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Brainy Baby : ABC's : Introducing the Alphabet (Ages 2 to 5 Years)
Average Rating: 4.5     Total Reviews: 36
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Speech Pathologist - FIVE STARS     On: 2008-11-15

As a speech pathologist, I would highly reccomend this video to any of my clients. To those that have said the phonemes are incorrect have obviously never worked with speech challenged toddlers. There are lots of videos out on the market that encourage children to memorize their ABCs (which in the long run will not benefit their ability to read or spell). I encourage my students as well as my own child to address the sounds of letters first and label them later. I am very impressed that they include the different sounds the vowels (/oe/ and /o/)make and that they review (for those children that need it). To those reviewers who adressed the "uh" they heard attached to sounds - vowels for children under the age of five often need to be pronounced emphatically so they say them correctly (when learning the individual sounds). You can fix the attached "uh" later when spelling and blending words together. Also the vocabulary that follows the pronunciation of the letters encourages against using the "uh". I have not found a video like this one that teaches the ABC sounds and letters.
Great learning tool!     On: 2008-02-02

After reading a few negative reviews of this product, I had concerns about purchasing it. However, I couldnt find any alternatives that I thought would help reinforce my 3-yr-old twins interest in letters so I took a chance. I am so glad I did!

The video introduces capital and lower case letters along with the sounds and somehow manages to capture my boys attention whenever I turn it on. It is interesting to both of them, despite their very different abilities (one has known the alphabet since he was 18 months and the other still doesnt know all the letters).

My opinion is that the concerns of the reviewer(s) who complained about the pronunciations like, "d-uh" are overstated. It is a great tool for learning the alphabet and sounds!
EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL DVD
by: franznburg    On: 2007-04-15

I am so thankful to these reviews. They help so much in determining if a product is right for us. After reading all the reviews, I decided to purchase this DVD for our 20 month old son. He had been watching The Letter Factory (which is great) and I wanted to offer him something new. At first, I was worried, as he wanted to watch The Letter Factory, but after sitting through the DVD with him ONCE, from then on, he has been very interested in watching the video. I like it because its not all hyper. Its taught in a relaxed calm method. No regrets. I LOVE the way they repeat over and over the sounds of the letters. Its an excellent video for learnig the alphabet and letter sounds. A++++ We bought ours directly from Brainy Baby. We didnt want to wait. We received our order within a week.
Great Learning tool
by: angel_carr    On: 2007-01-25

If your gonna let your kids watch TV atleast let it be educational. Its a great video. Im sure it reinforced my son in learning his ABCs.
Great ABC Video
by: naborsa    On: 2007-01-04

My 2 1/2 y.o. loves this video and asks for it often. He now knows all his letters and I believe this video has really helped.
May not be perfect, but my [...] is finally learning to talk.
by: Anonymous    On: 2006-08-25

I agree with most of the other reviewers regarding MOM OF MANY MUNCHKINS review. She was way too critical! For hating the dvd so much, she has it memorized. She is correct about the "uh" sound, but my son has started talking so much since we got this dvd from our local library. He has even started saying complete sentances! Brainy Baby may not be perfect, but they are obviously doing something right. He also watches it from beginning to end without getting bored, and even giggles when the babies giggle. It is very cute! I think they did a great job. We have to remember that this video was made for babies and toddlers, not grown up adults.
My TWO year old knows his letters, but he's learning the sounds wrong!!
by: babyboutique    On: 2006-04-06

This review was very difficult for me to write as I have mixed feelings toward the video. As a first grade teacher, I am very critical of anything that requires the very particular and accurate use of phonemic awareness. Unfortunately, as the mom in the last review pointed out, this video has many inconsistencies when the narrator and little girl say their letter sounds. First of all, when saying letter sounds, one NEVER wants to add the sound -uh after any letter!! For example, when saying the sound for "T" we dont say "TUH", we simply whisper it by dropping our tougue from the roof to the bottom of our mouth. Or, we say "W" not by saying "WUH" but by forming the W with our lips, then holding the W sound like wwwwww. Though most of the sounds in this video are correct, they occasionally slip into the "-uh" trap! How on earth are our children supposed to read if they add -uh to every consonant....tell me....for instance, what the heck is puh-a-tuh! (translation without the -uh and you get the word "pat"!)
Now, looking beyond the inconsistencies in pronounciation, I have to say that my 2 year old son LOVES the video!!! I am completely in awe and amazed that within one time of watching it, he repeats EVERY letter as it drops onto the screen. Though I find it terribly repetitive and boring, he is COMPLETELY engrossed!! And you know, HE IS the one who is supposed to love the video (not me!) so I suppose Brainy Baby has hit the mark on that aspect! He sits through the seven minute introduction and is totally aware as each written letter comes on. He enjoys the kids and babies on the screen and it doesnt seem to bother him that there is no real "action" or fun puppets like they have in the Baby Einstein videos. So, as a mother, I am overjoyed that he is enjoying the video, learning his letters AND gaining a nice vocabulary. He is slightly speech delayed, so anything that will help to improve his language awareness is a blessing.

So how do I rate this?? As a teacher, probably no more than a 3. As a mother, Id have to give this a 5 since my own child is rapidly developing his language awareness just by watching a simple DVD! I havent watched any other letters video, so if anyone has any suggestions, Id love to hear them!
Brainy Baby - ABC's     On: 2006-03-04

Believe it!... This is a great video. Brainy Baby just seems to really know how to connect with children when it comes to teaching. The lady who gave this a one star and wrote a book about her feelings, is a bit over the top and has way too much time on her hands. We also homeschool our children and found that this video really helped them when they were younger to learn the alphabet. Remember, this is a PRESCHOOL video! Your children are being introduced to learning situations, not studying for a college exam! We have found that all the Brainy Baby videos are top quality and do an excellent job of teaching. Our boys knew the entire upper /lower case and all the letter sounds around 16-18 months! It was amazing and I KNOW that these videos played a big part in that. I am also impressed that all of their videos have a very specific educational outline that all my teacher friends say is excellent for teaching preschoolers. After doing a little research, I found a little known fact that it was Brainy Baby that created the first set of "infant-preschool" videos over 10 years ago (way before the Einstein series). So, that really gave me confidence that the producers at Brainy Baby really had the experience and track record. My advice, I dont see how you could go wrong for a mere $15 investment in your childs future. I own all of them and wish Brainy Baby would make more!



AMAZING     On: 2006-02-22

This video is amazing! After 1 week of viewing this video, twice a day (once in the morning and once after nap time) my 18 month old daughter could sing the alphabet song AND recognize BOTH upper case and lower case letters. If you are determined to give your child the best head start and realize that education begins at home, you will run out and purchase this video for your child now. I only wish I had picked it up for her when she was 6 months old. I will purchase this video as a baby shower gift before a Baby Einstein video (and we love our Einsteins)
~eDee
Taught my son his ABC's     On: 2006-02-04

I purchased this DVD for my son at Christmas. He was 26 months old and has autism. Up to this point, he only could say a couple of words. He had shown interest in the alphabet, though.

When I first watched the DVD with him, I thought it was really dry and boring, and he hardly watched any of it. BUT...then we played it a few more times and he started to show a lot of interest. Soon he was saying many of the letters, and within a week knew the whole alphabet. Two months later he is saying 25 words, and I think it all started with learning the alphabet!

Although I still dont think it is a very exciting video, and yes...some of the letters are not pronounced correctly...it has done a world of good for my son!

Great way to introduce and reinforce the alphabet!     On: 2006-01-20

Thank you Brainy Baby for this video! I looked all over to find a quality video in order to introduce and reinforce the ABCs to my 17 month old. I began introducing the alphabet to her at age 6 months, and she now knows the letters by name and can "sing" the ABC song. I bought this to help reinforce her knowledge because I like that it starts out by singing the traditional ABC song several times, and then it goes into presenting each letter. I also like that it shows real life images of children and other objects, and its not just a bunch of fanciful images set to classical music. At the end, they sing the ABC song one final time. I think this a great buy for teaching ABCs, its simple and its exactly how most people would teach it.
We love Brainy Baby at our house.     On: 2005-12-05

I just cant say enough good things about the Brainy Baby series of videos and toys. I have allowed my baby to watch one Brainy Baby video per day since he was about 6 months old. He loves them. And I love being able to have a few minutes to clean my kitchen. :) As soon as the Brainy Baby theme music comes on he starts to smile. He is captivated. I like them much more than the Baby Einstein videos.

And the toys.......he LOVES them. "Hello, Brainy Baby!" They are the most loved and most used toys in his toy box. I have to keep an extra stash of batteries just to make sure that they are all working all the time.

We love Brainy Baby at our house.
A great video     On: 2005-11-06

I am a speech pathologist and was surpised by another review that complained about the repetition in this video. That is how children learn -- by repetition!! Remember, this series is designed for the cognitive and learning skills of the 2-4 year old set, not an adult! I have a 3.5 year old who barely sits still, yet the children and action in this video keep his attention. Yes, there are instrumental and singing portions, but that is what kids love. I have several in this series and my kids love them all. Both my kids learned their ABCs by watching this video (along with practicing with foam letters in the bathtub). I find the Brainy Baby series to be much more educational than the Baby Einstein videos. For those of you who feel your children have advanced beyond the Baby Einstein videos, I would highly recommend this series. Great for the preschool age group.
A great video     On: 2005-11-05

I am a speech pathologist and was surpised by another review that complained about the repetition in this video. That is how children learn -- by repetition!! Remember, this series is designed for the cognitive and learning skills of the 2-4 year old set, not an adult! I have a 3.5 year old who barely sits still, yet the children and action in this video keep his attention. Yes, there are instrumental and singing portions, but that is what kids love. I have several in this series and my kids love them all. Both my kids learned their ABCs by watching this video (along with practicing with foam letters in the bathtub). I find the Brainy Baby series to be much more educational than the Baby Einstein videos. For those of you who feel your children have advanced beyond the Baby Einstein videos, I would highly recommend this series. Great for the preschool age group.
A winner with my child     On: 2005-09-22

My 20 month old son loves this DVD. He has taken a real liking to the alphabet song and stays glued to the TV whenever this DVD is on. He also recognizes the objects associated with each letter and likes to point out or sign (according to the ASL signs hes familiar with) the objects that he knows. Good product!
it was broken     On: 2005-08-24

i received my cd tape and was very excited to watch it with my son. the first time was ok however, the 2nd time it skipped. i cannot watch the entire tape b/c of this. i had thrown out the receipt so i could not return it.

jennifer neuman
Every Baby is Different.     On: 2005-08-24

Well, I read the review from the woman that gave this video 1 star. And I think she might be a little too critical. I have to say though this video may not be good for older kids, but it really all depends on your child. My daughter (20 mo. now) loves the Alphabet and Number DVDs from Brainy Baby. I started teaching her A and B at about the same time she was learning to walk and talk and she learned the difference between them very quickly. I started adding in a new letter every couple weeks and she learned fast. When I got the DVD she knew A,B,C,D, and E. Then after watching the videos for about a month she knew all of her alphabet, (Meaning she could say and recognize them). So I do think that having this video excellerated her learning. Then the Number DVD she watched for a couple weeks and I have to say I was amazed that with in a couple weeks she could count to 10. But she did display the interest in learning her alphabets and numbers before we had the video. If your child looks interested in learning then its quite possible this would be very helpful. I would recomend this video for children who are 1 year to 2 and a half. Its great to expose them to, but you have to remember that a lot of the work has to come from you. However there is no guarantee that your child will love the videos as much as mine. Children learn in different ways. Mine just really learned fast with the help of this video. If your like me, you might think its worth a shot. And if your baby doesnt like it, sell it or pass it on to a friend. Chances are someone elses baby might benefit from it.
nice for older toddlers or preschoold age kids     On: 2005-06-09

these brainy baby videos are great because they kind of pick up where the baby einstein leaves off meaning that they are geared along the same thought of learning the basic school/world skills as the einsteins but are for the older kids that are at school readiness. for example, my son already knew the alphabet but i bought this anyway and it really is improving his alphabet skills because the focus on word pronunciation using the alphabet, and also the lower/upper case difference, as well as vowel pronunciations. i recommend these videos in the brainy baby series to the older kids who may have outgrown the dvds or tapes which cover numbers 1-5, and primary colors, and the like
Shame on Brainy Baby! Terrible way to teach letter sounds!     On: 2005-04-28

Im shocked that this video is getting so many stars. It makes me wonder if the moms have really listened to it. Just a warning that this is probably my most critical review Ive written and it is quite lengthy. If you are considering buying Brainy Baby ABCs then Id suggest you please read this.

As with the other Brainy Baby (Ill call them BB in the review) videos that I have viewed, there is a long introduction that takes 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Then they sing the alphabet 3 times, once with a fish alphabet puzzle, then with wood letters and then a snake alphabet puzzle. Then kids voices are heard reciting the alphabet. This is followed by a long instrumental of kids at a playground, some of them holding foam letter pieces (this lasts 2 minutes and 8 seconds! How can this hold a kids attention?). I mean, get on with it already!! Finally, 7 and 1/2 minutes into the video, they begin with the letter A.

In case you dont know this, BB was formerly Babys First Impressions (BFI). BFI has a Letters video and BB ABCs has many of the exact same things in it. I think BB tried to improve upon BFI Letters by showing upper and lower case of each letter and by saying the letter sound. For the vowels they say both the long and the short sound and they also give the two sounds for C and G. Unfortunately they blew it, in my humble opinion, in not being consistent in their letter sounds and by adding that terrible sloppy "uh" sound to many of them. This is really bad. I am no expert, just stay-at-home mom homeschooling my kids. I am teaching my 2nd child to read and over the years I have learned how to make the letter sounds and how not to make the letter sounds. Before BB marketed this video they should have had some lessons. More about this later. But, first, lets start with how BB does the letters. All the letters follow this same basic format. Here is what is said for the letter A:

Big A. Little a.
The letter A makes two sounds.
A, A, A, Ape.
A. Ape.
A. Acorn.
A. Acorn.
and Aaaaa, Aaaaa, Aaaaa (this, of course, is the short sound thats being said), Apple.
Aaaa. Apple.
Aaaa. Ants. Amazing Ants.

OK.....sounds good, right? I thought, "hey, this is great that they added in the sounds of the letters. This is better then Babys First Impressions Letters."
FYI, in BFI they said:
A.
A. Apple.
A. Apple.
A.
A. Airplane.
A. Airplane.
A.
A. Arm.
A. Arm.
A.
You can see that BB tried to improve on this.

Anyway, as the other letters were said I soon realized I was wrong about thinking this was an improvement. There is a ladies voice that I will call the "Narrator" and also a young girls voice that I will call the "Reviewer". The Narrator started saying the letter sounds correctly but then very quickly began saying the sounds wrong. Some were questionable, such as saying "kih" for K and "Nnnnih" for N. Most were much more obvious, like "puh" for P, "tuh" for T, "vuh" for V, etc. This is so wrong! Its a sloppy "uh" that is added to consonants. No wonder there are so many kids in this country that have such a hard time learning to read. If you teach a child that the letter P says "puh", how can they correctly sound out a word? Lets take the word "pat" as an example. A child would sound it out by saying, "puh....aaaa....tuh (assuming they are taught that the letter T says "tuh".....which is wrong). If they try to blend this together theyll come up with "puh-a-tuh". How are they supposed to know that they change "puh...aaaa...tuh" miraculously into "pat"? It just boggles my mind!

As you can see, this really bothers me. I dont understand why a company wont say the sounds of the letters properly before they put a video on the market that is supposed to teach kids the letter sounds. Get it right first! Try it right now for yourself. How do you say letter sounds such as P, T, V, etc? Think about it....it might take a bit of effort to *not* say that "uh" at the end of the letter. For the letters P and T you say them quite short. Cut them off before adding on that "uh" sound. The letter V can be drawn out a little longer but you just say "vvvvvv" (like a vibrating sound) you should not say "vuh". The letter H is almost like you hear your breath coming quietly out of your mouth (its difficult to explain but I hope you understand what I mean), you dont say, "huh". The only letter that you can properly say the "uh" sound is for the letter U. To drive home the point a little further, we all know the sound for S. Its like a snake saying, "ssss". No one in their right mind would teach that sound as "suh". So why not teach all of the letter sounds properly? OK....off my soap box a little bit....but not all the way. Im not done with reviewing this video. It gets worse.

After every few letters there is a review. Heres where it isnt even consistent! The Narrator said "Lih" for the letter L. This is also wrong. You should say "LLLL" and not add on another sound to the end. Then the Reviewer (the young girl) says, "Luh. LLLL. Ladybug. Luh. LLLL. Lamp." The Narrator says, "Thats right!!" WHAT? How can that be right? They have just taught your child 3 different sounds for the letter L. I dont know what school they went to! First the Narrator says it wrong. Then the Reviewer says it wrong (but a different wrong way) and then she actually says it right (LLLL) and then repeats herself (the wrong way and the right way, but both her sounds are different from the Narrators wrong sound). How can this be considered "right"??

Maybe by now you are thinking I am being way too picky, but think about it. This is supposed to be teaching the impressionable little mind of our child. Why have them view this and pick up the wrong way to say the sounds of the letters? It could have a negative impact on them when they are ready to start to read. Just *some* of the sounds said incorrectly by the girl Reviewer are: "Buh" for B, "Kuh" for C, "Duh" for D, "Qwuh" for Q, "Vuh" for V, "Wuh" for W, "Ex" for X, "Yuh" for Y. In comparison, the adult Narrator says sounds like: "Bih" for B, "Dih" for D, "Nih" for N, "Qwih" for Q, "Ur" for R, "Vih" for V, "Whih" for W, "Yih" for Y, "Zih" for Z. Both of them say about half of the alphabet incorrectly and its not always the same letter. Sometimes the girl says it right and the woman says the same letter wrong. Sometimes they switch roles and the Reviewer gets it wrong and the Narrator says the same letter right. Drives me crazy! How can they be teaching one sound and then for the review they say a different sound for the same letter? And, while I am being so critical in this review, I might as well add that for the letter E they end it by showing an eagle wearing a graduation cap. They say, "Un Educated Eagle". Lets really show that we *are* educated, shall we, and say "*An* Educated Eagle" not "un" (unless they are really saying "Uneducated Eagle"....which would fit with the uneducated way they present this video).

As you can tell I have serious issues with this video and could never recommend it to anyone. It really deserves no stars from me but Amazon requires I give at least one. Even though this did have some improvements over BFI (noting the upper and lower case, two sounds for the vowels and letters C and G, better graphics, etc) Ill keep my BFI Letters and get rid of this one (it belongs in the trash!). Please dont buy it. At least see if your library has it first. Please read my other reviews. I promise they arent this long!







Shame on Brainy Baby! Terrible way to teach letter sounds!     On: 2005-04-27

Im shocked that this video is getting so many stars. It makes me wonder if the moms have really listened to it. Just a warning that this is probably my most critical review Ive written and it is quite lengthy. If you are considering buying Brainy Baby ABCs then Id suggest you please read this.

As with the other Brainy Baby (Ill call them BB in the review) videos that I have viewed, there is a long introduction that takes 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Then they sing the alphabet 3 times, once with a fish alphabet puzzle, then with wood letters and then a snake alphabet puzzle. Then kids voices are heard reciting the alphabet. This is followed by a long instrumental of kids at a playground, some of them holding foam letter pieces (this lasts 2 minutes and 8 seconds! How can this hold a kids attention?). I mean, get on with it already!! Finally, 7 and 1/2 minutes into the video, they begin with the letter A.

In case you dont know this, BB was formerly Babys First Impressions (BFI). BFI has a Letters video and BB ABCs has many of the exact same things in it. I think BB tried to improve upon BFI Letters by showing upper and lower case of each letter and by saying the letter sound. For the vowels they say both the long and the short sound and they also give the two sounds for C and G. Unfortunately they blew it, in my humble opinion, in not being consistent in their letter sounds and by adding that terrible sloppy "uh" sound to many of them. This is really bad. I am no expert, just stay-at-home mom homeschooling my kids. I am teaching my 2nd child to read and over the years I have learned how to make the letter sounds and how not to make the letter sounds. Before BB marketed this video they should have had some lessons. More about this later. But, first, lets start with how BB does the letters. All the letters follow this same basic format. Here is what is said for the letter A:

Big A. Little a.
The letter A makes two sounds.
A, A, A, Ape.
A. Ape.
A. Acorn.
A. Acorn.
and Aaaaa, Aaaaa, Aaaaa (this, of course, is the short sound thats being said), Apple.
Aaaa. Apple.
Aaaa. Ants. Amazing Ants.

OK.....sounds good, right? I thought, "hey, this is great that they added in the sounds of the letters. This is better then Babys First Impressions Letters."
FYI, in BFI they said:
A.
A. Apple.
A. Apple.
A.
A. Airplane.
A. Airplane.
A.
A. Arm.
A. Arm.
A.
You can see that BB tried to improve on this.

Anyway, as the other letters were said I soon realized I was wrong about thinking this was an improvement. There is a ladies voice that I will call the "Narrator" and also a young girls voice that I will call the "Reviewer". The Narrator started saying the letter sounds correctly but then very quickly began saying the sounds wrong. Some were questionable, such as saying "kih" for K and "Nnnnih" for N. Most were much more obvious, like "puh" for P, "tuh" for T, "vuh" for V, etc. This is so wrong! Its a sloppy "uh" that is added to consonants. No wonder there are so many kids in this country that have such a hard time learning to read. If you teach a child that the letter P says "puh", how can they correctly sound out a word? Lets take the word "pat" as an example. A child would sound it out by saying, "puh....aaaa....tuh (assuming they are taught that the letter T says "tuh".....which is wrong). If they try to blend this together theyll come up with "puh-a-tuh". How are they supposed to know that they change "puh...aaaa...tuh" miraculously into "pat"? It just boggles my mind!

As you can see, this really bothers me. I dont understand why a company wont say the sounds of the letters properly before they put a video on the market that is supposed to teach kids the letter sounds. Get it right first! Try it right now for yourself. How do you say letter sounds such as P, T, V, etc? Think about it....it might take a bit of effort to *not* say that "uh" at the end of the letter. For the letters P and T you say them quite short. Cut them off before adding on that "uh" sound. The letter V can be drawn out a little longer but you just say "vvvvvv" (like a vibrating sound) you should not say "vuh". The letter H is almost like you hear your breath coming quietly out of your mouth (its difficult to explain but I hope you understand what I mean), you dont say, "huh". The only letter that you can properly say the "uh" sound is for the letter U. To drive home the point a little further, we all know the sound for S. Its like a snake saying, "ssss". No one in their right mind would teach that sound as "suh". So why not teach all of the letter sounds properly? OK....off my soap box a little bit....but not all the way. Im not done with reviewing this video. It gets worse.

After every few letters there is a review. Heres where it isnt even consistent! The Narrator said "Lih" for the letter L. This is also wrong. You should say "LLLL" and not add on another sound to the end. Then the Reviewer (the young girl) says, "Luh. LLLL. Ladybug. Luh. LLLL. Lamp." The Narrator says, "Thats right!!" WHAT? How can that be right? They have just taught your child 3 different sounds for the letter L. I dont know what school they went to! First the Narrator says it wrong. Then the Reviewer says it wrong (but a different wrong way) and then she actually says it right (LLLL) and then repeats herself (the wrong way and the right way, but both her sounds are different from the Narrators wrong sound). How can this be considered "right"??

Maybe by now you are thinking I am being way too picky, but think about it. This is supposed to be teaching the impressionable little mind of our child. Why have them view this and pick up the wrong way to say the sounds of the letters? It could have a negative impact on them when they are ready to start to read. Just *some* of the sounds said incorrectly by the girl Reviewer are: "Buh" for B, "Kuh" for C, "Duh" for D, "Qwuh" for Q, "Vuh" for V, "Wuh" for W, "Ex" for X, "Yuh" for Y. In comparison, the adult Narrator says sounds like: "Bih" for B, "Dih" for D, "Nih" for N, "Qwih" for Q, "Ur" for R, "Vih" for V, "Whih" for W, "Yih" for Y, "Zih" for Z. Both of them say about half of the alphabet incorrectly and its not always the same letter. Sometimes the girl says it right and the woman says the same letter wrong. Sometimes they switch roles and the Reviewer gets it wrong and the Narrator says the same letter right. Drives me crazy! How can they be teaching one sound and then for the review they say a different sound for the same letter? And, while I am being so critical in this review, I might as well add that for the letter E they end it by showing an eagle wearing a graduation cap. They say, "Un Educated Eagle". Lets really show that we *are* educated, shall we, and say "*An* Educated Eagle" not "un" (unless they are really saying "Uneducated Eagle"....which would fit with the uneducated way they present this video).

As you can tell I have serious issues with this video and could never recommend it to anyone. It really deserves no stars from me but Amazon requires I give at least one. Even though this did have some improvements over BFI (noting the upper and lower case, two sounds for the vowels and letters C and G, better graphics, etc) Ill keep my BFI Letters and get rid of this one (it belongs in the trash!). Please dont buy it. At least see if your library has it first. Please read my other reviews. I promise they arent this long!







WOW!!!     On: 2005-02-23

My daughter is now 15 months old and knows most of her alphabet! I started showing her the video when she was 10 months. I was worried that shes just viewing it passively, but by 12 months shes able to say the letters "H, I , O". For some of the letters she could even say the sounds!!! She could point to letters and say them whether theyre on a cereal box or on your sweatshirt.
She surprised me one time by saying the sound of "L", which is pretty hard to do since they have to learn to roll their tongue.

I supplement her learning by reading to her and pointing out letters whereever they are. She thinks its a game and have fun saying her letters. She also liked playing with her Leapfrog ABCs Magnet and also the Leapfrog Phonics bus.
Truly educational!     On: 2005-01-01

I bought this DVD when my son was about 4 months old, along with the Brainy Baby 123 but didnt show him the videos until he was about 6 months old - which was after I had already made my own home-made alphabet and numbers 1-20 flashcards (the idea was to get him familiarized before showing the ABC and 123 videos). Indeed, both videos complemented my sons learning of the alphabet and numbers 1-20 because at 11 months he started to identify the entire alphabet and the numbers 1-20 in his books. I pasted my home-made flashcards on a board and at 13 months old as he watches this ABC video, he cross references the letters that he sees on the video against my home-made alphabet board. At 14 months old, he points and recognizes the letters in his books, letter and number prints on my shirt, public signs, billboards, and just about everywhere he can see letters and numbers - when we go shopping, at the register, and even at the Doctors clinic. He even says the sound of the letter when he recognizes it. Its just amazing how these brainy baby ABC and 123 videos complement my sons learning. I strongly recommend these videos that are truly educational. These are great tools to prepare a child and be ready to learn reading. By the way, I have all the baby einstein, leapfrog, bumblebee, your baby can read, Richard Scarrys, and the Do the Alphabet Sesame street videos, and I must say each of these have their own style of teaching babies. And my son loves each and everyone of these videos so much. One tip: be interactive and have fun with your child as you introduce each video. The key is you yourself must enjoy the video first and pass the enthusiasm to your child. (note: REMEMBER TO REFRAIN FROM ANY HINT OF PRESSURING YOUR CHILD) Youll be amazed at how rapidly your child can learn!
I was! My child recognized letters, numbers, and some words before he could talk and walk.
mom of two little ones     On: 2004-09-26

TRULY AMAZING!! Got this for my sons second birthday. Didnt know if he would go for it because theres no caterpillar at the beginning (hes a loyal Baby Einstein fan), but it has become his favorite video. Honestly, within one week he learned all his letters, uppercase and lower. He now sings the ABC song as cute and as well as a two year old can. This combined with Leap Frogs refrigerator magnets have really helped him with his letters. I highly, highly recommend this video. Our six month old enjoys it, too. Were waiting for her to start singing her ABCs too!
mom of two little ones     On: 2004-09-25

TRULY AMAZING!! Got this for my sons second birthday. Didnt know if he would go for it because theres no caterpillar at the beginning (hes a loyal Baby Einstein fan), but it has become his favorite video. Honestly, within one week he learned all his letters, uppercase and lower. He now sings the ABC song as cute and as well as a two year old can. This combined with Leap Frogs refrigerator magnets have really helped him with his letters. I highly, highly recommend this video. Our six month old enjoys it, too. Were waiting for her to start singing her ABCs too!
Greatest Video Ever!!!     On: 2004-09-15

I love this video. My newly 2 year old little boy loves to watch this video. It does a great job keeping him entertained while also teaching him. He now knows the entire alphabet, upper and lower case, and also knows many of the sounds that the letters make. We also have flash cards and ever since this video he loves to get out the flash cards and go over each letter. I am truly amazed how much he has learned. I cannot wait to get the number video and see if we have the same results. I would recommend this to everyone.
Greatest Video Ever!!!     On: 2004-09-14

I love this video. My newly 2 year old little boy loves to watch this video. It does a great job keeping him entertained while also teaching him. He now knows the entire alphabet, upper and lower case, and also knows many of the sounds that the letters make. We also have flash cards and ever since this video he loves to get out the flash cards and go over each letter. I am truly amazed how much he has learned. I cannot wait to get the number video and see if we have the same results. I would recommend this to everyone.
school teacher and mom of three     On: 2004-04-02

Brain Baby ABCs has done more to encourage our children on the road to reading than any other video out there and being a school teacher, as well as a mom, Ive seen them all! Our kids try to see who can come up with a word for each letter first, as it is displayed. Then, being siblings, they try to out do each other by seeing how many more words with the same letter they can reel off. Oh, the joys of learning-no matter what motivates them!
Great for special needs children
by: Anonymous    On: 2004-03-08

I have one child with autism and the other with a language delay. My 2-year old autistic child now knows all of the alphabet letters thanks to this video. She also is sounding out the phonics sounds of each letter. My other child has greatly improved his speech after reciting along with this video. I highly recommend this video in addition to the entire series.
Too Much Filler on this DVD     On: 2004-02-25

Im a big fan of the Brainy Baby DVD series after purchasing both Left and Right Brain for my 21 month old son. He loved both of those and thought we should move to the ABC DVD. He already knew the entire alphabet at 18 months. This video has a lengthy song in the middle that seems to be just filler to hit the 45 minute mark. For the most part, my son loves the letter parts, but loses interest in the songs. Certainly not a regretable purchase but this DVD does lack some creative elements that were in Left and Right Brain.
My 19th month old knows his letters!     On: 2004-01-18

I love this Brainy Baby video! (After owning both, I think BB is much better than Baby Einstein.)
My 19th month old son knows a lot of his letters thanks to this video! He LOVES it and begs to watch it all day. He doesnt like watching TV in general, so hes allowed to see ABCs at least once a day.
Just this week he held up a block with the letter M on it and said "M", and then did the same to two more blocks! Its amazing! Now hes pointing out letters in the words in his books and telling me what they are.
I know this is from watching the video, as well as reading with our family.
I HIGHLY recommend this video, as well as 123, Animals, and Shapes and Colors. All are excellent.
The Brainy Baby people know what theyre doing.
BLING BLING
by: Anonymous    On: 2003-11-14

After experiencing guilt for letting my daughter watch to many wiggles tapes I purchased this video. She loves the video and i feel as though it has helped her communicate.

as nelson would say - smell you later


The best
by: Anonymous    On: 2003-09-14

I think the reviewer who gave this video only one star must work in marketing for the baby einstien (now disney i think) people...the baby einstein videos are pretty but content-free. They have a catchy brand name, but not much substance.

On the other hand, the brainy baby series is truly educational. And they captured the attention of even my very young baby (lots of little kids and babies pictured in the videos) (If you like the brainy baby series, youll like the first impressions videos as well.)


I like the other ones in the series more     On: 2003-08-27

If you dont already own left brain and right brain, I would recommend getting those first. Though, this one is meant for older children, but it is not quite as entertaining it seems. My child doesnt seem to respond to this one as much as the left and right brain DVDs. If you already own left and right brain, it is still a worthwhile purchase.
My 2 1/2 year old loves it and is learning ...
by: Anonymous    On: 2003-03-31

I brought this video at the point when my son knew what a letter was, but could not distinguish one letter from another. He loves the video and he will repeat the information as he goes through the video. We have owned it for about a month and he knows about half of his letters. The video starts off by singing the alphabet and the letters are shown through a puzzle. Then the alphabet is said and show just as letters on the screen. Next they go through the alphabet. "Big A. Little A. A has two sounds. A a a Apple, a a a ape, a a a acorn.", etc. They go through about 5 letters, and then they repeat the letters through a test. "Do you know what sound the letter A makes?" "I know a a a ape and a a a acorn." Finally, they sing a song about the alphabet and different objects to help remember the letter sounds.

This is not a flashy scene video like baby einstein. For the most part it uses real objects, but does put in some computer graphics that look like real objects. It is not fast paced and it is repetative. It is designed to learn the ABCs and does it very well.

If your child is ready to learn the ABCs it is very beneficial. If your child is younger and enjoys looking at children and babies at play or real objects they may enjoy the video. Older children who already know their ABCs and the sounds will probably be bored with the video.


THE Best!     On: 2003-02-03

I love the way this video balances structured lessons like I would do myself with my child, and more abstract scenes of children playing with large letters and having great fun. It covers large and small letters. It also reviews words starting with certain letters, demonstrates sounding out words, and shows the word onscreen to help a child develop reading skills. And unlike many others out there, they take the time to go over the different sounds that one letter can make. This helps a child be more clear about how to learn to read. There are lots of outdoor scenes and lots of children from different ethnic groups, and great animations too. I love these 45-minute videos!
Great!
by: Anonymous    On: 2003-01-30

This video has been a great influence on my 2 year old. I cant believe she not only can recite the alphabet, but knows each letter by sight, and I have this video to largely thank. Great job on making it educational along with entertaining. I find so many other videos out there focus only on the entertainment side.
BAD -- Don't waste your time!!
by: Anonymous    On: 2003-01-18

I cant believe this product would even get a 1 star rating. There are much better learning videos out there that are better than this one. I wouldnt waste my money or my daughters time watching it. My 20 month old was completely bored! Please parents, dont just buy the status quo, dig deeper. There are better (check out Baby Einstein!) available products out there. Your child is worth it! --
BAD -- Don't waste your time!!     On: 2003-01-17

I cant believe this product would even get a 1 star rating. There are much better learning videos out there that are better than this one. I wouldnt waste my money or my daughters time watching it. My 20 month old was completely bored! Please parents, dont just buy the status quo, dig deeper. There are better (check out Baby Einstein!) available products out there. Your child is worth it! --
EXCELLENT !!!     On: 2002-12-29

This is a wonderful video. It REALLY teaches your child the alphabet! All the Brainy Baby videos do a far better job in teaching. ... The Brainy Baby series is most certainly worth the investment. ...If your child watches Brainy Baby, they actually LEARN their ABCs, 123s, Colors, etc. as well as being entertained with BEAUTIFUL images! (Not to mention that Brainy Baby is 50% longer than Einstein for the same price). Brainy Baby has not only taught our 17 month old daughter the ENTIRE alphabet, but it has been a lifesaver for my sanity too! I cant imagine any home without Brainy Baby.
Brainy Baby-ABC's     On: 2002-12-13

This video is bright, engaging and upbeat. It drew my daughter in because the children are happily doing things that all children love to do, play in water, play on the playground, etc. The review of numbers 1-10 is quick and then we pause for a jumping around, danceable song and then its on to numbers 11-20. Never boring and I have found it is interesting to even older children!
Brainy Baby-123's     On: 2002-12-13

This video is bright, engaging and upbeat. It drew my daughter in because the children are happily doing things that all children love to do, play in water, play on the playground, etc. The review of numbers 1-10 is quick and then we pause for a jumping around, danceable song and then its on to numbers 11-20. Never boring and I have found it is interesting to even older children!

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