These days, children are expected to be reading well by the time they finish kindergarten. But should you be expecting your child to read by the time he or she turns 2? Or, furthermore, can you even expect a 2-year-old to start reading? Educational product line Your Baby Can Read thinks so. If you’ve ever watched late-night infomercials, you likely caught one for Your Baby Can Read. If you haven’t seen it, here’s the product’s commercial:
Consumer advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood claims these commercials are misleading and deceptive and claims Your Baby Can Read products are harmful to children. Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, but this instance is not the first time the organization questioned a baby product’s claims.
A few years ago, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood took the same approach to Baby Einstein, and parents who purchased Baby Einstein products were eventually refunded. Baby Einstein claimed their products assist with building young children’s vocabulary. Studies, however, disproved these claims, finding instead that children who exclusively watched Baby Einstein videos knew fewer words than those who just interacted with their parents.
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood takes their argument a step further. They claim that, while young children can recognize words aurally and visually, they are not developed enough to read. Additionally, they state that the amount of time Your Baby Can Read requires a child sit in front of a television or computer is harmful.
Your Baby Can Read, of course, denies these claims, and says that one million families have bought their product and are satisfied.
Still, although Your Baby Can Read involves interaction between the parent and child, sitting a child in front of a computer or television is no substitute for talking to and reading with your child.
October 13th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
[...] Your Baby Can Read and Baby Einstein are some of the more prominent makers of educational toys, countless more claim [...]
October 28th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
[...] or indirect discovery and explanation. Many educational toys, including Baby Einstein and Your Baby Can Read, take the former approach. While the educational claims of expanded vocabulary of Baby Einstein [...]