I had a feeling...

I was pretty skeptical of the "Your Baby Can Read" infomercials that started airing back when I was pregnant with Santiago. There is another program that's similar to it that I've seen on "19 Kids and Counting" that the Duggar family uses with their children. Basically it's all about parking your children in front of the television and "learning" words through watching television. In the small amount of child development classes that I took WAY back when in college, that's not true. Children learn by doing, not by watching, especially at such a young age. So I wasn't surprised to see on the Today Show this morning that there was a complaint being filed against "Your Baby Can Read".

Now, I am also realistic and am a parent, and sometimes even put Santi down and put on a Baby Einstein video or a Sesame Street video, but I'm always with him, he's usually sitting in my lap or next to me, and I'll talk to him throughout the video and ask him questions or repeat things to him. I don't do it everyday. In fact, I usually do it maybe a couple of times a month. I don't use tv as my babysitter. I do sometimes have the tv on in the afternoon or the morning (watching The Today Show or Ellen or Rachel Ray or Oprah) while he's playing and sometimes he'll stop and watch what's on, but he doesn't get it, so basically it's just background noise. And in those cases, I'll talk to him, or if he hears clapping, he'll clap and I'll shout "Hooray!" or something of the sort. 

I do, however, question the "creator" of "Your Baby Can Read", Dr. Robert Titzer, who, as the article below states - "calls himself an infant learning expert but actually holds a graduate degree in “human performance” — the study of motor skills." He says that his child, who is featured on the infomercials, at 4, was a better reader than he was (as an adult.) And that he was teaching college at the time and she was a better reader than all of his college students. It's one thing to say that your child is smart, but it's another to go above and beyond to protect your product. Or maybe he really is stupid? :)

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Complaint Filed to FTC over "Your Baby Can Read"

By Jeff Rossen and Robert Powell

TODAY.com TODAY.com

A national watchdog group that campaigned successfully to change the way the popular “Baby Einstein” program markets its product is now trying to get the folks at “Your Baby Can Read” to do the same.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood recently filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging that “Your Baby Can Read” uses deceptive marketing to get parents to buy its DVDs, flashcards and other materials.

Last year, an NBC News investigation that aired on TODAY found that child development experts from coast to coast were of the collective opinion that while young children can be made to recognize or memorize words, the brains of most infants and toddlers are just not developed enough to actually learn to read at the level the way the enticing television ads claim they can.

"It's deceptive, and it's really harmful. Parents are shelling out all this money for something that is basically snakeoil,” said Susan Linn, executive director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. "We were just so pleased that the TODAY show took this on. It's the first expose we've seen about this product."
Linn’s group claims in its FTC complaint that “Your Baby Can Read” is not only false and misleading, the program “poses significant health and safety risks to infants” who are encouraged to sit in front of TVs and computer monitors by parents who hope they can get a headstart on life by teaching their children to read early.

“There’s no evidence that ‘Your Baby Can Read’ is doing anything for babies except potentially harming them by getting them hooked on screens so early in life,” said Linn. “If parents follow the ‘Your Baby Can Read’ instructions, after 9 months, babies would have spent over a full week of 24 hour days in front of a screen. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under the age of 2. So does the White House task force on childhood obesity.”


Linn says parents have been hoodwinked by the product. "We want the FTC to stop "Your Baby Can Read" from false and deceptive marketing, and we want "Your Baby Can Read" to offer refunds to all those parents who have been duped," she said.

The FTC confirmed that they are reviewing the new complaint. Asked for comment, “Your Baby Can Read” told NBC News: “We are proud of our accomplishments … Thousands of parents have shared the success stories of their children with us, and hundreds have sent us videos of their children’s progress.”
Asked last year about those who are of opinion that children cannot really learn to read until they are 4 or 5 years old, the creator of “Your Baby Can Read” dismissed the criticisms.

“They’re all wrong,” said Dr. Robert Titzer, who calls himself an infant learning expert but actually holds a graduate degree in “human performance” — the study of motor skills.

Titzer told TODAY at the time that his program is backed by scientific research. He acknowledged that it starts with memorization, but insisted it leads to reading.

“The baby does learn to read,” he said. “My children could read better at age 4 than I could at age, you know, at my age.”

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood’s fight against “Baby Einstein” brought customer refunds and changes in how that product is marketed in 2006. It is still on the market, however.

The FTC closed its investigation in 2007 without recommending any enforcement action. The agency noted at the time that “Baby Einstein” had voluntarily revised its claims and that there were no conclusive scientific studies about the effects of watching too much television on infants or toddlers.

Where does that leave parents? Experts say the best way to teach your baby to read is free: Read to them, sign to them and expose them to language. And when they are ready, they’ll read.

Source: The Today Show

Happy day!

I picked up the things that I'd consigned at the big consignment sale on Sunday evening. I looked through what I'd sold, and after the commission to the company who ran the sale, I'll come away with about $111.00. Not bad for a two day sale! And I didn't choose to enter my things into the discount day, and chose to pick the stuff up myself. So now I have some more clothes to consign at some local shops here for some credit. And what I can't consign, I'll save until the next consignment sale.

I ended up spending $51 at the sale, but $50 of that was a birthday gift to Santi so truly I spend $1 and some change. So my profit for the whole weekend was $100! Of which I'll put it into Santi's bank account to gain some interest and we'll use towards future clothes or things for him.

10 Things Never To Say

So I was watching the 4th hour of The Today Show a few weeks ago, and happened to see a segment where Kathie Lee and Hoda were talking about a recent article that Redbook had posted on their blog where there were "10 Things Never to Say to a Stay At Home Mom." These are pretty interesting, and the most interesting is that I got something very close to #3 from a part time working mom the other night at a mom's night out event I went to!


10 Things Never to Say to a Stay At Home Mom

1. When the kids are older, do you think you'll get a real job?

2. How June Cleaver of you!

3. Oh, so you don't work?

4. Since you have extra time on your hands, could you whip up a few dozen brownies for the bake sale tomorrow?

5. All day with your kids? I can't even imagine.

6. I'm jealous. I wish my husband were rich so I wouldn't have to work either.

7. What do you do all day, anyway?

8. I'm sure you're not the only one who's ever wasted money on a college degree.

9. That explains why your son is so clingy!

10. Weird. I assumed your house would be super clean.


Source: Redbook blog

Consignment Sale

Last night I was able to get early entrance to a consignment sale because I put some of Santi's clothes (and toys!) in to consign. I got there at 6:15 pm and there was a line around the hallway and up the stairs! Once we were in, I was on a mission - I wanted to get a musical activity table for Santi. He's played with these before at people's houses and loves them. New, they are around $40 which is ridiculous. I'd seen one at a consignment store a few weeks ago (but got talked out of buying it) for $16.

So I entered near the toy table and walked around looking for one and didn't see any (there are usually a bunch, so I was surprised.) So I kept looking, because I know they sometimes put things under the tables. Finally, I spotted one, but a woman had parked her stroller in front of two of them. She didn't seem to notice me straining for it, and then when she did, she actually said "Oh, sorry. I was thinking of getting that." I just looked at her and said "Well, there are two - this is the one I want. Do you want it?" And she said she wasn't sure, so I told her I was and was going to snag it. She let me and moved her stroller (only about an inch!) so I could crane my arm in and grab it.

So I ended up with this one (it's the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Alphabet Soup one, which Santi has played with before and likes.)


And the best part? It was $8! Such a great deal!

Then I headed for the clothing racks and managed to get some great deals on summer clothes for Santi (4 polo shirts, a romper outfit, 3 pairs of shorts, an airplane onesie, two other onesies, and a long sleeved t-shirt with a 747 on it which I had to get since that's Tito's plane!) all of which were from the Gap, Tea Collection, Janie and Jack, Old Navy and Gymboree. I also managed to grab a pair of Carter's water shoes for Santi this summer and the best? A pair of basically brand new baby Puma sneakers!


These were also $8 (and are originally $40!)

Total amount spent? $51. I love consignment sales! And I'm hoping I make some money on the things I put in! I'll find out tomorrow!

Story time

Today we decided to go to story time at the library that's about 5 minutes down the road from our house. We've never been but were excited to "sing, listen and play" as described on the library website.

When we got there, we were early, so we got out of the car when we saw another mom and her son get out. Santi immediately pointed at the little boy, who pointed back, which prompted the mom and I to strike up a conversation. So we waited around and I asked her if she'd ever been to this story hour before and she said she had once before, and warned me that the lady who did story time was weird.

We went inside a few minutes later (greeted by the story time lady at the door, who seemed normal enough at first glance) and found a seat by the window. I figured if it all went south that at least Santi could look out the window.

After a minute or so, the woman came in, and proceeded to speak in the smallest voice, with this weird attempt at calming tones as possible. I think she was trying to speak quietly for the kids, but it was weird. Then she pulled out a book to "read" at the story time - it was a book with all black and white shapes and no words. In my opinion, when you "read" at a story time, there should be words in the book, correct? So she just showed the pages (which none of the kids - all ages 2 and under - could see anyway.) Then she moved on to some songs (most of which I didn't know, but the other moms seemed to know them and sing along) and then to a felt board with some animals on it where she acted out little scenes like asking if mice lived in certain houses, etc.

Frankly, I was bored the second I sat down, and so was Santi. Any time she sang, he looked at her, but he had no interest in paying attention to the books, which was fine by me. I let him look out the window at the "cahs" as he calls them (his great grandfather would be proud because he says "car" like a Mainer!) and then he toddled around for a bit while I chased him.

Santi is VERY social, so he kept going up to other moms and their kids and smiling at them, touching their hair, etc. It was pretty cute but I kept an eye on him in case he was annoying anyone.

The "story time" lasted 20 minutes, and then they put out three big bins of toys and it was basically a toddler free for all. There were about 30 kids there and each had at least one parent with them. So way too many people in a small room essentially. I plunked Santi down in an area where there were some toys and then sat next to him, but he was too into his truck to notice me. So some of the moms and I attempted to talk but mostly it was taking toys away from our kids when they decided to snatch them from another kid and not share. After 10 minutes, the story time lady came back in (I can only assume she was doing shots in the back room since she ran out of there as soon as the toys came out) and collected the toys. Then everyone left in a mass exit of the library.

Kind of a bust. I don't know, I don't remember story time being like that when I was a kid. Maybe Santi needs to be older, but there were kids his age who seemed interested in what was happening. Santi was more interested in interacting with the adults and kids there. So I don't think we'll be going back. For now he'll have to suffice with me as his story time lady.

Feeding a toddler

Santi has always been a good eater. When we started solid foods with him (at 5.5 months old) we were thrilled that he ate any and every puree we put in front of him. When we started giving him more solid food, he gobbled down bread, cheese, yogurt, and then later vegetables (all of them!), fruit, fish, chicken, pasta and ground turkey. Little did we know that when he turned about 11 months old he would decide to become a vegetarian.

Normally when we feed him, we put the food on his tray and let him pick it up and feed himself. Occasionally, if we give him applesauce or yogurt, we'll feed him. Lately, when there's a meat on his tray, he refuses to eat it, eating everything else around it and leaving the pieces of meat. So we have to be creative. What has worked for us is to put the meat pieces IN his applesauce or yogurt. We don't know why this works, because he clearly sees us putting the pieces in there (and has come to like "helping" by putting pieces in himself!) but it does.

If we don't do this, the following video is what happens. I call it the "Santi dance"...he's quite good at it!

AAP: Toddlers in rear-facing seat until 2

We just learned about these new guidelines last week at Santi's 1 year well child visit. We already had intentions of keeping him rear facing until he couldn't stand it any more. Our max for our car seat at rear facing is 40 lbs. Right now he weighs 24lbs, so we have at least another year until he's 40lbs.

Some people make the argument that kids will want to turn around to see things, but frankly, he knows no different. And he looks out both windows and the back window when he's back there anyway!


By Sasha Emmons, Parenting.com

March 21, 2011 7:37 a.m. EDT

(Parenting.com) -- In a new policy statement published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics now advises parents to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they exceed the height or weight limit for the car seat, which can be found on the back of the seat.

Previously, the AAP advised parents to keep kids rear-facing as long as possible, up to the maximum limit of the car seat, and this has not changed.

But it also cited one year and 20 pounds as the minimum for flipping the seat, which many parents and pediatricians interpreted as conventional wisdom on the best time to make the switch.

The new policy clarifies the AAP's recommendation, making age 2 the new guideline -- a real game-changer for parents of toddlers.

A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention found that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or to be severely injured in a crash if they are rear-facing. Another study found riding rear-facing to be five times safer than forward-facing.

"A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body," said Dennis Durbin, M.D., F.A.A.P., a pediatric emergency physician and co-scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and lead author of the policy statement and accompanying technical report.

Recall Finder: Check if your child's car seat has been recalled

Parenting talked to Ben Hoffman, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and a child passenger safety technician, to get answers to parents' most pressing questions about the new policy.

Although the new baseline is now age 2, the AAP has advised parents since 2002 to keep kids rear-facing until they reach the height or weight limit of their car seat. Why are parents so eager to turn their car seats?

"Parents are interested in milestones, and the minimum of one year and 20 pounds has been interpreted as gold standard instead of the minimum," says Hoffman. "Parents are always looking for the next stage of development because in every other scenario, that's a good thing. With car safety seats, however, that's often not the case."

But isn't forward-facing easier for everyone?

Yes, it's easier to interact with your child when she is facing forward, and less awkward to get her into the seat. But safety should be the main concern. "I would ask parents to consider the protection of the child in addition to comfort," says Hoffman. "It's minimally acceptable to change to forward-facing at a year, but parents can do better than that."

What about squished legs?

Kids who have been only rear-faced will most likely not be bothered, since they don't know anything else. And it's completely fine for their feet to touch the seat back, or for their legs to bend. "Once you make the switch, it's hard to go back, so try not to ever switch them before they are ready," says Hoffman.

Why are so few parents aware of even the older guidelines that say kids should stay rear-facing as long as possible?

There may have been some confusion with the message, with many parents mistaking the minimum for the ideal age to make the switch. The AAP hopes that by making age 2 the new guideline, the message will be less confusing for parents and for pediatricians.

If my child turns 2 before he reaches the height or weight limit for the seat, should I keep him rear-facing?

Yes. The safest decision is to keep him rear-facing until he reaches the height or weight limit for the seat.

If my child reaches the height or weight limit for my seat before age 2, what should I do?

Once your child exceeds the height and weight limit of his infant car seat, purchase a convertible car seat with a higher height or weight limit (most go to 35 pounds rear-facing) and continue to use it rear-facing until age two, or until your child hits the height or weight limit for rear-facing use. At that point you can make the switch to forward-facing-- or you can purchase a convertible car seat with a higher weight limit for rear-facing (some go up to 45 pounds). "That's a very personal decision for the parent," says Hoffman, one that may also be influenced by the size of your car, the arrival of a younger sibling, or your budget.

What should I do if I've already switched my under-2 child for forward-facing?

The best advice is for parents to consider switching their child back to rear-facing. But the next best thing is to, at a minimum, make sure you correctly use the seat you have: Make sure the seat is harnessed tightly to the vehicle, that the harness is snug over the child and the chest clip is in the correct position, and that the seatbelt or LATCH system are installed correctly.

Why didn't my pediatrician tell me about this?

"Pediatricians should be talking about this," says Hoffman. "But given everything else that needs to happen in a well-child visit, sometimes this message gets left behind. I would love to see a day where every family-care health provider knew the best possible advice and shared it with their patients."