agree with some of the other posters and recommend staying away from "flash card" programs but to regularly read to your child. I still do, every day, even though he can read things himself. Go to the library and get new and interesting books in a topic they show an interest in. For us, it started with letters and cats (I swear my son could learn ANYTHING if it involved cats)! I also recommend The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease and I found a book on learning to read by Mem Fox interesting also (don't remember the name). I checked both of these books out of the library. Good luck!

How lucky your baby is, to have a mom who cares so much about learning. I am a reading/special educator and would like to discourage you from engaging in a program to teach early reading. If kids aquire the skill naturally from stimulation and reading without instruction, then their brain is ready. My daughter read at 3, but without any programs, flashcards etc. The problem is that schools will never be able to keep up with that advanced level of instruction, so it causes issues. Also, some of my students whose moms used these programs developed language delays that lasted long into life. Perhaps the brain is supposed to develop reading and speech in a progression, and we "short circuit" the process. Playing games and just engaging the child in activity is the best education you can give, so save your money, and have fun!

As a teacher and fellow mom...just have fun! The kids are in school for so long, let her play and have fun...which is how their brains learn anyway!

On a side note...a friend of mine did all that stuff with her now 2nd grader...turned out she couldn't even see the cards and was given glasses at a later age...so all that was for nothing!

Just have fun...you do not need more stress in your life!

As a rule, I would avoid these sort of products. They are typically both pricey and ineffective. Products that claim to tutor or teach kids to master academic skills before they are developmentally ready are marketed to parents such as yourself and others who have great intentions in wanting the best for their child and in wanting their child to be ahead of the game, so to speak. They can actually do more harm than good, however. Study after study has shown that young children learn more through daily parent-child reading, play, and constructive interactions with their environment than they would through structured learning programs that involve flash cards, workbooks, tutoring, video/computer games, etc. The time and energy spent on these structured activities is time away from activities that foster the more productive, natural, real-world learning a child needs to progress. As such I would invest instead in quality, versatile (multi-use), age appropriate toys, made of good natural materials that inspire a child's sense of creativity and exploration. A few internet sites I have purchased my daughter's (4 yrs) toys from over the years, include: Magic Cabin, Hearthsong and Zebra Hall amongst others. I also purchase her toys from independent, small neighborhood toy stores. And of course, I do occasionally shop at Target/Toys 'R' Us, etc. for her toys, but even then I tend to gravitate toward the more creative, imaginative play-type toys (Schleich animal figures, wooden toy instruments, etc.) than the loud/over-stimulating, plastic, single-use toys. Also, be wary of books and toys that use children's favorite commercial characters to sell a particular item, as the item may be more of a marketing gimmick than a quality toy that promotes learning and exploration. And, CLEARLY I would also invest in quality children's books to read with your child daily, which I'm sure you are already doing. Your child's pre-literacy and literacy skills will improve more through this approach than through any other. I also find that talking to and eventually conversing with your child from infancy onward increases their comprehension and verbal acuity. Best of luck!!

Hi,
A question, what is the purpose of a baby learning how to read so early? It seems like children are expected to do things earlier and earlier and they aren't allowed to just be kids anymore. I think once children get to school, the stress of school and afternoon activities begins early enough. So why start ealier? I just can't see a reason why an 18 month old should start reading. Let them play and discover the world and just be happy! :)

If junk programs like this *really* worked, wouldn't every daycare in America be using them? I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any child caregivers sitting their babies in front of a tv for hours on end watching videos.

Your baby learns how to talk first and later read by listening to you and modeling your habits. Read, read, read to your child.

Didn't read all the responses, but I very much agree with Laura's response. I had not heard of this program, but the RED FLAGS to me are the video and word flash cards. It is teaching matching, not reading. It is not really learning, but rather memorization. I am a big fan of phonics, and things along those lines of learning progressively, so they are learning how to learn really, as opposed to just memorizing. With phonics, they'll learn to sound out new words and why words are written the way they are...not so with teaching through matching like this. I wouldn't do it because of those red flags of video (studies show overwhealmingly that screen time lowers attention span and increases impulsivity) and word flash cards (as it's memorization focused as opposed to learning sounds and how the sounds are put together to form words.

I've seen the infomercials. Very tempting but it costs way too much. They had hooked on phonics before that is supposed to help a child learn to read earlier. A friend had it and her kids did learn earlier but not at 18 months.
I think you could save money by putting together your own books and such. I had a video for my kids years ago that had the phonetics of the letters and they could say and recognize them before preschool but that was about it. I know not much help but I have asked around and no one I've talked to even heard of the infomercials.

I know we want the best for our children...but why must they read at 18 months old???? Personally, cuddling up with with my daughter when she was an infant/toddler and reading Dr. Seuse's ..."The Foot Book" to the present.... she is now in 8th grade and has an awesome love for reading and always has a book at her side. It's just how you introduce it to your children. The more they see you read, as a parent, the more desirable it will become for them. How much does your 8 year old love to read? Good luck.

I think it's great that you are excited about your child and their educational needs. This being said most of the things you can aquire in a costly educaion program you can do yourself. Also their is a process at which the order of learning should happen as this is how their little brains handle it. Such as physical tracking is followed by tracking words on paper. Make sure you have a good blend of language, reading, counting, colors, shapes and physical activity. The physical part is a big reason you will see K-2 teachers on the playground alot as there is not that much PE and they not only need to run off steam, but also need to have certain body movements down for their brain to accept certain things in learning easier. I would just work on everytime you do something talk to them, read to them, show them pictures and talk about the colors, shapes. Go over the alphabet and their sounds, counting when you get produce at the store. This will enhance their learning while keeping your change in your pocket.

The important thing to teach as early as possible is that learning is fun!! Don't do anything that feels like work to your kids. I don't really think there is any point training (like a seal) a kid to read with some system. If your kid is bright and you expose him to all kinds of learning he will do great.
I have 3 kids: 14,12 and 5. The oldest was reading at 4 or so (before he started kindergarten); number 2 read in second grade and number three started reading (I swear) at 2 years old. Like one of the other responders, he became fascinated with letters (a magnetic set) at 2 and 4 months. He started putting them together to spell words and then noticing all the words in his world and reading them. He now writes quite well too. We did nothing to make this happen - we just followed his lead. Now he is in kindergarten and having fun and doing well.
So they are all different and have their special gifts. Just figure out what turns them on and follow it! Good luck.

I can't say if it would work, but do you really want it too. Let the little on be a baby, don't push ahead too fast. Maybe check out the book, 'A Child's Work' by Vivian Gussin Paley. Especially the chapter "Big 'A' and Little 'a'.

Hello,

I did purchase it and I would recommend it. However, do your homework to see if you can find it cheaper. I paid a lot of money and then I have seen it cheaper on ebay and also in a catalog for usborne books that one of my friends gave me. I bought the whole package with the different levels. Maybe see if you can buy just the first level so you don't pay so much.

It does work pretty good if you are consistent and do it every day. I don't think that my son is going to "read" by 18 months but I don't really know how to teach him myself so I am trying anything I can to give him a little head start. I do really believe that the best time to teach kids to read is between the ages of birth and five. I know that when I was little, my mom never knew that and didn't think I could really benefit from books at such a young age. I think that is so sad. Good luck.