Monday, April 14, 2008

Review: Your Baby Can Read

Reading is the most enjoyable part of our day. Well, mostly. Not when my twin daughters fight over who gets to turn the page or what book we'll read. But when they really get into a story and laugh and point at the pictures, it's perfect and just how I envisioned my days as a Mama.

So, when I was asked by the Parent Bloggers Network to review Your Baby Can Read Starter DVD and Volume 1 DVD I was pretty excited at the concept.

To read the rest of this review please go here.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sound really intresting!!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I would go, but I'm more intrigued by someone selling something called "Your Baby Can't Read." Now that would be really something to savor.

Anonymous said...

Check this out, there is a company selling a series of DVD's to help the little ones to learn how to read.
They have a really cool web site and i think they are giving away tickets to the San Diego Zoo.

www.takeprideadventurelearning.com

It is pretty neat.

Anonymous said...

I bought the DVD from Takeprideadventurelearning.com and gave it to a friend of mines 4 year old son. He just loves it and uses it for hours. He he really learning with it. I highly recommend it. The graphics are just great. www.takeprideadventurelearning.com

Anonymous said...

I hate to use the term, but "Happy-Horseshit" is the only way to describe getting a baby to sit still long enough or have the ability to comprehend on this level.
If it works for you, GREAT, you've got a freak on your hands...but chances are you've just been fleeced.

Shanaya said...

i do believe in both READING and talking to your child - and then doing the whole 'Your Baby Can Read' program. i mean, the ol' fashion way seems to be working just fine and this program has been getting some good reviews. i am waiting for my dvd set to come in. i read this review and now i have mixed opinions http://www.bestinfomercialblog.com
i guess giving it a try wont hurt!

Anonymous said...

My 11 year old can drive a car....but is he really ready for a drivers license!!?? Seriously, let babies be babies!

Anonymous said...

okay guys I have to tell you. I got this program for my baby and started when he was 5 months old. He was really into it for a few months but now at 14 months he could care less about it. It seems like he's bored. In order for this "Baby Can Read" to work, you have to have the watch a video twice a day and in between that go over flash cards/books/slide card!! Who has time for that!! Trust me it's hard and my son isn't doing anything that the program promised. So,good luck parents. I was so excited to get this program. Like any parent,I want my child to get a head start.

Anonymous said...

"Babies Can Read" is a bad idea!! Don't be deceived by their "this program is a miracle" approach. It is memorization, not reading. When they get into school, they will have a hard time learning the right way. This could be very discouraging. I would recommend "Hooked on Phonics."
My recommendation is just to make sure you do your research.

Anonymous said...

Reply to July 26,2009 post:

"Hooked on Phonics." is a horrible program if your kid is dyslexic or reads phonetically, I used this program when I was a kid and it made reading and spelling harder for me in the long run. Like the person said Just do your research on the program(s) before you buy them.

Anonymous said...

as far as learning to read in school.... the schools here teach sight words not phonics. Your baby can read program is basically the same thing as the schools teach now..

Unknown said...

I was highly disappointed in Your Baby Can Read dvds, along with both of my children who wouldn't even sit still long enough to watch a few minutes of it. My 1 son is 5 and is learning how to read right now. He has been a little slow and delayed in this area so I thought "what a blessing these videos were." They were slow, boring, and didn't hold the attention of my kids whatsoever. When every penny counts in this economy, I felt like I had wasted my money.

A friend of mine introduced me to a video she was given at her baby shower. Her son is 8 months old and one day when I was at her house she had a video on and her son was glued to the tv. I asked her what she was playing and she showed me the case to the dvd. I decided to write the website down and look for myself what this company was all about. I borrowed her dvd for a week to see if I could interest my 5 year with something new. He loved it! He was learning new words, and able to recognize them when we were reading some beginner books at home. I was thrilled. We ordered our own copy and I have also been purchasing these as gifts for all my new expecting mom friends. The tools they use to grab your attention, the music, how they get you to recognize and remember the words is very creative and fun for everyone. Trust me you won't be able to stop singing their theme song either. It sticks with you. Hats off to this company. They seem to be right on the money. Check out their website for youself and see if you agree with me at www.monkisee.com

laurieamber said...

My children are grown, one in college, the other quickly coming behind... I saw the infomercial on this program this morning, and frankly was a little horrified to see a baby ready huge words that he can't possibly know the meaning of. More than this, I wonder about the social implications for children reading at a third grade level before they even start kindergarten. How will they relate to their new peers who are just beginning to learn to read? And what about the need for a baby to figure things out in this time of infancy, not memorizing words. Maybe I am old fashioned, but I am surprised I am not hearing a concern voiced regarding social implications for advancing children well beyong what they will be finding among most others their age in school when social bonding is extremely important. I suppose if I were a new parent, I would be excited about the possibilities of providing my baby with such a huge headstart on learning. And perhaps this is the wave of the future. It concerns me, however, that I have not heard one comment questioning if there are any negative side effects to this program. Laurie

Anonymous said...

I got the YBCR videos for my son and was not very happy with them. They were not the best quality videos, and they did not hold my son’s attention for long. I thought that the idea of teaching babies to read is very good, but the YBCR videos were lacking in entertainment. My son was just not interested in sitting and watching them. I found a different video series called Monki See Monki Doo, that has the same concept of teaching babies to read. My son LOVES these videos, he dances to the theme song and brings me the DVD to put on for him during the day. It was definitely a good investment. I would definitely recommend these videos for parents. They are much more entertaining with their puppets and original songs and poems. You should definitely look into these before YBCR!

Anonymous said...

My son is in first grade. He reads at the seventh grade level. We taught him the "old fashioned" way. This is the letter a, it is pronounced... He can read words he has never seen before because he knows the basics of Phonics and syntax. Yes, the babies are just memorizing words. As long as you teach them the normal way as well, I don't see any harm. I don't see much benefit either.

Anonymous said...

I have had both the Your Baby Can Read and the Monki See DVDs since my daughter was 6 months old. She has always preferred Monki See. I think that the sound you put before each word appears helps keep their eyes fixed on the television. Pure genius! She enjoys everything about it, especially the puppets.

Anonymous said...

As a mother, I was curious what the programs out there were about. There is nothing wrong with these approaches to reading as long as the videos are relevant and information is not forced on a child. We have the Your Baby Can Read series and we wanted a bit more so we purchased the Monkisee DVDs. I decided to try out different programs thinking if it ever became work or something she did not want to do than we could use them as Frisbees. I am truly impressed with the Monkisee DVDs as a mother and as a school psychologist, wish I could hand them out to the young children I assess for developmental delays.