Has anyone bought Baby BumbleBee videos or DVDs?

[tigalig]

These videos were recommended by a friend, but I don't know anyone who has used them. I don't know if to buy one and see how dd likes it or if to buy them all:

http://www.babybumblebee.com/store/Sp1_child_dev_dtls.cfm

Any advice or suggestions?

[nc_hope]

I actually just ordered the 3 volume Vocabulary Builder set. Haven't received them yet, so I can't give you my impressions. I was looking for some type of resources to use w/ DS (I think he may be speech delayed). I stumbled across the Baby BumbleBee site in my search so I decided to give the videos a shot. I'll let you know what I think once I receive them!

[tigalig]

Oh that's great. I think I'll be ordering some too for our dd who has been diagnosed as speech delayed already at 16 months of age. Did you order from their website?

[DDowning]

We don't have the BumbleBee ones but we do have BabyBabble. C was diagnosed as having a speech delay of 12 months and he's learned a ton from this dvd. I looked at some of the reviews online for Bumblebee and it was mixed so I still haven't decided if I want to splurge and get them.

[nc_hope]

Yep, I did. I also printed out some of the free flash cards they have on the site and among that set of flashcards was a coupon code for $2 off your next purchase. Code was C0001 . It's not alot, but it's something! (of course I saw this AFTER I had already ordered x( )

HTH!

[ribbit1019]

We got them free with the last set of dipes I bought from my dipe lady @ Time-for-a-change.org. Here is what she says:

"Baby Bumblebee Videos
Are an award winning educational
videos. I have had two customers
with Autistic children who didn't
speak, or didn't have large
volcabularies and both women have
told me that these videos have
brought their children around. One
mother told me that after watching
these tapes her son said mommy for
the first time in 10 years!! That says
a lot!! We have all videos sets and
DVD sets on sale for the up coming
holidays, they make great gifts!! For
more information on the videos you
can go to www.babybumblebee.com"

From my experience though, I put the Bee Smart Baby Vol 1 Vocabulary Builder in for DD at about 7 months and she couldn't have been any less interested.

If memory serves me correctly, it is laguage reinforcement through flashing letters and pictures and a narrator(?). No movement and no music (though there may have been music later as we did not watch the whole thing)

It may work for older children, or children with speech delays. We have two other titles that I will try and watch for you tonight after DD goes to bed and let you know.

Christy
Maddy's Mom
06/09/04

http://lilypie.com/baby1/050609/1/0/0/-5/.png
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif

[ribbit1019]

I watched them just now. It seems that DD was interested in the Opposites DVD, she still showed no interest in the Vocabulary Builder. I was wrong, there is music and video of children, pictures of animals, text moving across the screen etc.
For example:
A picture of a slide is shown with Slide in text next to it and the narrator will say "slide" several times while pictures of different slides are shown. It does this through about 25 words or so (I didn't count sorry)
Basically it is recognition and repetition.
Would I spend the money? Probably not, but then again as far as we know DD is not speech delayed or autistic and I hate putting her in front of the T.V. even for educational stuff. Again the only reason we have them is that you got a free one with every $50 bucks you spent on that WAHM site.
IMHO I think that signing with your child could be equally formative. I do understand that not everyone wants to sign though, so these may benefit in that case.
Hope that helps!
Christy
Maddy's Mom
06/09/04

http://lilypie.com/baby1/050609/1/0/0/-5/.png
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif

[bugglemom]

We started my son on them when he was about 14 months old and he has learned a ton from them. He was speech delayed and every speech therapist I spoke to recommended them. The therapists said they recommend them for any child (speech delayed or not) and give them as baby gifts to friends. Our therapists are not very keen on Baby Einstein because there isn't enough language on them and there is too much going on (flashing, spinning, etc.). They like Babybumblebee because it promotes generalization. For example, the narrator says "train" while the video shows images of real trains, toy trains, big trains, small trains, etc. There is classical music in the background, plus there are the free flash card images you can download from the site.

They are pricey and, to an adult, they definitely seem less fun than Baby Einstein because they are so simple. But child development experts have all told me they believe that simple is better for kids.

Anyway, that's what I've been told and I have been pleased wiht them in my house. Good luck!

PS: To start, I'd recommend the Oliva & Otis video. It's got some basic words but they are presented through a simple story format.