Thoughts about BabyPlus Prenatal Education System

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With the world becoming increasingly competitive, especially in Singapore, it's not a surprise that education is an extremely lucrative market where products without scientific backing can also make money by playing on the fears of kiasu parents. Yet my opinion is that parents are always trying to do their best for their child so to each to their own.

What is it About
I first came across this while surfing Baby Singapore (http://www.babysingapore.com/) and I must admit I was extremely intrigued. Currently retailing at $318, it's an interesting concept. Apparently, you strap this audio device to your mid-abdomen so that your baby can pick up sounds that differs from the maternal heartbeat and the moment they start doing so - they start to learn. According to them, your baby will be able to do several things that probably not many adults are able to. They can self-soothe, interact and respond, nurse readily and are alert and relaxed at the same time! Later on in life, they will achieve what schools have always been trying to pump into our students without much success - your toddler will demonstrate great intelligence, are more independent, curious and have longer attention spans. WOW!


How it works is that you first strap it to your belly and activate it. There will be 16 types of 'heartbeats'  which vary in pace (which you can listen to some samples on their official website) and you are supposed to complete the 16 modules. The sound is repetitive with a continuous loud thumping sound with no volume adjustment. Try searching on the youtube - for some reason there are people posting videos of themselves with this audio device.

Reviews on the Net
Me...being me, I went to search the net for reviews. What I found was interesting. According to Amazon.com, around 82 out of 109 users gave positive reviews. Somehow, their babies seem to be doing whatever that was stated on the box. When I went to the Motherhood forum in Singapore, some of the users swear by its effects. It could be a case of pseudo-effect... or not. There were some that were more skeptical - arguing how the demographics and genes of the parents and their willingness to spend time with their children were more of the contributing factor. There were parents who also voiced their disappointment with the product when the moment their babies started wailing at birth, did not reach milestones as early as hoped for and were less inclined to sleep through the night.

However, there was a few reviews that stood out from the rest. Here's one:

"Starting at around 30 weeks, I used the BabyPlus system as directed. My daughter was in a breached position (head up), with her left ear facing my outer stomach for most of the pregnancy. Due to her positioning, the BabyPlus system was playing primarily into her left ear. She was born on July 16th (2008), with permanent (moderate - possibly moderate to severe) sensorineural hearing loss in her left ear. This type of hearing loss is mainly "..due to poor hair cell function. The hair cells may be abnormal at birth...There are both external causes of damage, like noise trauma ..." My husband's family and my family do not have any history of hearing loss. Needless to say, we're in shock. Our daughter will be wearing a hearing aid for the rest of her life - starting now, at 4 months old. I cannot guarantee that the hearing loss was caused by this product; but, this seems like too much of a coincidence. I regret using this product and would like to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience. I could not keep a clear conscience, if I did not post this warning. "

and here's another:

"I was suckered in by the convincing advertising. Of course I wanted my child to be at the top of his class.... of course. So I'll list the pro's first: My son is articulate, has a keen mind and has been speaking in full sentences (albeit short at first!) by about 18 months. People comment all the time about his speech (clarity and vocabulary) and also about how sharp he is.

Now the cons: My son did not sleep through the night until he was close to one full year old - he was a fussy baby and incredibly sensitive to noise and stimulus. He hit his major milestones on time (or early), but was, and still is, incredibly high-maintenance. My son was just diagnosed (yes, by a team of professionals) ADHD, is hyperactive and displays the impulsive characteristics of ADHD. I'm fully aware that all babies/toddlers/kids are individuals, and that it's not a 'one size fits all' approach to child-rearing, but please, just leave your perfect baby alone and don't be tempted to use this product. We now face years and years of behavioral work, dietary monitoring, and proactive management to deal with his ADHD - it's just not worth it to have a smarter child at the expense of 'normal' childhood. "

I read both reviews with extremely great interest.  Let's try to dissect each one.

Sounds in the Womb

All right, let's digress for a minute. Ever since I was pregnant; there were many, many, many kind souls who encourage me to talk to the baby and swear by it. Many believe that by doing so, the baby will be closer to the mother.

I don't disagree with them. I do. It's just that babies hear something but it was always be your blood circulation and your heartbeat first. In the womb  , they will hear noises that seem to mimic a vacuum cleaner, a static television and sounds of similar nature due to the amniotic fluid around them. The sounds are compromised of various high and low frequencies and will sound different to the little one. Interestingly, my gynaecologist mentioned that sounds can also be transmitted by vibrations through the bones as well.  So do the babies hear their moms' voices? Yes they do - by feeling. I doubt they hear the same way as how we hear it (or how sound pass through air) but rather they feel the vibrations due to the various frequencies of the voice (after all, the mothers are the ones carrying the little ones) and will probably soon learn to recognise it.

Volume is another factor that can affect the baby's hearing. In the womb, even with all that maternal heartbeat and blood circulation going on, chances are the sounds in the external environment may be louder than the noise in the womb. There was this study where researchers have found that even by playing the varying pace of sounds at a reasonable level away from the tummy, babies seem to indicate a change of heartbeat and with frequent playing of a particular noise, the baby may grow familiar with it. There are also indications that the amniotic liquid may further magnify the sounds in the enclosed womb.

So let's get back to the Babyplus and the review. Is it possible that the machine may have contributed to the hearing loss of the baby? It is possible - considering the position of the baby and the possible factors as discussed above. If you like to use the product, perhaps it may be a wise idea to find out the position of the baby or place the device a small distance away from the womb first. While there are many reviews that state that their babies' hearing were not affected after using the program, I think it is better to err on the side of caution or at least, after you know how your baby is positioned. After all, you do not have to really strap it on the middle of your abdomen. It is not a fixed rule to do so. How about on your chest instead or hang it around your neck?

ADHD

As I read her review, my only thought was "Does she or her husband has ADHD and is unaware of it?" A condition where certain parts of the brain (the frontal cortex, basal ganglia, brainstem, and cerebellum) affect the attention, impulsive behaviour, inhibition, and motor activity of children; this hereditary condition is little known 30 years ago and not many people were diagnosed with it. Children in this category are naturally very alert and are always curious about things (Ironically, wasn't that what the parents wanted?). In fact their minds process so much faster than the other children that they will become bored the moment they are not involved in any experiential learning at all times and become a disturbance! Chances are, you can play this product a million times and only hope for the best that the child has an increased ability to become calmer and self-soothe himself/herself. Seriously , I highly doubt that a product that produces sounds will have such a great impact on the child that it can cause him/her to have ADHD!

Final Thoughts

This really sounds like an interesting concept to try out. Yet as the product only came out recently, it will take at least twenty years of study just to see if babies using this audio device are more successful than others - with all other factors remaining constant. As long as parents have realistic expectations and do not expect a Harvard graduate by just taking a shortcut by depending on a product instead of investing quality time; I'm all for trying it out. After all, if I feel that this is worth a shot and I do not mind the price - why not?