My Baby Can Read - Austin,TX

Even IF babies can be trained to read the word on a card - developmentally they are NOT able to put meaning to the words. That is a skill that comes later. Let babies learn and complete the developmental milestones they are supposed to... walking, talking, gross and fine motor skills - like blocks and feeding themselves.... reading WILL come in time!!

I bought the ENTIRE system--books, flashcards, videos, etc--and, it didn't work. My son could not and would not sit to watch it. They emphasize that the child HAS TO sit and watch or they won't learn it. I still show it to him, but he hasn't learned to read one word, yet. Truly, for us, it was a waste of 200.00+ dollars.

B.

The one thing that disturbed me on the commercials is that they claim you don't even need to read to your baby, or do any work, the program does that. I think that's sad. Children love to be read to. It teaches them a love for books, for stories, mysteries and putting events together. If they just memorize words they won't develop a love for reading. The one person I know who bought it wished she hadn't.

I'm a mom and I'm also in the field of education. The problem with this program is that while sure, the baby can "read", they are only memorizing a word on a card. What happens is that when it comes to actually reading the word within the context of a sentence, most kids won't recognize the word.

Use the money to buy some really fun books for your kiddo. Then read them to him. You will get much better results!

I have never tried My Baby Can Read dvd. However, I saw the commercial and was wondering to myself "What's the rush? Why is it so important for a baby to read?" I wouldn't have too much faith in this. Save your $20 for a really nice fun toy instead. I had a hard enough time getting my child to read in Kindergarten and I cannot imagine what it would've been like getting him to read sooner. Don't worry, your child will reach all the milestones eventually when he is ready. In the meantime, have some fun and games.

J., To tell you the truth that commercial kind of freaks me out. When do our kids get to be kids anymore? They aren't supposed to read at 18 months. Buy books and teach your child to love to read. Read to them while they are wide awake and not just at bedtime. Teach them letters and their sounds. Enjoy the process together. This wasn't out when my son was very small so we did it the old fashioned way. Actually, studies have shown that by about 3rd grade the kids all even out in their reading abilities so what's the rush to have your child reading before pre-school? Send your child to a great Pre-k and a T-k program at 4 years of age. Enjoy the process of learning to read together, not just watching a dvd. The bonding experience is wonderful!!

I think someone asked about this a little while back and while I don't remember the specific responses, they were generally negative. And I've heard that the kids aren't actually learning to read, they're just memorizing what certain words look like. For example, show the baby the word "head" and the baby points to her head. WHOA! THAT KID CAN READ! Well, try showing that same baby the word "hear"...chances are she'll point to her head. And I think a teacher said that it actually interferes with the child's ability to learn phonics later on (which is REALLY what learning to read is all about). Again, no expert here, just relaying what I've heard, but there's no way I'd spend money on such a ridiculous program. The best way to help your child is to read to them, let them see YOU reading, have books around the house, play letter and phonics games with them, and foster a love of books and reading from a young age. With all that in place, once your child is ready to read, it will be easy!

Most ridiculous thing ever. I get skeeved out every time that commercial comes on.

I'm sorry but why do babies need to read? We read to our baby. It was important. She loved it and we did too.

Now she is 5 and in an advanced reading group in kindegarten.

I have your baby can read and to be honest, I decided not to use it because it teaches how to sight read, not phonics, which is the right way to learn.
Check out Leap Frog The Letter Factory! It's SUPER! it's for ages 2+, but I starting showing it to my daughter at 3.5...what is the rush anyway, right! Oh, It only costs $13 at Walmart. First go to your local library and rent it. I promise your little one will love it!

I haven't had any experience with this product, but just wanted to say that I never would had I had the chance. I agree with Colette who said when do our kids get to be kids anymore? They're babies; there's no rhyme or reason for them to know how to read at such a young age. They can't comprehend what they're reading, so what's the point? My opinion is to just let your baby be a baby and when they're old enough to learn AND comprehend, THEN let the teaching begin. Right now, just enjoy them. Trust me, the "babyhood" doesn't last nearly long enough.

The other question to ask is "why is it important for a baby to read?" As parents, we want the best for our child and the idea of "reading early" is a very appealing one, as literacy is key to future success in life. The risk is that a program such as this, which is not age appropriate, will turn off a child to a love of reading early in life. Focus upon developmentally appropriate activities that will lead to the development of literacy. Here are a number of articles that will provide additional background on the topic of child reading & literacy.
http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2010/02/03/...

It doesnt matter if it works or not. By the time they reach kindergarten or first grade, they all even out.
If a baby reads at one because of this product, doesnt "equal" them out at five. Your kiddo is only as smart as they are.....
No offense, ....my kid is average too.

M;)

My 3 year old can read. My son started the Your Baby Can Read program at 8 months old. I was skeptical at first, but stuck with it (albeit not that consistently). When he started to speak, it became clear that he could read. By 2 and a half he was reading words he had clearly never seen before. The best example I can think of is that my mom asked him what was printed on a toy. His answer "Fisher-Price Activity Center". He may not know what the bigger words mean, but he can decode them. I had him tested this past week to determine his reading level and he got to about half way through the third grade reading list before he got bored and ran off. So... yes. It does work. But not alone. People buy this set thinking it will make their children smart with no effort. Kids learn the most important lessons from their parents. And I try to teach mine that learning is fun. Reading is fun. We incorporate reading into everything we do. Most importantly, my son LOVES to read. So I say that the $200 flat fee on the Your Baby Can Read website is well worth it. I hear they sell it at Walmart and Bed Bath and Beyond now too.

If you care: Leap Frog phonics DVDs are awesome and so are all the Preschool Prep Company DVDs (Meet the Letters, Shapes, Numbers, Sight Words etc.)

I have the YOUR BABY CAN READ set and I love it. My daughter is 15 months and loves the cards and DVDs. Although we got the full set including Italian and Spanish and it was all about $250. I don't know if its the same thing because mine certainly didn't cost $19.95. However, you can find sets on e-bay for a good price. I just wanted a new set. We do really like it.

I don't agree with that a lot of people are saying because my daughter can absolutely pick out a duck or cow in another book or sentence and make the sounds that the animal makes. She is not able to pronunciate the words yet, but still very much recognizes the words and pictures. When we are out in public she also can recognize what the animals are and other stuff.

No where does it say that this is a substitute for teaching your child to read and in fact it encourages you to read other materials to your baby. This is very important. My child loves books. The cards are not just words, they are words with pictures of what the word means, so they do actually learn the meaning of the word. The dvds are not all little girls either. There is a mixture of boys and girls. I have a girlfriend who's child also loves the program.

It is not a fix to the natural and other developmental teaching process, but like another writer mentioned, it's better than watching cartoons.

Hard to say,,the children at my aunts house would not pay attetion so, it all depends...wondering if it does work

My husband got it for our son, but it's really not $19.95 we got charged 2 or 3 payments of $65. So my opinion it's not worth that much. Our son really didn't want to watch it. the videos are just a little girl doing the whole video and it's really slow and boring. I truthfully wouldn't get it, but now i'm stuck with it.

Dang it! I was really looking forward to reading your replies on this! I've been wondering the same thing. Wake up Mama's AND respond!

Good advice from lots of posters - but I'd like to add that you have to remember that little boys and girls learn differently. And little boys do not have the brain capacity at that age for speech that girls do. That is why more girls can read before kindergarten and you will find more boys in remedial reading levels. Our brains are just different. I'm not sure if they sell one for girls and one for boys, but there are big differences in the ways that they learn -not just reading. It is something that our schools don't take into account enough and just want to teach everyone the same way. So I think it's a great thing for parents to learn about so that they can "supplement" school and other teaching with ways that they know are effective for their child. Not only boy/girl differences, but each childs learning style. Are they a tactile learner and have to see and then do? Or can they simply read and follow instructions. There is lots of good information on the internet about the learning styles of the newer generations and I encourage all parents to check it out!! With my grandchildren (ages 9-6 mo.) I try to incorporate learning into everything we do. Colors, numbers, rhyming, etc. - it makes it fun for them because they think its a game - but its just helping them learn and reinforcing what they are learning in school. One more thing - I've heard that in the early years a childs brain can only focus on "one" major task at a time. So if they are just learning to walk, they may stop talking for a bit. If they are learning to talk - they may regress in another area for a short while. Don't let these things freak you out - but help them with whatever it is that you think they are focusing on at the time and as soon as they get that down, the others will come back. Good luck to all you wonderful moms & dads out there!! (And grandmoms & granddads!! of course)

I have to agree with the other mamas. Use the 19.95 for some great books for your darling baby. I also wanted to add my two cents on reading in general. Make sure you read to your baby, toddler, pre-schooler, kindergartener, school age kids. It's great for vocab development and reading comprehension (stop and ask questions about the story and what they think might happen next --verbal kids of course) My son hated reading, but loved me reading to him. He is now 11 and his teacher complained to me that he is rushing through his other work to... read!!! I did a happy dance right there on the playground. Good habits and behaviors early will eventually lead to success.

Love you mamas wanting to give your kids a good start.
S.

We use it. My 2 year old loves it. She watches it once a day, sings along with it, and says the words. We don't expect her to learn to read from it at this age, however, it's better than watching cartoons. We do read to her from lots of books daily. She loves it. Now she sits down with a book and calls out what she sees by herself. I don't think it is as bad as some have made it out to be. She is learning from it, and that's the object. We are with her when she watches it, not used as a babysitter.

It's helpful but be mindful your child has to watch more of the videos than regular t.v. to teach him or her. it has cards and books. I have really enjoyed Your Baby Can Read. It is for you to decide if you can be committed to making sure your child learns and watches the videos, look at the books (with you) etc.... My daughter is not a tv person but she looks at the video and sings the songs. Make sure you are interacting with your child at all times through the video and not just sit them in front of the t.v. and say watch this, if they miss more than 3 days they may have a hard time watching it again but try any way because my daughter watches it still. and she is only one. It's nice to see and hear your child saying hippopatamus and some adults can't say it.
Over all. I like it, my child is only one and I realize learning is a working progress that never stops. So what ever you do don't give up teaching and learning even as an adult.

Ms. Q

I asked our speech therapist about it and she recommended Signing Times. Children tend to learn speech better and quicker when accompanied with sign language. I noticed on the commercials for My Baby Can Read that it kind of looked like they were signing too.