[mom2mady]

I noticed in Walmart today that they actually sell the your baby can read DVD's & kit. It was only maybe $70 for the "starter" kit and then you buy additional DVD's as you go. I have been interested in the whole thing from the infomercials but there was NO way DH would let me spend that kinda money (few hundred bucks, I think). I'm not thinking about getting it for Zacky but more for Mady who's turning 3 next Sunday. Because of her birthdate she prob won't start kindergarten until she's 6 and I think it would really help her be prepared. Plus, maybe Zacky will start picking up some of it while she's watching!

Does anyone have the program themselves or know someone who has used it? Just wondering if it's true to the commercials.

[RobinJS]

I think it's just memorizing not really reading. I don't think it can hurt but some say it can because they teach phonics in school which apparently this can conflict with.

[megpie]

I wouldn't spend the $$ on it. I would much rather take that money and spend it on a lot of good baby/preschool/kindergarten books. Your child will learn a lot more by listening to you read (letter sounds, larger vocab, etc) and have a word-rich library of his/her own.

I feel like I'm being Negative Nancy tonight. Sorry.

[GrmrSandy]

The your baby can read program is all memorization, and doesn't provide a solid foundation of phonics. Unfortunately, this only mimics true reading, because the child isn't actually being taught how to build the words, or sound them out. Once they start school, they tend to fall behind because they lack the tools necessary to add new non-memorized words to thier vocabulary.
However, if you teach it side by side with the ABC's, and proper word building skills like rhyming, context and sounding out letters, it can be a fairly useful program for helping the build vocabulary.

We have it but have not started using it I want to start when she is 1 but in the kit we bought it also give you flash cards and slider card games so that you can cover up some of the letters in order to break the words down. It really just depends if you just put the dvd in or if you actually do the games and flash cards with them

[floridabb]

Don't waste your money. It is memorization. My DH is a special education teacher with a reading endorsement and programs like this will cause a disadvantage to your child in the long run as memorization isn't the correct way to learn to read.