To what Extent are you willing to go for Early Education?

[mom2bee]

I have never looked into it indepth, but I have glanced at quite a few products which are aimed to improve the fetus (unborn children) in the womb and I have to say they are a bit...hmm, "laughable"?


I remember reading reviews on amazon for something that was supposed to be speakers for the womb so you can pulse sounds or music or whatever to the baby while they're in the womb and I thought it was just too much! (They can already hear, why would you BLAST music at your stomach to get it at your kid) but what was sad was that a few reviews had been written by parents complaining that their child had hearing damage in one ear (the ear that was pressed against the outside world).

I believe that prenatal care should focus on the mother taking good care of herself before conception until the end of breastfeeding. I think women should exercise, eat well, drink lots of water and maintain a balanced diet and take the appropriate supplements. Talk to your belly, read books, listen to books on tape, and study whatever interests you during this time. I think it'd be important to take up a relaxing hobby that you do regularly while pregnant.

the REAL fun begins once the baby is out. Assuming they are born healthy and whole, you have their whole infancy and toddlerhood ages (0-5) to work on the "early education" gig.
I for one hope to do it UP!

I dont really want to do any "prenatal" programs on my kids other than trying to maintain my own health by exercising, reading, studying and relaxing in the best ways possible.

Did any of you use any "new" method or device to teach your fetus? Or to advance your baby before they were physically born?


edited: I think my initial post, calling prenatal things "dumb" was too harsh. After all, I believe that I could teach my 7 or 8 month old to read, do math, etc. So why cant people use tools to help the development of their baby?

[AussieMumofOne]

I haven't experienced any of the specific prenatal learning devices myself but I know that TexasLady22 (check out her awesome blog!) used BabyPlus and was very pleased with it. A baby is born with full developed hearing and therefore we have to protect their little ears against loud sounds just as much as any other child. I don't know what product you're talking about and I certainly hope it isn't blasting the babies hearing as that just disgusts me, but one thing to consider is that the mother's skin, fat, muscles and fluid (among other things) all act to attenuate the level of the sound reaching the baby and therefore hopefully the device wasn't really the cause of the loss. This should DEFINITELY be removed from the shelves if it can cause damage. Anyway, back to your originial question, we just read and talked to our son before he was born and I think this is a great start!

[cassidy336]

I read a book about this and it is really cool.  I did less than I wanted to because I was pregnant with #2 when I discovered it.  I used a drum and drummed a few times for her.  We were very connected, I could think about her and get her to kick.  Now, she is 8 months old and I totally know what she is thinking.  She also never cried.  My 3 1/2 year old cries more than the baby does.  I've never met a happier baby.  She can also say 7 words already. 

[AussieMumofOne]

That is fantastic that you are so in tune with your baby cassidy336. It's also fantastic that she is saying seven words already, you're obvisously doing a great job!

[annisis]

Honestly, I bet I was really annoying!

I worked out... and worked until 1 week before my due date. I was in school, so LO was always hearing new things. We read to him, talked to him, sang to him, made music on my belly, I even poked him with my fingers and waited for him to poke me back. This was a lot of fun! A lot of people frowned upon me digging my fingers into my belly until I found something solid to touch, but he responded very well. This to me was a sign of early communication. We'd do that for hours! I also turned anything I was listening to up really loud, so he could hear it and man did I belt it out when I sang!

When Josiah came out, there were a lot of comments about how strong he was and how intently he observed what was going on around him. He was a passive baby (in demeanor) but always watching something. He never really stared into nothing like lots of babies seem to.

[amath]

Me and my partner also talk to our baby and sing too..

As annisis said, i do poke in my belly too, and its nice to have the feeling that the baby responds back and enjoy the time being with us..

I read the book by Dr.Miriam Stoppard (Conception, Pregnancy and Birth) which was very informative too in every aspect. Talking and Singing to baby as well as teaching to baby when in womb really works as i know my baby respond to it..

Its amazing to know what an unborn child is capable of .... 

[kizudo]

Not knowing ANY of all this stuff I talk about so easily now - Doman, EARLY reading, physically superb stuff - all I did was play classical music for him.  I was on long term disability (you know, due to the "illness" of being pregnant  )  - really it was because I had a history of miscarriages (3 before this one).  So, every day at the same time of day I would sit down and play classical, jazz or anything else that interested me for about 30 minutes.  I would sing and always, always keep the beat by tapping on my belly.  He now is crazy about making music - he has his guitar (ukelele) in hand a good 1/4 of his day and plays other instruments frequently.  He sings well (his group music teacher harmonizes to him and is pleased with how he picks things up so quickly).  He can name about 7 or 8 classical songs - title and composer.  Neither his dad nor I have musical skills, so, genetics can't play a big part in it.

Oh, and, being alone all day long I would talk to him constantly - about everything - the fact that I was going to make a piece of toast, that I needed a knife, that the butter was soft, etc.  Because it was such a habit, sometimes I'd catch myself in the grocery store talking to him about how the bananas were almost overripe or that the strawberries were pretty expensive only to look up to see other people looking at me strangly     But, he's now a big talker and has a HUGE vocabulary!

[Tilly]

I'd say keep looking as it is a very interesting area and you’d probably really enjoy it.  There’s so much we don't know yet about development during pregnancy.  I looked into this at the time and the foetus’s reactions to stimulus is an area that may soon be used to test prenatally for problems as its is non intrusive. I agree some of the things available are questionable but my own experience was a positive one. 

I used Babyplus during pregnancy plus music and reading etc. For me it was the foundation of pattern differentiation that made sense.  My son exercised a great deal during the time listening to the beats and his reactions clearly changed over the days of listening.  He would initially move a lot and by the third or fourth day of hearing the same beat he barely moved as if he was bored – it was pretty funny.  He was born very strong – enduring a long labour without a problem and contractions actually started after all the lessons had been completed! So there were a few things which made me wonder and there still are now. As for its safety I figured being an American product and no sign of them being sued yet it must be safe. Sad logic to use I know.

What I loved most about it though was the time for connection it created.  It became a time out where I was totally focussed on his movements and sending positive thoughts and belly rubs to my baby.  For that reason alone I’d used it again.

In an ideal world I definitely think planning and "education" (communication) can start from before conception even.  I think next time around I would do even more but I think knowing more now it would be done more naturally and less forced.

[Mum with boys]

I used a Baby Plus during my last pregnancy.  My closest girlfriend is a pediatric nurse and used it with all three of her children.  I'm glad I followed her advice.  Now I keep reading articles about how much more important the time in the womb is in terms of brain development than we originally knew.  I think the routine and repetition of the sound was something my son noticed and listened for daily.  He's very calm and tracks well for a 12 week old.  We'll see what the future holds.....

[sarahjean]

I don't go out of my way to TRY to teach my babies in the womb, but I'm pretty sure they are benefiting from certain activities that we do anyways. For example, I play a lot of guitar for the girls, which sits right next to my belly. We also do a lot of reading and learning, which I'm sure the baby can hear!

I would be interested to see, years down the road, what effect the programs designed to teach the fetus actually have...

[TeachingMyToddlers]

I am currently reading a lot about this very subject and I am floored by the studies and doctor's claims. And not from "quacks" but from legitimate doctors taking the time to study this topic.

And few of the things I have come across so far:
Babies respond with stress signs to the THOUGHT of Mom picking up a cigarette because they sense they are not going to be able to breathe properly very soon.

Babies consistently respond differently to Mom watching happy movies versus sad/horror movies, they can feel Mom's emotion.

They are capable of learning smells, tastes, sounds, and feelings in the womb. (there have been many studies done on this, including one involving carrot juice and and another with anise).

They can become habituated to the same sounds/patterns when they are no longer novel and interesting to them.

A very respected conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic claimed to know the score of a certain piece, particularly the cello line and could not figure out why. Turns out, decades earlier his mother had been frequently playing that piece during her pregnancy with him. http://books.google.com/books?id=37qusvEgUwkC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=boris+cello+philharmonic+symphony+cello+line+womb&source=bl&ots=zD52d5TMir&sig=UftqIbO2b7--gZ9wZWOCEN7AUL4&hl=en&ei=LUk2TaiYJZC-sQO4rsHzAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q&f=false

They prefer Vivaldi and Mozart.

They can remember being read The Cat in the Hat.

The list goes on, these are just some off the top of my head. I don't have the journal citations in front of me, but you can easily google them. Although, some I did access some through JSTOR (membership required) so I hope you can find enough of the the article to see that it's "legit."

I had NO IDEA how much gestation can impact a baby's development. Google "fetal memory" and prepare to  be shocked.

[howardboys]

If I got pregnant again, I'd focus as much as possible on nutrition.
You ask, to what extent would I go?
Well, I'd probably go farther than before to eliminate chemicals and toxins from my diet and to eat the best quality foods I could afford.

I would also focus a lot more on stress relief, meditation, exercise and many hours of sleep.

I wouldn't go overboard with the in-womb practices, beyond talking a lot in general and to the belly, playing music and tapping at regular intervals.

The studies I read are more about the diet and health of mom while pregnant.

mom2ross

[NewMom27]

As per my view till i see my baby comfortable while i teach him... i m ok with early education but as per the educating the fetus, i havent done that as i used to feel that what if i do something wrong...

Thats my personal view...

[AdelMum]

I read a special book by Dr Zeuss each day from 16 weeks of my pregnancy. I also used a speaker type thing, can't remember the name for 2 hrs a day which has vibrations and pitch sounds. It is supposed to help make alert babies and she would respond in my womb. My baby was so alert from the day she was born I am not sure whether these tools were the reason though. Everyone noticed though at Mothers Group or with the Community Nurses they always commented on it. Mothers Group was amazing, my baby was much more alert and interacted with objects and people at a much younger age than her peers. My little girl loves books and learning and is like a sponge and even at Day Care her teachers always comment on her abilities and language development as she is very advanced. It is nothing forced she just loves to learn. I would recommend the tools I used, I have mentioned it to a few friends but most people are sceptical so I never say too much about what we do at home with our educational toys and tools.

[Ezhik]

I really wanted to do babyplus when I was pregnant - I had decided long before that I would, but then I was living with my Mum and my family think I'm crazy enough as it is so I decided not to. I really couldn't handle the stess of what I knew would be constant mockery on top of relationship breakup and serious overcrowding. I wish I had had the opportunity...

I would really like to do a lot more whenever I have another baby, such as reading/music/babyplus at a set time each day. The worst result will be that I achieve nothing more than spending the time to bond with my baby

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