Please Help!

[betzabel]

Hi,

My name is Bettina and I am new here. I have some questions and am feeling a little lost.

First of all my son was born 2 months premature. I wanted to know should I start a reading program when he turns 4 months old or should I wait until he is 6 months old, which is when he would have been 4 months old due to being premature?

I am also lost at which program to use. I understand that it is up to me and that all are beneficial, but I need some guidance. I don't know if the Flash card method, the multi-sensory method or the encyclopedia method is the way to go. I am leaning toward the multi-sensory method and the reason is I want to focus on many things such as other languages and such, but I would love feedback on all three.

With the multi-sensory method I am looking at Tweedle Winks and Your baby can Read but wonder if compared the pro's and con's of each. I also am curious if there are any other programs that could be referred, or perhaps a mix. I am right now just talking to my son and having him watch one of three baby Einstein videos a day, Baby Mozart, Baby Beethoven, and Baby Bach. I am also reading a book a day. I am rotating between the 4 books in the Click Clack Moo series. I know they are way old for him, but I love them and I think they have interesting words for babies like click, clack, moo, quack, giggle and so on.

Please help me because I don't understand where to start. I have seen things explained about the different methods, but I still don't get some of the ideas like how many cards to do a day and so on. 

On top of that I am looking for advice on how to teach other languages. Neither my husband or I speak another language fluently, but I have taken 2 years of Chinese and am continuing to learn. My husband is committed to learning Spanish. We want our son ,and future children, to be fluent in both and of course English, with both parents being fluent in English and one other language. We also want to teach sign language, but wonder if that is necessary if we are teaching him to read.

Please help!

Thank you,
Bettina

[Sapna1322]

Hi Bettina
I suggest that you should start whenever you and your child feel comfortable.You can even start prenatally.But since your child is 2 mnths old you can start right from today.

I say that you should start with infant stimulation card.You can take a printout of the infant stimulation card which is available in this site under downloads.Start it off today itself.Those cards are good for baby's eyes.And simultaneously you should play a nice soft classical music and foreign language as a back ground music.And you can show flash cards once or twice a day of 5 set daily.And continue showing books.

You can go for tweedle wink course it's good.Currently i m doing that course for my 2 yrs old son.And when i was pregnant at that time i did a course same as Glenn Doman's course.

One more thing i would like to add never feel confused and tensed when you are teaching your baby.You should teach only those things which makes you and your child comfortable without any doubts

[Maddy]

Hi Bettina

Welcome to the Forum! We hope you enjoy your time here.

There are so many ways to stimulate and teach our children, it can be a little overwhelming at first. (I felt the same way as you when my baby was first born.)

Re. your son's prematurity, obviously every baby is different, so it's impossible for us to say. But, yes, it's likely that he'll be developmentally more ready for a reading program at 6 months than 4. If you wanted to give some exploratory lessons while he's a little younger, there would be no harm in that. Just see how he responds - if positively, keep going; otherwise, leave it a bit longer or change to a different method (actually this is true whatever the age of the child).

As to which method is best, have you read the Flash Card Method and Multisensory Method articles in the Reading section of the BrillBaby site? (I only recently rewrote those articles.) You asked about how many cards to do per day - in Flash Card Method, I have detailed the Glenn Doman method. Like you, other parents had been asking for the specific ins and outs (and now there is no need to read the book!).

If you want to compare the two methods, then check out our Advantages of Little Reader section, which looks at the pros and cons of various methods of reading instruction. By the way, you might consider giving our own Little Reader a go. At present, it is free to use! It has all the functionality of both flash cards and multisensory teaching - you can choose to flash cards (and can set the speed), or you can use it to show photos/videos and play sound effects. You can also customize the lessons with your own media/voice recordings, which makes the lessons so much more personal (and as your baby gets older, will really grab his attention).

Personally, I am using Little Reader and Your Baby Can Read. My 10-month-old daughter loves them both (though it took her a month to warm up to YBCR; she liked LR from the get-go). I use LR to expose my baby to Chinese, Japanese and Spanish - and I know you would like to expose your baby to Chinese and Spanish. One of the beauties of the software is that users can take advantage of file sharing. This means that you can download foreign language categories recorded by native speakers.

Re. TweedleWink vs YBCR, the latter is specifically for teaching reading, whereas TW teaches reading, math, music and encyclopedic knowledge. I haven't tried TW yet, but other parents have spoken positively about it. I can't tell you much about encyclopedic knowledge - it doesn't appeal to me personally, as I can't see the point in filling my baby's head full of facts. Reading, on the other hand, is a core life skill that is easiest to learn in babyhood. The ability to read fluently from a young age carries benefits into many other spheres of life because reading opens up so many avenues of knowledge.

As for Baby Einstein, I should warn you that studies have shown that babies who watch such DVDs on a regular basis actually learn fewer vocabulary words. It's something I've talked about in my TV FAQs. Beware of programs that are devoid of or low on verbal content. They might mesmerize and distract (a lot of parents use them as an electronic babysitter!), but they don't carry much educational value for babies.

As for sign language with babies, I am a big fan myself. If you're interested, you can read about my experiences on my blog (you can click on "signing" on the left-hand side to bring up just the posts about signing). Signing is mainly about bridging the gap between when your child would like to communicate and when she can communicate verbally. Reading is a completely separate skill. Because it reduces frustration, is fun and rewarding, and gives you an amazing insight into your baby's internal world, I would highly recommend signing.

Hope that helps Bettina, and looking forward to hearing about your experiences of teaching your son!

Maddy

PS Sapna is right - you should start with the infant stimulation cards! I didn't try them, because I didn't know they existed when my baby was tiny. But it explains why she was absolutely fascinated by the black-and-white photographs in our living room!

[Nikita]

Glenn Doman actually states that a prematurely born baby is better off in the learning stakes than a born-at-the-correct time baby, because while the baby is in the womb there isnt a lot you can do, but as soon as it's born, you can start. I started at day one with all my kids. I made sure they had an enriched environment, lots to look at and listen to, and feel. So dont wait, dont delay, teach him as much as you can!

I dont recommend baby Einstein or Baby genius too often.... I prefer DVDs that are crammed full of speaking, words you can see on screen, and facts like these 2 colours mixed together make green.  Giraffes have long necks for reaching the tops of trees for food. There are a few of the Baby Einsteins I like... language nursery, first signs in particular.  But I have tried Baby Bright, baby Brainworks and now Baby Blinks and they are very disappointing.  Mainly just swirling colours and background music.... where's the educational content in that? (perhaps ok for newborns for a couple of months when they cant see well but can hear and classical music grows their brain).

Has anyone ordered the new Baby Chatterbox... www.babychatterbox.com   I cant seem to order from Australia. It look good.  Not incredibly fantastic but better than the above-mentioned ones.  I'm looking forward to ordering Babybrainflashcards dvds ....now they DO look GREAT!! (just google that... they're from Singapore but they will post overseas.)

You can google free flashcards and infant stimulation cards to get variety for bubby.

[KL]

Thanks Maddy for such a comprehensive reply!

Glenn Doman actually states that a prematurely born baby is better off in the learning stakes than a born-at-the-correct time baby, because while the baby is in the womb there isnt a lot you can do, but as soon as it's born, you can start.

yes that is so true - I remember hearing him say that too.
So even though developmentally they may be 2 months behind due to a premature birth (what Maddy was saying, which is also what others say in relation to hitting milestones), the advantage is that they can get stimulation much earlier, so in that sense they are 'advantaged'!

[tiangm]

Hi Nikita,


Thanks for introducing me to this forum. In regards to Baby Brain, the website is www.babybrainflashcards.com - for those who are also interested.

There are a total of 4 levels in 2 languages. Levels 1 & 2 in English and Mandarin (Simplified Chinese) are currently retailing in video/ departmental stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. However, we are on the lookout for other distributors in other parts of the world and have just signed up with an internet distributor. Thus, Baby Brain Workout Flashcards will be available via internet orders at www.365kidcrafts.com soon. You may sign in there for updates on the status of internet orders.

We welcome queries/ feedback - please feel free to email [email protected]. Thanks!

[betzabel]

Well, thanks for all of the advice. I still feel awed but I guess that is to be expected, I am raising a human! I do have a question about the baby brain flash cards. I tried to email to the address above, but it was returned. When will this be available and will it be available in Spanish at some point. If anyone knows I would love to know.

I am going to give Little Reader a try as well.

[tiangm]

Hi Betzabel,

I should mention that BBWF is in DVD format. Currently, it is only available in English and Mandarin. What it does is to stimulate both left and right brain of a child (from 2 months to 6 years old). Hope this answers your question...
 

[tiangm]

Sorry, I should mention that currently, we do not have plans for BBWF to be in Spanish, but much depends on customer feedback/ response. We shall keep your feedback in mind, thanks.

[betzabel]

Tiangm,

Where can I currently buy this program at?

[tiangm]

Hi Betzabel,


BBWF is currently retailing only in video/ departmental stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

If you are from other countries, you will be pleased to know that we have just signed up with an internet distributor. Thus, Baby Brain Workout Flashcards will be available via internet orders at www.365kidcrafts.com soon. You may sign in there for updates on the status of internet orders.

[Nikita]

check early learnimg...weblinks for early learning resources... I just bought off goh_geraldine

[Nikita]

Regarding Baby Brain Flashcard DVD....I think Spanish is a very popular language, especially with US people..they learn it in school over there cos people to their south all speak Spanish.  Of all the languages to branch into, Spanish would probably be the best seller.  In Australia the languages our kids most learn at school are Japanese and Indonesian, and I have to say it's been impossible so far for me to find anything educational DVD/video for babies/kids, and I know alot of Indonesians personally. So I'd buy that! Not right at the moment though, I've sent myself broke buying educational products for bub, and trying to fix my computers to be able to do brillkids uploads (and still havent got there yet!!).
Just curious what foreign languages people are teaching their kids? i'm focusing on French, german, Spanish, Japanese, sign, chinese....probably Italian and Indonesian too. (I cant speak them, but I'll still learn.  Not expecting for her to be fluent in all, but comfortable if travelling overseas later on to get by. And great if wants a job as foreign ambassador or just working in foreign country...)

[betzabel]

I live in the US and I want to focus on teaching my children Chinese and Spanish. Chinese more for educational reasons and Spanish for more practical reasons. I have taken 2 years of Chinese with my Biology degree and think it is a great tool for the future. I don't know Spanish, but you almost need it here. So many Mexicans have come to the US and many don't know English. I think it will be practical in the future. Much like French is in Canada. My husband is going to learn Spanish and I am going to continue Chinese and we are going to teach both to our son and any future children. I also want my family to learn sign language, at least enough to be able to comunicate on a basic level with the hearing impaired. So few people know sign language without either being impaired or knowing someone who is. I think it would be a neat thing to know. Personally I would love my children to know as many languages as they can but I want to focus on other things too, like science, art, history and the like. I spent some time in Russia and have a small grasp of that lanugage, but I don't think that Russian is as essential to an American as Chinese and Spanish, but maybe in the future we will learn that as a family.

[goh_geraldine]

Nikita

Hi, I have already posted out your items this afternoon. The dvds should reach you 6 to 8 days from now. Have a happy learning ahead with your baby.

Cheers,
Geraldine

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