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Babies: 6 - 9 Months
je2161
member
'Your Baby Can Read' - Scam?
je2161
member
Have you seen those 'Your Baby Can Read' infomercials on TV? I found some less than favorable reviews of the product online, but was wondering if any of you use it or plan to use it. Clearly, the baby is just memorizing the words (at least early on), but might there some cognitive benefit in the introduction of those flashcards? Perhaps. WDYT?
I'm thinking of just making some large flashcards myself and showing it to DD and narrating the words.
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Re: 'Your Baby Can Read' - Scam?
BFP #1 9/7/10, EDD 5/14/11, Violet born 5/27/11.
BFP #2 4/9/12, EDD 12/16/12, M/C Rory 4/24/12.
BFP #3 10/6/12, EDD 6/16/12., Matilda born 6/17/13.
Once Xander is old enough to talk back and understand we will start on a phonics program. Go over the alphabet letters and the sounds they make give examples in words. Ie "A" makes "Ah" like Apple or "Ae" like "Ape" "B" makes "Buh" like "boy" etc. Then we'll work on combining the sounds with each sound on a card. A+dd= Add A+t=At c+a+t= cat b+a+t= bat b+a+d=bad etc.
I am very pro-phonics and think the whole word approach doesn't work. You simply can't memorize every word in the english language and even at my age I need to be able to sound things out like "Chelicerata"
Any good phonics program recognizes "sight words" that cannot be sounded out phonetically. Whole language is a failing program all around.
2 years, 2 surgeries, 2 clomid fails, 2 IUIs, 1 loss, IVF #1 - 10/25/10 = BFP!, DS is now 3.5yrs!
TTC #2 - 6/12 surgery #3, FET #1 & 1.2 = BFN, 12/2012 FET #2 = BFP! DD is 1.5 yrs!
Surprise! 12/16/14 BFP, loss #2 12/31/14
I can't wait for the "im getting a divorce" post in 5 years or so because your husbands were fed up with your disgusting chair asses from playing on the knot all day and getting fired 4-5 times for not doing any work. you guys are all winners!! ~ Laur929
Yes!!
As a child development major and former preschool/elementary teacher I can tell you that "Your Baby Can Read" and ANY other flashcard program for babies is not only a detestable marketing scam and a complete waste of time, but they can actually be harmful to babies' cognitive development.
Why? Because the skills your baby is learning even when you leave him totally alone with nothing but a paper bag to play with (what does this feel like when I pick it up? What will this do when I touch it? How can I reach that thing over there?) are miles beyond the rote memorization you are teaching him with your flashcards.
You should know that when you show a baby the same picture over and over and associate it with a word, all he knows is that particular picture is that word. So if your "dog" on the flashcard is a golden retriever, he'll parrot "dog" when he sees the picture, but you'll be disappointed to find that he doesn't apply this knowledge to the golden retriever across the street. He has no way to know that pictures represent real things and that you're not telling him "this card with this picture on it is called a dog."
And he's not learning phonics either. Replace the D with an F and see if he says "fog." He won't. The only thing he's learning is how to perform like a trained seal so that parents, friends, and family can ooh and ahh at how brilliant the baby is.
Sorry to come off so strongly. I really hate this garbage, and it's not parents' faults. We all want to give our babies the best advantage possible, and it's disgusting the way these companies will take advantage of that to make a dime.