Your baby can read (even if you don't have time to)

When The Parent Bloggers Network asked us to review the first two DVDs of the Your Baby Can Read program, I was skeptical. I mean, even though Delaney is brilliant could I really expect her to be able to read after watching TV twice a day for a month? First off, trying to get her to sit still and watch anything for 20 minutes is like, "trying to contain a fart in a skillet," as my darling husband would say (Hands off, ladies. He's ALL mine.). Secondly, who's ever heard of babies reading? Aren't their schedules pretty full already with important things like pooping, screaming, not sleeping and, in my daughter's case, pushing my buttons effectively towards a nervous breakdown? Lastly, if I can't find time to read, why should babies get to? It's just not fair.

Still, as skeptical as I was, I was even more curious. The program's creator, Dr. Robert Titzer, based this program in part on research he conducted with his infant daughters. He demonstrates this in the beginning of the Starter DVD and the footage is compelling. One of his daughters wasn't speaking yet when the video was made but she ably points to or acts out things that her dad's written on flashcards. Since Delaney's already talking, I couldn't wait to try these DVDs to see what she might pick up. Could she really learn to read?

While watching the Starter DVD for the first time Delaney hardly sat still (see "fart in skillet" above) although I could tell she was listening. She paid the most attention when one of the little girls who appeared in the video had the same name as her. Maybe she thought the voice over was speaking directly to her ("Delaney is touching her nose!"). She loved clapping along when the kids in the video clapped. She followed most of the commands (arms up, arms down, etc.) and was especially interested when two of her favorite songs came on ("Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "The Eensy, Weensy Spider"). She'd been singing those songs with me for several weeks so it was fun for her to see the actual words to those songs on screen as she sang along (a sort of toddler karaoke, if you will). After viewing the video for the first time, she asked to see it again and continued to mention it to me in the weeks following ("Mama, wanna watch babies readin'!").

But no matter how many times Delaney watched the DVDs or how many times we played with the clever word and picture flashcards (provided as part of the program), she didn't seem to make a direct connection with the words in terms of recognizing them or reading them out loud. Dr. Titzer mentions at the beginning of the Vol. 1 DVD that kids learn at different paces. Some can watch the Starter DVD once a day for a month and be reading the words taught therein and be ready to move to Vol. 1. Other kids may need another month or more with the Starter DVD until they've achieved proficiency with the Starter DVD words. So, while Delaney didn't learn to read using this program yet, it's possible that with repeated use she could.

And although she won't be quoting directly from Proust or Shakespeare any time soon, the Your Baby Can Read program did directly impact her vocabulary. The Starter DVD contains a poem/segment about the zoo and Delaney became fixated on it. She talked about the zoo repeatedly which spurred us to take her on a trip there. Although she'd been there before this was the first time she was interested in, and able to identify, various animals by their names. So while the video didn't teach her to read during the time in which we used it, watching it paid off in other ways. She tells me repeatedly that she wants to go back to the zoo to see, "the hippapotmus, the gorrr-illa, the elefunt and the rhinot-ceroust." We bought a zoo membership and have already been back twice.

Although the DVDs are delightful and children will enjoy and benefit from them, I'm not sure I'd be inclined to spend $79.95 for the full set. I think learning to read is a journey that parents should actively take with their children. I'd rather spend time reading to my child and instilling a love of reading in her through our shared experiences than sitting her in front of the TV twice a day. With that said, I'm still happy to have the Starter and Vol. 1 DVDs in our collection. We'll continue to watch the videos from time to time when Delaney asks for them and who knows? Maybe one day she'll learn to read and sit still long enough to do so. And the really great part about that? I'll get some time to read too.

Comments

[Dezmar]

lol, at least ur husband has a sense of humor. thx for the review, i watched the video on the website and i immediately thought..WHAT A CROCK!! but hearing your experience froma real MOTHER..there sound like there is some sort of educational breakthroughs going on here....i just might have to purchase this product...thx again

[Beatrice Febles]

thank you for the review. I just saw the infomercial and thought it was interesting, but also a little skeptical. I read another review on-line that was not as optimistic about the results. Just a quick note, I tried getting on to their website to check it out a little more and was instant messaged by a rep. from the company. I was not able to review the information like it wanted to and felt a little uncomfortable with that.

[Yvette Ward]

Hi I just read your comment regarding your baby can read experience, posted March 07. We have received it as a gift and my son loves it. Just wanted to know if you kept up with the videos and is it working out?