Your Baby Can Read

Autumn - posted on 01/11/2010

I saw an infomercial for this at about 3am while i was pregnant, gotta love insomnia lol But right away all i could think was that its a scam. I actually watched the whole 2 hour program and like most infomercials on at that time by the end i wanted to buy it! But i didnt and still havent because ive heard alot of mixed things on the subject. My daughter is almost one and we love Dr. Seuss!!! Ive had the entire collection since i was a little girl and love reading them to my bella but she is in no way interested in reading she cant even talk yet except for saying mommah! and Key Key which is kitty kitty to her lol she will talk more and read when shes ready im not trying to rush her in anything she just started walking right b4 christmas and i was amazed actually im still amazed about that one, she waddles everywhere screaming Key Key!! Its adorable.

Janice - posted on 01/10/2010

I taught my daughter how to put her hands in the air and clap. I taught her where her nose is and how to give kisses. She knows what a doggy is and what a kitty is. Same with ball and many other things. She didn't need a video to teach her that. She learned by us playing with her and telling her what it is. I don't think I will be trying this baby can read program at all now :)

Elizabeth - posted on 01/10/2010

I wouldn't say it's a 'scam' like some have said on here. It is a phonics program and not a memorization program. I purchased the DVD's and my daughter has been watching them for months and has learned from them. The thing people have to understand is that small children from 9 months on are not going to be 'glued' to the TV....they want to roam and play....that's normal. I just leave the program playing and I find if I sing along and involve myself in the program, my daughter is much more interested. The program says that a child should watch the program twice a day, but my child only watches once a day....because I don't feel it's necessary for her to watch it twice a day....but that's my choice. The other thing people need to know before they buy this program is that on the introduction DVD the doctor tells you that these programs were the ONLY tv that his children watched. My daughter watches her DVD's and she also watches NICKjr. I don't expect this to be a 'miracle' program, however, I do believe any program that teaches my daughter is a program that I want her to watch....and as I said, she has learned from the program. I'd also like to add that my baby still chases the dogs in her walker....sings....dances....and plays just as much as any other baby. I don't 'force' my baby to watch these DVD's. She gets all the snuggles and hugs that she can stand...I don't use the TV as a babysitter. I think some people are taking things out of context and assuming a lot.

Rena - posted on 01/08/2010

I got it as a Christmas present and he is 1 now. But he doesn't really seem interested in it. He'll watch it for about 2 minutes and go back to playing. I'll keep it playing and every now and then he'll watch it on and off for about 2 minutes. We'll wait and see if for any improvements.

Heather - posted on 01/06/2010

Thanks for the opnions on this. I was wondering if I should get this for my son, but after hearing what educator's have to say I definitely won't be getting it.

Dana - posted on 01/04/2010

This is just a scam to get your money. All this material is teaching is memorization. Phonics is the ONLY way to learn properly how to read and SPELL. You will not be able to spell if you do not learn phonics. If you try to teach your child at an early age how to read using these materials, he will find it very difficult to read once in school. He will be confused and frustrated because he is being taught completely different than what his parents taught him. Why put unnecessary stress on them. LET THEM BE CHILDREN! btw, young children are physically unable to put certain sounds together until they develop more. another btw, back in the 40's and 50's schools taught children how to sight read instead of phonics, as a result my mother and several people of her generation cannot spell because they cannot hear the sounds. This product is causing more harm and stress than good. SAVE YOUR MONEY!

Ali - posted on 01/04/2010

My son started on it when he was 10 months... I was advised to start early before he starts liking cartoons. Now he can recognize the words clap, arms up, eyes, nose and ears and can identify an elephant,a tiger, gorilla, dog and cat. I am still not sure though if it is really necessary, I was so hesitant at first because I felt it was too early and he should just be having fun...

Eliza - posted on 01/02/2010

Here's a thought, how about mom or dad watches the movie without baby and learns what they're doing in the movie to teach baby and then perform those things for the baby yourself. I'm sure they'll learn like 10 times faster because they won't be Zombified by the over stimulation that the television is causing them. They'll also learn faster because it is human contact. This watching it 2 times a day business is just RIDICULOUS! Really?! 2 times?! That's 2 periods of time that your child could be developing social interaction skills while learning at the same time but instead your sticking them in front of a lady on a video in a box so that you can have some time to yourself. Your time to yourself is when your child is napping, after bed, or if someone is babysitting them.
The fact that this product is even out there disgusts me. If you really want your child to read at that age you can teach them yourself. But I don't think you're gonna get them to actually read. You're going to teach them to recognize stuff. I can ask my 1 year old right now where's the baby, dog, or cat in a picture and she can show me. I can hand her her hairbrush and tell her to brush her hair and she will. I can ask her to point to her nose and she does that too. She even goes and gets me her shoes if I ask her to. She says daddy, baby, cat, dog, this, drink, shoes, hi, and bye. It may not all sound 100% perfect but you can tell what it is. This is all stuff I have taught her. Not a zombie box.

Well I guess I'll climb off of my soap box now. But this subject really just irks me. And it worries me when I see so many mothers subjecting their children to this nonsense.

Ashley - posted on 01/02/2010

Quoting Jennifer:

Ok, I'll try not to climb onto my soap box here but it's so hard... I work in the early care and education field and there is a lot of concern and controversy about these types of products-- is little to NO basis in sound educational research about how literacy actually develops over time. If you watch these commercials carefully you see memorization, not real reading and certainly little to no comprehension of what is being read, so really, what's the point?? Most children are not capable of learning to read (de-coding symbols basically) before 2 or 3 years of age at the earliest but of course there are always exceptions. Sure, some children may learn to "read" at 12 months old but why push it? Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Research shows that there are no long term gains for children academically. So if the goal is to give your child a "leg up" on the competition so to speak, it doesn't produce results over the long term--go to any 2nd or 3rd grade classroom and chances are you won't see any difference between the children who learned to "read" at 1 year vs. the child who learned to read at 5 years old. In my opinion, there are so many other worthwhile things for a baby to be doing than staring at a tv screen or flashcards--like being held and sung to, or reading a book in the lap of mom or dad, or going for a walk and being out in nature. These are the things that feed a child's huge emotional and social appetite at this young age--meet these needs (to be loved, to trust, to be safe and to explore) and the academic stuff, like reading, will all come along in due time (especially if you're talking and interacting and reading to your baby). Slow down, enjoy your baby, have fun, no need to rush and certainly no need to push reading at this point. Ok, climbing off my soap box now...
btw....here are two other resources for information about child development and learning in the youngest years: www.naeyc.org (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and www.zerotothree.org (a research and education organization focused on the 0-3 years).

I couldn't have said it better myself.  Thank you for this post! : )

Megan - posted on 01/02/2010

My boyfriend's mother bought this for my daughter and her cousin when they were about 6 or 7 months I believe (they're both 11 months old now), to watch at her house. My daughter doesn't like to sit still too much to watch it so it's had no effect on her and I'm not sure about her cousin. She just started getting into Sesame Street, which I'm happy about.

Nikki - posted on 01/01/2010

Quoting Tricia:

... maybe baby can learn to read some words, but it's more helpful for him to learn to chase a ball, terrorize a dog, smush a leaf, dump landry on the floor, and scribble. If he's watching videos, he's not learning any of that).

I totally agree that babies should be learning by doing rather than sitting in front of a TV or looking at flash cards. My son is almost a year old, and in two weeks he's learned to pull up, cruise, push a cozy coupe, throw toys for mommy to pick up...it's interesting how he'll seem to be stalled in his progression, and then he'll advance so much in a couple weeks. Every family is different, but I feel like concentrating on flash cards instead of exploring blocks and cabinets will hurt his gross and fine motor skills. I mean heck, the kid just figured out that a ball doesn't disappear when you put it under a blanket...On the other hand, if you need to get a shower and the video keeps him from burning down the house, I don't see anything wrong with plopping him down in front of it for 20 mintues.

Shannon - posted on 01/01/2010

My son has them, I started with the starter dvd when he was a couple of months old, but of course he wasn't interested in it. I now sit him down in his high chair to watch them and he will watch the whole thing twice a day(now that he is almost 1 and strapped in). He recognizes a couple of words, but he still needs to watch it for another couple of months before we move on to the next dvd.

Melanie - posted on 01/01/2010

That is a load of bull! I learned how to read when I was 2 1/2 and because of that I learned other things at a much faster rate. I skipped two grades and graduated with a medical degree at 21. I am not saying you should force your child to read early on, but if they are ready...

Melanie - posted on 01/01/2010

Yes. I started showing it to my daughter when she was 3 months old and the flash cards a few months later. I showed the video twice a day and the flash cards every now and then. She is 11 months now. When she was 6 months old she started recognizing the words and when I showed her the flash cards, she was able to pick out the ones I asked for and even said "mou" when I showed her the card that read "MOUTH"! I was shocked and started screaming because I was so excited!!

Rachael - posted on 12/31/2009

I read a review of that video as I was thinking about trying it, too. The review said that the babies can memorize a lot of vocabulary, however it may impede their ability to learn to read later because they don't gain phonemic awareness, phonetic decoding ability...they don't learn to sound out and spell new words....

Jennifer - posted on 12/31/2009

Quoting Chelly:

Quoting Tonia:

Quoting Jennifer:

Ok, I'll try not to climb onto my soap box here but it's so hard... I work in the early care and education field and there is a lot of concern and controversy about these types of products-- is little to NO basis in sound educational research about how literacy actually develops over time. If you watch these commercials carefully you see memorization, not real reading and certainly little to no comprehension of what is being read, so really, what's the point?? Most children are not capable of learning to read (de-coding symbols basically) before 2 or 3 years of age at the earliest but of course there are always exceptions. Sure, some children may learn to "read" at 12 months old but why push it? Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Research shows that there are no long term gains for children academically. So if the goal is to give your child a "leg up" on the competition so to speak, it doesn't produce results over the long term--go to any 2nd or 3rd grade classroom and chances are you won't see any difference between the children who learned to "read" at 1 year vs. the child who learned to read at 5 years old. In my opinion, there are so many other worthwhile things for a baby to be doing than staring at a tv screen or flashcards--like being held and sung to, or reading a book in the lap of mom or dad, or going for a walk and being out in nature. These are the things that feed a child's huge emotional and social appetite at this young age--meet these needs (to be loved, to trust, to be safe and to explore) and the academic stuff, like reading, will all come along in due time (especially if you're talking and interacting and reading to your baby). Slow down, enjoy your baby, have fun, no need to rush and certainly no need to push reading at this point. Ok, climbing off my soap box now...
btw....here are two other resources for information about child development and learning in the youngest years: www.naeyc.org (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and www.zerotothree.org (a research and education organization focused on the 0-3 years).

I agree completely with this because I just took a course for my early childhood education bachelor's degree program, and it showed how children do not do well in 3rd grade reading when memorizing words instead of sounding them out.  The Your Baby Can Read dvds and books teach memorization not phonics (sounding out).  I reccommend holding off with this type of teaching because it will hinder future reading progress.

YBCR is NOT memorization, it is phonics. I've seen videos on youtube that show kids putting random letters together and reading it out. The videos DO teach babies to sound out words plus the parent manual says to do the same.

Most moms do not have the luxury of being out in nature, cuddling etc, sometimes it's been a long day and they need to make dinner of whatever. YBCR is by far better than the kids droning out to puppets singing songs. My 11 month old does have some comprhension of what is being read. Of course it's difficult to say how much, but she puts her arms up when they show the words, claps and does other things of that nature.

I don't think it's pushing it when she enjoys both the videos and reading together time. It's not like I strap her to a chair and force it on her while she's screaming to get out!!

BTW she gets sung to, danced with, cuddled with, and time in nature everyday too.

Instead of getting your info from books, try getting it from people that

Chelly,

 It is unfortunate that you have decided to take my post so personally.  It was certainly not meant to offend anyone. 

When I see a post about these products, and someone asks for an opinion, I do feel some obligation, as someone who is not only a parent but has a BA in child development and 20 years of experience working with young children (0-5) and their families, to point out some of the flaws of this product.  The original poster has received a number of responses, both pro and con.  Now she can make up her own mind and do what she thinks is best.  I also gave two website addresses to check out, in case anyone is interested.  Don't believe me?  You don't have to--do your own research and draw your own conclusions.  But that's what this forum is for--an exchange of ideas and sometimes disagreements. 

As for your comment about moms "not having time to be out in nature or cuddle", I am a full time working mother, who was raised by a single, full time working mom.  No one has to explain to me how demanding motherhood can be!  I am just as exhausted as anyone else at the end of the day and I struggle too with too much to do and not enough time.  Here is my point:  we all make choices every day about how we spend what little time we have.  I think it is a better use of time to take a 10 min walk around the block, pointing out things and talking as you go, or cuddling while you read a book, than it is to set up a video or to sit and watch a video and be prompting your baby and showing him/her flashcards.  It's the same amount of time but the difference is HOW you spend the time.  That's my opinion.  If you find the dvds useful and you think it's benefitting your child, good for you.  Your choice. 

Your last comment was cut off but I think I got the gist of it. Yep, it's true,  I've read a LOT of books and done a lot of work for my education (and I'm proud of my accomplishments) but I can assure you, my best teachers have been the children and families (and now my only baby) that I've worked with over many years, from all walks of life, from all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.  My expertise is grounded in experience, not books. 

Happy New Year to all,

Jennifer

Vickie - posted on 12/31/2009

I have also been interested in seeing what people have to say about "Your Baby Can Read." If it doesn work it's nice to have an advanced child but at the same time let babies be babies and enjoy life.

Chelly - posted on 12/30/2009

Quoting Tonia:

Quoting Jennifer:

Ok, I'll try not to climb onto my soap box here but it's so hard... I work in the early care and education field and there is a lot of concern and controversy about these types of products-- is little to NO basis in sound educational research about how literacy actually develops over time. If you watch these commercials carefully you see memorization, not real reading and certainly little to no comprehension of what is being read, so really, what's the point?? Most children are not capable of learning to read (de-coding symbols basically) before 2 or 3 years of age at the earliest but of course there are always exceptions. Sure, some children may learn to "read" at 12 months old but why push it? Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Research shows that there are no long term gains for children academically. So if the goal is to give your child a "leg up" on the competition so to speak, it doesn't produce results over the long term--go to any 2nd or 3rd grade classroom and chances are you won't see any difference between the children who learned to "read" at 1 year vs. the child who learned to read at 5 years old. In my opinion, there are so many other worthwhile things for a baby to be doing than staring at a tv screen or flashcards--like being held and sung to, or reading a book in the lap of mom or dad, or going for a walk and being out in nature. These are the things that feed a child's huge emotional and social appetite at this young age--meet these needs (to be loved, to trust, to be safe and to explore) and the academic stuff, like reading, will all come along in due time (especially if you're talking and interacting and reading to your baby). Slow down, enjoy your baby, have fun, no need to rush and certainly no need to push reading at this point. Ok, climbing off my soap box now...
btw....here are two other resources for information about child development and learning in the youngest years: www.naeyc.org (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and www.zerotothree.org (a research and education organization focused on the 0-3 years).

I agree completely with this because I just took a course for my early childhood education bachelor's degree program, and it showed how children do not do well in 3rd grade reading when memorizing words instead of sounding them out.  The Your Baby Can Read dvds and books teach memorization not phonics (sounding out).  I reccommend holding off with this type of teaching because it will hinder future reading progress.

YBCR is NOT memorization, it is phonics. I've seen videos on youtube that show kids putting random letters together and reading it out. The videos DO teach babies to sound out words plus the parent manual says to do the same.

Most moms do not have the luxury of being out in nature, cuddling etc, sometimes it's been a long day and they need to make dinner of whatever. YBCR is by far better than the kids droning out to puppets singing songs. My 11 month old does have some comprhension of what is being read. Of course it's difficult to say how much, but she puts her arms up when they show the words, claps and does other things of that nature.

I don't think it's pushing it when she enjoys both the videos and reading together time. It's not like I strap her to a chair and force it on her while she's screaming to get out!!

BTW she gets sung to, danced with, cuddled with, and time in nature everyday too.

Instead of getting your info from books, try getting it from people that

Chelly - posted on 12/30/2009

Yes! It's AWESOME!!!

We started at about 2 months old, she's now 11 months. She can read and act out several of the words. I think it's also helped her develop in other areas faster as well. She really enjoys them, though now that she's moving around more she doesn't sit and watch the whole time but comes and goes.

She loves for me to get out the flashcards and any kind of book. Which just that right there is worth it

VALERIE - posted on 12/30/2009

You are not alone, yes I purchased it also. The only thing that keep him interested is when they are singing but other than that, he is not interested.

Danitra - posted on 12/30/2009

My husband and I also purchased it for our 11 month old. We are still on the starter DVD but he seems to have mastered "arms up" and "clap" lol. Small steps, but it is a process. Just continue with it. Best of luck!!!

Eva - posted on 12/30/2009

We have this too and started using it when my son was 6 months old. He's now 11 months old. He watches it twice a day and really enjoys it. He will clap when they say clap and when they sing the "If You're Happy And You Know It" song and he can also wave and will wave when they say to in the video. He also LOVES the word cards and enjoys when we read them with him. I haven't been completely gung-ho and done EVERYTHING exactly that the program tells you to do, but I still feel that it is benefiting him and that he is learning from it. I'm definetly not going to stop using it, and I'm glad we bought it! As long as he shows interest in it and is enjoying and learning from it, we'll continue to use it.
So I say go with your gut instinct and also with what your baby is "telling" you. If your song doesn't seem to enjoy it after a few weeks, then return it! I think they have a money-back guarantee...

Amanda - posted on 12/30/2009

i'm sorry if it sounded like an ad... but i have a 11 month old baby.... this dvd boxset is just an activity so you can spend time with your baby.... weither u spend time watch the dvds or just using the cards.... u sit with your bub and spend time with them, thats the point!!! you hold up the card "NOSE" you touch your nose and then you touch your baby's nose... its interaction. or you can stick on another dvd and continue with your house work.

Mandy - posted on 12/30/2009

sorry no offense to anyone but I stared in disbelief when I saw the advert then fell about laughing.

No idea if it works or not, and genuinely interested about why you want your baby to be able to read. To me and this is just an opinion, children grow up too fast, they have plenty of time for "studying" when they go to school. I read to both of mine and we all get a lot of pleasure from it, something I enjoy the most is my 4 year daughter making up stories from the pictures in her books, she starts school next year (well this near in a couple of days lol) so is right on track. I honestly don't understand how a child as young as my 1 year old son can actually learn to read, isn't just memorising from repition, I thought reading was about being able to understand?

Amanda - posted on 12/29/2009

to anyone out there.... i have a new box of your baby can read dvds boxset $50 if anyone wants them. can post for about $12. please msg me.

Tricia - posted on 12/28/2009

In a nutshell, "your baby can read" is bad. For more detail: 1) there's no science backing up the system, it's just the marketer's anecdotes. 2) babies learn a minimum of 5 times slower from television than they do from real life (and the research says they don't learn any language at all from television, so "my baby can speak chinese" is even worse) 3) learning academic concepts like reading and adding at a very early age is not beneficial to children in the long run (think "my six year old can drive," maybe he can, but it's not reall helpful for him to learn to drive now. Same concept... maybe baby can learn to read some words, but it's more helpful for him to learn to chase a ball, terrorize a dog, smush a leaf, dump landry on the floor, and scribble. If he's watching videos, he's not learning any of that).

Also, because a baby stares at the screen does not mean he enjoys the video...it means he's neurologically not able to block the overwhelming stimuli enough to look away from the TV.

Teresa - posted on 12/28/2009

I am an early childhood teacher and I was hesitant about the program myself. However, I decided to give the program a try to see how my son responded to it. He looves it and he's making connections with it. I don't think watching tv is damaging when it's done in moderation and you have other things going on, as well (reading, going out, play time, etc). Also, watching tv is fun time with us because we interact while we watch tv. We sit together, we talk about what we're seeing, we make connections to things we see and do in person. Also, memorization is an important reading skill--for all those that dismiss its relevance. It's not the only component, but it is important. If your child is not enjoying the program, then I would say not to push it. Follow your child's lead. I don't think the program is for every one, but I do see its value.

Jennifer - posted on 12/27/2009

Thank you to all those educators out there who don't agree with this program. I teach special ed and have a real problem with these videos. What they are teaching kids is to watch tv instead of playing or interacting with others. Reading be definition means you understand and comprehend, not memorize a series of letters that make a word. Instead of the videos, maybe teach your baby to sign. That does promote higher vocabulary. Enjoy the time you have when your babies are babies and let them begin learning in preschool.

Lindy - posted on 12/27/2009

I too am going to step up on my soap box. I am in the education field and have a M.Ed in Human Development and I am really concerned about this program. To start with children under 2 should not be watching any tv. Yes I realize it is not realistic. I will not bore you with the the brain research behind that. Children over 2 should not watch any more then 7 hrs a week. Also we are already seeing too many children that are reading by memorization and they struggle by 3rd grade when they are required to have strong comprehension skills. Without strong comprehension skills children with struggle all through school and may even struggle into adulthood.

Tonia - posted on 12/27/2009

Quoting Jennifer:

Ok, I'll try not to climb onto my soap box here but it's so hard... I work in the early care and education field and there is a lot of concern and controversy about these types of products-- is little to NO basis in sound educational research about how literacy actually develops over time. If you watch these commercials carefully you see memorization, not real reading and certainly little to no comprehension of what is being read, so really, what's the point?? Most children are not capable of learning to read (de-coding symbols basically) before 2 or 3 years of age at the earliest but of course there are always exceptions. Sure, some children may learn to "read" at 12 months old but why push it? Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Research shows that there are no long term gains for children academically. So if the goal is to give your child a "leg up" on the competition so to speak, it doesn't produce results over the long term--go to any 2nd or 3rd grade classroom and chances are you won't see any difference between the children who learned to "read" at 1 year vs. the child who learned to read at 5 years old. In my opinion, there are so many other worthwhile things for a baby to be doing than staring at a tv screen or flashcards--like being held and sung to, or reading a book in the lap of mom or dad, or going for a walk and being out in nature. These are the things that feed a child's huge emotional and social appetite at this young age--meet these needs (to be loved, to trust, to be safe and to explore) and the academic stuff, like reading, will all come along in due time (especially if you're talking and interacting and reading to your baby). Slow down, enjoy your baby, have fun, no need to rush and certainly no need to push reading at this point. Ok, climbing off my soap box now...
btw....here are two other resources for information about child development and learning in the youngest years: www.naeyc.org (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and www.zerotothree.org (a research and education organization focused on the 0-3 years).

I agree completely with this because I just took a course for my early childhood education bachelor's degree program, and it showed how children do not do well in 3rd grade reading when memorizing words instead of sounding them out.  The Your Baby Can Read dvds and books teach memorization not phonics (sounding out).  I reccommend holding off with this type of teaching because it will hinder future reading progress.

Toccaria - posted on 12/27/2009

In the beginning it may seem your son won't be interested but it takes time. My son has been doing your baby can read since he was 6 months and he is adapting wonderfully to it. And as the months go on the activities will change that will catch your sons interest even more. It just takes time. Good luck!!

Ashlee - posted on 12/27/2009

Quoting nicole:

Your Baby Can Read

My boyfriend just purchased the " your baby can read " dvds and books. Has anyone tried it ?
My son doesnt seem to be very interested in it so im not sure exactly what to do..

Yes, my son has been watching it for the last 2-3 months. He absolutely loves it! Thats the only thing when he hears the music he will crawl over to watch.  Though hes too small to really do a lot of the actions- he seems to be learning stuff. Keep with it!

Jennifer - posted on 12/27/2009

Ok, I'll try not to climb onto my soap box here but it's so hard... I work in the early care and education field and there is a lot of concern and controversy about these types of products-- is little to NO basis in sound educational research about how literacy actually develops over time. If you watch these commercials carefully you see memorization, not real reading and certainly little to no comprehension of what is being read, so really, what's the point?? Most children are not capable of learning to read (de-coding symbols basically) before 2 or 3 years of age at the earliest but of course there are always exceptions. Sure, some children may learn to "read" at 12 months old but why push it? Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Research shows that there are no long term gains for children academically. So if the goal is to give your child a "leg up" on the competition so to speak, it doesn't produce results over the long term--go to any 2nd or 3rd grade classroom and chances are you won't see any difference between the children who learned to "read" at 1 year vs. the child who learned to read at 5 years old. In my opinion, there are so many other worthwhile things for a baby to be doing than staring at a tv screen or flashcards--like being held and sung to, or reading a book in the lap of mom or dad, or going for a walk and being out in nature. These are the things that feed a child's huge emotional and social appetite at this young age--meet these needs (to be loved, to trust, to be safe and to explore) and the academic stuff, like reading, will all come along in due time (especially if you're talking and interacting and reading to your baby). Slow down, enjoy your baby, have fun, no need to rush and certainly no need to push reading at this point. Ok, climbing off my soap box now...
btw....here are two other resources for information about child development and learning in the youngest years: www.naeyc.org (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and www.zerotothree.org (a research and education organization focused on the 0-3 years).

Shakita - posted on 12/26/2009

My son's nana purchased this program for him and he's been doing it now for about 2 months. He is 11 months old and he loves it. He especially loves the songs. HE is a very active child so it was a challange to get him to sit there and watch with out being distracted and I found that it was best for him to watch it when he first wakes up, after he wakes up from a nap, or while he's eating a meal. These videos have taught him to say the words "cat" and kick". He knows the word "cat" if he sees it. And most of the time he will interact with the video (i.e. when they say "arms up" he'll put his arms up.)

I think it's a great program, but it will take a bit of time for the majority of babies to get all of it down. Not all children learn the same way or at the same speed. It may be help if you watch with him and interact with the video and he will probably get into it with you. That's what I had to do with my son in the beginning. Good Luck!

Meneka - posted on 12/26/2009

i do sit with him...i repeat the words as well...as they say it on tv...i keep singing nursery rhymes to him...and reading little story books...coz i heard that they pick up stuff we say as well...he is a really active child...as in quite hyper..:) he constantly needs to be doing something or the other...so am assuming with tme he will settle down...and each day he sits and watches the dvd longer than the previous day...so i think its getting better...also my aim is also to teach him to repeat what i am saying...that way it becomes easy toteachthem..and also he will learn more stuff...

Dawn - posted on 12/26/2009

My daughter has Your Baby Can Read, and at 11 months really can read some of the words. I have also taught her to make certain animal sounds. I think at her age she is doing really well.

Maybe you should sit with the baby and play along with the DVD's? Every kid is different though, I just know thats what works for my daughter!

Monica - posted on 12/26/2009

I own the program as well. I started using it when my son was 4 months old. He absolutely loves it ans sits throught it, sometimes he distracts himself but just for a few seconds and goes back to being attentive. I play it for him twice a day everyday when he first wakes up in the morning and I am getting ready for work it's great because it keep s him occupied while i am in the shower, and at bed time during his dinner time. he is 11 months now and he recognizes the songs so well at night when I have more time I sit with him and do everything the video says. He has not spoken any word of the video yet, but I am confident it will work at some point. Every baby is and learnd at a different rate.

Meneka - posted on 12/26/2009

hey...just joined this group..:) well i too purchased the your baby cn read dvd set...while i was on vacation in LA...my son just turned 11 months old yesterday...he started watching it abt 3 weeks back..he sits and concentrates for a couple of minutes and then gets distracted..but i still play it everyday...coz i feel somehow he is picking up something...i read the books as well...and they do mention in the note to parents..that they might not pick up the words imemdiately...so i feel its a good thing to own...coz they give a lot of books as well with the kit...and if not now..he will pick it up soon..:)

Teresa - posted on 12/25/2009

How old is your son? I bought this for my son when he was 8 months old. He's been watching it every day and he's 11 months old now. He's enjoyed it since day 1. Let me add that he is also a fan of Sesame Street. He will only sit through Sesame Street and My baby can read. Anything else, he looses interest quickly. When he started watching My baby can read. I tried making it a family interactive type of thing. I would repeat the words that were displayed and point to things or make movements and sing along to the songs. I think that helped a lot. He's not reading or talking much, yet. But, it has helped him build vocabulary and background knowledge. His first word (besides mama, was "cat". That's something I know they showed regularly and captured his interest.) He shows understanding of several other words he's been exposed to from the program. (I'll ask him "where's the ball? or "where's your hair?" and he'll touch them". Try making it fun for him and if he still doesn't show interest and you're still under the trial period, return it or sell it to someone.

Natasha - posted on 12/24/2009

I have heard mixed things about the Your Baby Can Read DVDs. My Ped. doctor said they were a load of bull, but my neighbors daughter loves the movies. Though she said she hasn't seen any improvement over the last six months, her daughter is now 2.