BabyPlus Prenatal Education System
BabyPlus is “a series of audio lessons that are specifically tailored to every stage of infant growth in the womb,” according to the company’s website. The lessons consist of natural sounds, not unlike the mother’s heartbeat, that adapt slightly as baby grows and changes throughout each trimester.
The patented learning system promises to strengthen your baby’s cognitive development for years to come—but does it work? We talked to a couple moms who have used it to get their feedback.
Pregnancy & Newborn: When did you begin using the BabyPlus system? How old is your baby now?
Rebecca: I began using the system with my first pregnancy at the recommended start date (16 weeks, I believe). My first baby is 5 now.
Diana: I started using BabyPlus in 2008 with my firstborn. He was born in February of 2009, so he is 6 now.
P&N: If a friend asked you, “What is BabyPlus?” how would you describe it?
Rebecca: It’s a learning system for your baby in utero. It’s very rhythmic and calming to your baby and you. It’s a unique way you can interact with your baby before he or she even born.
Diana: It is a device that I used about halfway through my pregnancy to help with cognitive development in utero. I used it twice a day (during my one-hour commute to and from work).
P&N: What are the steps for using the system?
Rebecca: It’s very simple. Place the system on your belly, snap the belt, and go about your business. I got so used to it that I could even fall asleep when it was on.
Diana: Just strap it on, and press the button to get to the correct lesson for the corresponding week.
P&N: What is your favorite thing about using BabyPlus?
Rebecca: I loved this system because it allows you to do something I believe is so helpful for your baby every day before you even meet him or her. Aside from taking care of yourself, there’s not much else you can do for the baby until he or she is born—or at least that was the case for me before I found BabyPlus.
Diana: My favorite part was seeing if it actually worked!
P&N: In what ways to you think using BabyPlus has impacted your baby?
Rebecca: My first baby slept through the night beginning at 6 weeks old. Neither of my babies ever cried unless they really needed something. They were either hungry or tired—they never cried otherwise and were always easily soothed. Neither baby was ever considered fussy. Both babies were very calm and content. They still are at 5 and 3 years old.
Diana: I think it worked! When I delivered my son via C-section, he nursed right away. There are claims of other cesarean mamas having issues because there isn’t quick skin-to-skin, but that wasn’t a problem for us. He latched on even though I was whisked away to recovery and he was sent to the nursery. We have pictures of him holding up his head at 3 days old while in the hospital. He was very alert—nurses kept commenting during our stay on how alert he was. He was also very good at self-soothing and a great sleeper. This was a good enough excuse to use BabyPlus! I think it helped us very much during the newborn stage. I had to go back to work after eight weeks, and my son was on a good enough sleep schedule that it hardly impacted us.
P&N: Would you recommend BabyPlus to a friend?
Rebecca: Yes! I already have to several of my friends.
Diana: Yes, definitely. I have had two or three friends borrow mine!
P&N: Is there anything else soon-to-be parents should know about BabyPlus?
Rebecca: If you have any concerns talk to your OB/GYN. I asked my doctor about BabyPlus before using it, and she had very good things to say, even stating that lots of her patients were using it.
Diana: As I mentioned above, I would recommend it for even the self-soothing aspect alone. My baby was a great sleeper and eater from the get-go. He hit all of his milestones early—rolled over at 8 weeks, crawled at 6 months, took his first steps at 9 months and was fully walking a month later. During the “terrible 2’s” (and 3’s), I think self-soothing came back in back into play—he never had a full-blown meltdown of any sort, and any kind of incident was short-lived. Also, his reasoning and comprehension skills at that early age were (and still are!) incredible. I still believe all of that helped us during those years, so that they were never really “terrible.”
While in preschool, he was always ahead one classroom for his age. He would just whiz past all of his milestones. He is now 6 and almost done with kindergarten. His teacher continually makes comments on his reading and math skills. For the year, he has not had one math problem wrong; his teacher said that has never happened. He has done simple math problems since about 3 or 4 years old and now is killing it in school.
He has been playing soccer since he was 3—what started out as a fun little activity has blossomed into so much more for him. Again, I believe his listening and comprehension skills have helped catapult him to the next level. He has now been playing competitively and training with some local elite teams. He plays up a few levels with 8 and 9 year olds. He can practice with them because he has the attention span to do so. Most kids at his age barely make it through a 45 minute practice or game, but he is practicing for almost 2 hours at a time and playing in all-day tournament games. It really has been amazing to see what this product has potentially done to help my child’s skills!
Interested in giving BabyPlus a go? It’s available for $150 here.
