Your Baby Can Read - What's Your Experience?? Any Thoughts?

I also saw the infomercial and suddenly felt like a "bad" parent for not having it. I posted a question about this and got feedback from a few teachers who said that the wau the program teaches kids to read is by memorizing and it makes it hard for teachers to teach the children to actually read in school. I started to read by 3 on my own because my parents read to me all the time, so I am doing that with my son.

I borrowed them from the New York Public Library in the city to see what they are about. They suggest repeat showing of the video. It's a lot of time in front of the TV. But at least it's educational.

Congratulations to you for being so motivated!! I agree w. a lot of these posts that it's unnecessary for a baby to read. I think it's hard on mother and child to make time for something like this, plus I actually think the emphasis on early child education is a marketing ploy to sell product, because they know moms are interested in the subject. I don't really think all toys being educational in nature is a good thing.

I am going to confess something bad- I only read to my kids a few times a week. This may be terribly unpopular to say, but I actually think the public schools do a great job at education. There's no way my kids are going to go through public schools and not get an education. Call me naive, but I had a great experience in public schools and have done more than alright for myself and my family.

relax and enjoy. Life is too short!!!

My son has been using the program since he was 17 mos old (for just over a month now). He can read and say the word hi and says the word eyes when the card is flashed to him also. He waves and starts to sing some of the songs also. He loves the videos and they only tell you to watch the videos twice a day and they are not that long so I would not be worried about time in front of the tv. He loves books also so we do a lot of reading to him as well.
Not a lot of time investment. Started at 17 mos. It costs over $100 for the materials. Just watch the videos twice a day, read the books to the baby, flash cards etc...I don't think that it is too much time personally and my son enjoys it. I don't think he feels pressured either. I think he actually feels proud he can say the words. I would suggest it to a friend. Babies are hungry to learn. Any way you can do this, I feel will be beneficial to them.

i dont know why you would want your baby to read, other than its cool to tell people. i dont think it is necessarily a bad thing, if you both have lots of fun doing it, then i suppose its all good. but in my opinion, that time and energy is much better spent on cultivating a love of books and stories and reading. read books together, lovingly, cuddlingly, laughingly, animatedly, make it a special happy exciting fun soothing bonding time. nothing replaces a love of reading, and i feel that forcing it on them is one of the quickest ways to destroy it. and once its gone, its really really hard to get back. just have fun. if you want to invest more in reading, just buy more books, word/letter toys, flash cards, whatever is fun, and do it more often. go to the bookstore/library together and have fun. also.. and i get a lot of different opinions on this and it depends on your kid, but my feeling for us and my son, who is in kindergarten now and learning to read.... i am a teacher and could have easily taught him to read before going to school (not that you neccesarily have to be a teacher to do that).. but i didnt because i know my kid and i know that most of K (in my district) is focused on teaching them to read. and knowing my son, i know that if he is bored, he will get into trouble. i wanted him to learn along with the class. which he did and he is so proud and focused and loves it. i taught along with them, of course, and enriched, etc, but i stayed just about on track with their curriculum... ok, maybe just a touch ahead ;) ... it has been a very positive experience and he loves school and loves reading like crazy, he always has and i will do everything in my power to be sure he always does. if i had to choose one single thing as the best predictor of success in school, right after parent involvement and support, i would choose love of reading. not excellence in reading, but a love of reading. ok, thats my 2 cents :)

Read books to your kids. Point out objects and items and use full sentences when you talk to your children. Play is very important! Setting up a play kitchen w/ your little one provides hours of fun...and learning! Think of all the vocabulary words we use when we read to kids and play.

I wouldn't invest in it.

Kids learn to read between the ages of 3 and 7 (NOT many at 3). Let your son learn to read when it's time. Most preschools are very academic now.

Read the book, "The Hurried Child" by David Elkind.

Rhymes, finger plays, stories and play all provide the background for reading.

With my kids (ages 4-5), I cut labels off of boxes and old book covers (they knew the titles of) and put them in a big bowl. They saw the pictures and thought they were "reading".

More than a little interested too
Thanks for asking
God bless you and your family
K.

Mindy T said, "Let your child's teachers worry about teaching him to read." I disagree. You are your childs best teacher... the parent. To many times parents put the responsibility on other people. Children want to learn and teaching them when they are so young is smart. Babies can learn different languages under age 5! I say do what you feel is right, if you want to invest in the program do it. (Ive seen it on tv too, I actually saw one program like it that only cost 14.95.) I wouldn't put my daughter in from of tv though I'd rather do play time and lots of fun books. I think you could make picture flashcards fun as long as your focus is lets have fun and learn and not... I hope she knows the word _____ by next week.

My husband purchased it for our 2 year old & we love it. My son really enjoys watching the video & learning from it. Worth the money

My daughter watched these tapes from 7 mths old - 3 yrs old and after turning 4 yrs old now, she still can not "read". Having said that, she does have amazing skills in souding out words and knowing nearly what every single word starts with (the 1st letter) by sounding it out. And was speaking full sentences clearly and amazingly well w/ a big vocabulary before she was 2 yrs old.

But who knows if this came from my husband and I reading books to her every day + night at the same time, and the amazing pre-school that she's been going to as well.

Basically, I would just say don't expect your kids to actually "read" after watching these DVD's.....the DR. who created these did flash cards with his kids constantly and invested a LOT of time in teaching them...

Other than that, it can't hurt, right? (As long as they only watch about 1 hour a day TOPS as pediatricians don't recommend the watching of TV by any kid under 2 yrs old)...

Goodluck!

I have not used this program either. But since my son was an infant, I've always read to him. I also am a big book reader. So now, he's 5 and in kindergarten but reads at a 3rd grade reading level. His teachers have always said his reading and spelling skills are exceptional. I completely agree with the teacher that posted earlier. Save your money, it's in our hands to bring them to a higher level. We didn't have this in the 70s or even the 80s and I think a lot of us did ok. Good luck!

Save your money!! Just sit and read to your children. That's all they need. My son (2 years old) has always loved books so we sit and read all the time, and he can recognize every letter of the alphabet. In my honest opinion, products like those are nonsense. All you need is good ol' fashioned books and some quality time!
Lynsey

I totally agree with Cherie. Children develop by you spending time with them, loving them and reading to them. They don't need flashcards and videos. This kind of this is in my opinion a waste of time and may actually hurt your child in the longrun as their brains are not ready at such an early age to learn in that way. There are so many other ways to give your kids an "edge" and this is not it.

My friend just got this for her 20 month old, but my question is, WHY do you want your baby to read?!! What's the hurry?! Personally, I think it would hinder their imagination. Right now, my 25 month old LOVES to go to the library, choose a book and "read it" - meaning, she looks at the pictures and makes up her own story about what is happening. I think that is the best thing ever for her, and if she were able to read, she wouldn't do that anymore. Ever. And that would be a horrible thing to do to her.

Just curious about why on earth you'd WANT your baby to read? -J. B

Hi K.,
I don't know this program, but as someone who has 2 kids and works in the elementary school setting, I'd say save your money. Babies don't need to know how to read, they need to play freely and experiment. Unless you homeschool your children, I wouldn't recommend a reading program. Teaching kids to read before they start school is actually a disadvantage. Most of the kindergarten and first grade curriculum is literacy based, it's about teaching kids to read. Those who enter school with this type of reading training are often bored, and also, they may have picked up certain habits that are not in conjunction with what is being taught in school. In our district, the PAF program is used for reading instruction. One of those at-home programs probably doesn't teach what your child will learn in school.
Foster a love for reading as you probably did wit your older two, by reading to them and exposing them to books. Let your child's teachers worry about teaching him to read.

K.,

Your baby needs you for the first few years to play with him. If you give him ABC's and 123's during this time that's great, but actually learning to read before age 3 - how much context would he really understand to 'read'? I too asked the same question, should I be hurrying him along to read, and what I received from several homeschooling moms along the way was: Play. They will learn so much more from real life than a book at this point.

Stand with him in your arms and point to everything within the radius of your body (within reason), name it twice and spell it. Cat. Dog. Chair. Don't make it complicated, the little guy's brain is expanding pretty fast right now. help him make neural pathways that love your voice and attention and the context of things. You'll do great with that and he'll love it. Your older ones will benefit also.

Good luck,
M.

I have a friend who used this with her son starting at 3 months; he is now 18 months and has been "reading" and talking since 11.5 months. Makes me wish I used the program for my son, who is 19 months and has very few words! I caveat this by saying that I think my son is doing just fine, however I's be lying if I didn't admit that I'm a bit jealous of my friend's child's accomplishments. I give her and her husband credit, though, for contributing to his smarts from their gene pool! Doesn't sound like the Your Baby Can Read program hurt one bit -- who knows if it helped; and it wasn't a big time investment from what I understand. I have a 3 month old son that I'm considering using this for; still on the fence. Am curious to read other mommies' posts. :)

There have been some recent studies that show that pushing our children to fast could actually hinder their development later. I am of the believe that children need to develop in stages. Infants need to develop a sense of security through love. Once they feel secure they are able to develop naturally. Pre-school is a time for exploration and play; this helps in the development of creativity. Without creativity we would not have any great thinkers in the world.

Children learn best from example. If you you read and have a love of books, there is a good chance this will pass on to your child. You could also bring your children to the local library. Often the library has programs to interest your child in reading.

One good book that discussing pushing our children is called "Under Pressure" by Carl Honore. It is a good read. It can be purchased at Amazon or borrowed from the library. Here is the authors website http://www.carlhonore.com/?page_id=5

All the best,

I am not familiar with this program but as a mum of a reading 3 yr old I would suggest you just read to your child. My son recognized letters and their sounds by 2.5yrs and was recognizing words by 3. He is now 3.5 and reads wonderfully, he is currently reading this post as I type it! Admittedly my son would always gravitate to letters. We read to him daily from 4months of age. We read for over an hour most days in his second year. It is a wonderful confidence boost skill!