Anyone actually bought your baby can read?

[tmg424]

Hi everyone,
I keep seeing these infomercials and I'm curious if they are what they say they are. Has anyone actually bought these and if so what is your opinion? Do they work? My son cries (he's only 4 months) everytime I try to read to him but loves to watch tv. (Yes I know he's not suppose to and I don't just put him in front of the tv. He rolls himself around to watch or others/family let him watch) He's just not into sitting still while mom talks. I would appreciate any info. Thanks!
Trish

[gatorsmom]

Hi everyone,
I keep seeing these infomercials and I'm curious if they are what they say they are. Has anyone actually bought these and if so what is your opinion? Do they work? My son cries (he's only 4 months) everytime I try to read to him but loves to watch tv. (Yes I know he's not suppose to and I don't just put him in front of the tv. He rolls himself around to watch or others/family let him watch) He's just not into sitting still while mom talks. I would appreciate any info. Thanks!
Trish

Do a search, this has been discussed within the past year, here. How do I know? Because my husband got sucked in by one of those infomercials and spent big bucks on a set of flashcards with pictures and words on them and some cute books. Essentially, they are teaching your child to memorize words with flashcards. Then, baby can "read" the books because the books use the words on the flashcards. Essentially, imho, a nice dinnerparty trick. I made DH send them back.

[mommylamb]

I have no experience with that product, but I'm skeptical. but, just wanted to say that my DS (now almost 20 months) also cried when I read to him when he was that age, but I persisted. I then started reading to him while he was nursing or, later with a bottle. Now he LOVES books. he comes up to us all the time holding a book and saying "book book book" because he wants us to read to him. He's become obsessed with letters, and already knows more than half the alphabet. So hang in there.

[mbbailey]

my sister bought this for her daughter and sent it right back. i almost got sucked in but the baby in the high chair looked photo shopped in.

[sste]

Not only would I avoid an infomercial, I am personally not a big fan of pursuing literacy or anything similar prior to 1st grade (other than starting to sound out letters as a fun thing during the preschool years). My philosophy is much more the "whole child" approach so I wouldn't consider the flashcards.

I started reading to DS when he was a few days old and he has always really enjoyed it BUT I have had to vary the books. At four months, I had good luck with those board books with photos of a real baby face on each page; Brown Bear, Boo-hoo baby if I was dramatic about all the animal sounds, and the books with the little finger puppets. Also Boynton's Dinosaur Binkit and the Going to Bed book. Don't get hung up on finishing the book - - a few pages while your baby is happy and interested is much better than an entire book with a crying baby. At that age especially, reading works best after nap, food, etc. At six months DS really started to like the touchy-feely books such as That is not My Teddy, That is not my Puppy, and some touchy Maisy books. That period lasted for a while and then at around a year he got really into touch the flap books like My Dog Spot and Where is Baby's Belly Button.

You can get many of these cheaply at sortfloorbooks.com or Amazon five for the price of four deal.

[Melanie]

Honestly, I think children have enough time to study and read for the rest of their lives. I'm not in favor of any of the early reading programs, flashcards, etc. Plus it just comes easier when their brains are naturally read for it.

[kijip]

We have not bought products like that. We did buy a lot of books for our son and he read on his own on the younger side of things.

Reading to your child is important and it is not something babies necessarily sit still for at first. She is just a baby, give it time. Read to her everyday, even if she is not paying attention so that in time it is likely to become an enjoyable activity and part of her day. My niece supposedly does not like to be read to but that is because that is the label they gave her as a wrigly squirmy baby and they simply STOPPED trying to read to her, ever. They also have the TV on all the time so it's no wonder she prefers that.

Also, while I know this is controversial in a culture where many watch TV all the time, but I would suggest just not having the TV on when your baby is awake and in the room. I nurse and watch stuff but as soon as my son is old enough to notice the tv, that stops. We did about the same with T. He had very limited exposure to TV as a baby and tot. DVRs are perfect for new parents who like TV. I don't think books can compete next to any TV exposure for some kids and the love of books must be cultivated first to ensure that when the kid is a bit older they do like books and will choose books on their own daily. We waited until 2ish for TV for T and while he likes TV (DVDs- we don't get tv reception or cable) and has gone through phases of watching more or less, he has never seen it as a replacement for reading time and loves books the most.

[sste]

You know, that is a good point about TV. Our son never watched TV in his first year. Now, at one year old, maybe one time per week or a couple of times per month DH sneaks a tv program in while holding DS. Otherwise, no TV - - for developmental reasons and because TV has always annonyed the crap out of me. If your family isn't respecting your wishes with respect to TV, then move the TV to a bedroom or cancel the cable on them!

[mommylamb]

In our house the TV is on some of the time, but it's usually news shows or Jeopardy. DS is in daycare during the day, so no TV there. We haven't introduced any kids programming and he doesn't pay attention to the TV (except for the Jeopardy song. That he loves) when we have our shows on in the evenings. And, the TV isn't always on in the evenings either. I think it has contributed to his love of books. He's probably the only kid I know his age who doesn't know who Elmo is.

[C99]

We waited until 2ish for TV for T and while he likes TV (DVDs- we don't get tv reception or cable) and has gone through phases of watching more or less, he has never seen it as a replacement for reading time and loves books the most.

__________________
Katie

Mama to two sons-
T 6/03 who loves Wall*E more than anything besides air.
& F 12/08 who loves the Moby wrap more than anything, including air.

Would you say that books rank above or below Wall*E for Toby?

[tmg424]

Thanks all I appreciate the input. We will just keep on reading and crying until he enjoys it. I asked the ped about it today and she said if its expensive don't buy it. =-)

Unfortunately I can't get rid of the tvs at other peoples houses. Which brings me to another question. If your in-laws live near you do they come and see your kids or do you have to take your kids to them? My mother-in-law to this day has not been to our house to see my now 4 month old. I thought when we had him we would have help those first few weeks. Not one person came over to help. I had a few friends visit to see him but not one person actually helped. Is that normal? or do I just have crappy friends and family?

[kransden]

I think your money would be better spent on the Baby Einstein DVDs. My dd didn't like tv, but my friend's dc was mesmerized by them.

[kijip]

Would you say that books rank above or below Wall*E for Toby?

Cute, Caroline. :tongue5: Above. His favorite Wall*E thing is drawing robots and spaceships and writing what I jokingly call fan fiction about Wall E and their "future technology". He also makes himself into a little cube like wall e from time to time complete with annoying 5 year old boy robot noises, LOL. As a point of reference his school reading log has over 18 hours of reading in the last week and he has not watched Wall E in a few weeks. Seeing a movie in a theater and liking it a lot does not mean books are not a far bigger part of his life. :wink2: FWIW, he has access to the DVD (thanks to "Santa") anytime. He spends more time plotting how to turn a box into a Wall e costume for Halloween than any computer+tv time. I think he has redone his design at least a dozen times. He was/is way too much of a space nut not to be really into Wall E when he saw it. I don't mind at all, it's made him really aware about recycling and reusing things as an added bonus. ;) I think over the last few years we hit a good balance with him because we don't have to have rules about TV time or limit his watching for him at this point. My feeling is that if we said "1 video a day" or "45 minutes a day, 3 times a week" kids max out that allowance but because it is not a power struggle and becuase he likes other things besides watching so much, he can self regulate it. Certainly that was not always the case. I don't think limited tv exposure made him a book lover, just that he became a book lover before he was exposed to tv. And I don't think being a book lover or not watching tv made him read sooner than he otherwise would have necessarily. I really think kids learn to read when they are ready, be that age 3 or age 7 and getting back to the OP, there are no products that can create early readers.

[Melanie]

If your in-laws live near you do they come and
see your kids or do you have to take your kids to them? My mother-in-law to this day has not been to our house to see my now 4 month old. I thought when we had him we would have help those first few weeks. Not one person came over to help. I had a few friends visit to see him but not one person actually helped. Is that normal? or do I just have crappy friends and family?

We had people visit, but most were not helpful at all, nor did they even try to be. It was annoying. Especially some ILs asking "Well, what time will the baby be awake so we can see him?" Do these people forget what it was like!? I hope I'm never like that!!

[vludmilla]

Reading to your child is important and it is not something babies necessarily sit still for at first. She is just a baby, give it time. Read to her everyday, even if she is not paying attention so that in time it is likely to become an enjoyable activity and part of her day. My niece supposedly does not like to be read to but that is because that is the label they gave her as a wrigly squirmy baby and they simply STOPPED trying to read to her, ever. They also have the TV on all the time so it's no wonder she prefers that.



Sadly, I think many babies/toddlers get this label of "doesn't like to read". My nephew is one of those who doesn't like to be read to but no one tried more than a few times. Sadly, my own mother has thrown in the towel with my nephew. She bought our DD books for Christmas and DVD's for our nephew. She told me that DVD's are "his books". My mother is a child psychologist for ****sake! And my nephew and his parents live in a wing of her house! I was appalled that everyone, including my mother had given up on reading to my nephew. I distinctly remember when my own DD didn't appear to appreciate being read to but we stuck with it and eventually she came to love it. Unfortunately, when the message about the importance of reading to your child is promulgated, no one mentions that it might be difficult in the beginning to get your child to tolerate or sit for the reading.

[brittone2]

Along those lines, I know my DS did best being read to at that age if DH or I just read and let him explore, climb around, cruise, etc in the same room. Children still pick up on the rhythm of language and the joy of literacy. They don't have to be sitting in your lap totally still to get *something* out of it.

edited to fix typo

[kijip]

Children still pick up on the rhythm of language the joy of literacy. They don't have to be sitting in your lap totally still to get *something* out of it.

I agree. No need to force them to pay attention but it is still valuable.

[lizajane]

Cute, Caroline. :tongue5: Above. His favorite Wall*E thing is drawing robots and spaceships and writing what I jokingly call fan fiction about Wall E and their "future technology". He also makes himself into a little cube like wall e from time to time complete with annoying 5 year old boy robot noises, LOL. As a point of reference his school reading log has over 18 hours of reading in the last week and he has not watched Wall E in a few weeks. Seeing a movie in a theater and liking it a lot does not mean books are not a far bigger part of his life. :wink2: FWIW, he has access to the DVD (thanks to "Santa") anytime. He spends more time plotting how to turn a box into a Wall e costume for Halloween than any computer+tv time. I think he has redone his design at least a dozen times. He was/is way too much of a space nut not to be really into Wall E when he saw it. I don't mind at all, it's made him really aware about recycling and reusing things as an added bonus. ;) I think over the last few years we hit a good balance with him because we don't have to have rules about TV time or limit his watching for him at this point. My feeling is that if we said "1 video a day" or "45 minutes a day, 3 times a week" kids max out that allowance but because it is not a power struggle and becuase he likes other things besides watching so much, he can self regulate it. Certainly that was not always the case. I don't think limited tv exposure made him a book lover, just that he became a book lover before he was exposed to tv. And I don't think being a book lover or not watching tv made him read sooner than he otherwise would have necessarily. I really think kids learn to read when they are ready, be that age 3 or age 7 and getting back to the OP, there are no products that can create early readers.

my kids can watch tv when they want. and it is not a big deal to them. if they are watching something on tv and i ask, "who wants to go outside??" they will rush to the door.

[lizajane]

give your baby a book while you read a different book. schuyler would not let us read to him when he was a baby because he was trying so hard to EAT the book. when we gave him his own book to chew on, he was glad to hear the story we read. and he looked at the pictures, too.

[C99]

Seeing a movie in a theater and liking it a lot does not mean books are not a far bigger part of his life.

Of course. But you said it -- not me. Does Toby have a dictionary? Perhaps you can turn this thread into a learning experience for you both by looking up irony. :wink2:

[kijip]

Perhaps you can turn this thread into a learning experience for you both by looking up irony. :wink2:

Or maybe coy. Or hyperbole.

Is there a difference between air and reading? :)

[vahnessuh]

my kids can watch tv when they want. and it is not a big deal to them. if they are watching something on tv and i ask, "who wants to go outside??" they will rush to the door.

I'm with you on this. My daughter loves to watch tv (well, dvds really. We don't let her watch normal tv) but as soon as I tell her we're heading out, she'll drop anything and everything to go out. Also, I'm not too worried about it since
she started learning her alphabet at 15 months and by 16 months, knows all of them. Now at 21 months, she knows her alphabet, 1-10, colors and shapes.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Honestly, I think children have enough time to study and read for the rest of their lives. I'm not in favor of any of the early reading programs, flashcards, etc. Plus it just comes easier when their brains are naturally read for it.

Well said!

[maestramommy]

I didn't start reading to Dora until she was almost 9 months. Before that I tried a couple of times but she was not interested. One day I did it as a way of distracting/weaning her from her after-nap nursing. For some reason it clicked and she asked me to read it again and again. And she has been obsessed with books ever since. She can "read" a ton of books by heart, which I know is normal and is not really reading, but the point is, she loves to read.

*I* love to read. And I would've never considered anything like that kind of program. I think it's just weird.

[egoldber]

Just FYI, this thread is several months old.....

[missym]

Just locking this thread to avoid confusion. There's a current thread on this topic, as well.