Customer Reviews

JumpStart Baby

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

We got this software for my son on his 1 year birthday. He loved it from the very beginning. He is now 17 months, and is constantly saying "puter". We got other software, but it doesn't compare. This is very age appropriate, pressing ANY key or the mouse button will get a response, and there are 8 activites dealing with animals, colors, music, and even getting dressed. There is also lots of variety, the games change so the child isn't playing the exact same thing over and over again. I'm about to buy Jump Start Toddler!

My daughter points to our computer all day long and says "baby" when she wants to play. It is set up so that it is so easy to use. The graphics are wonderful and she just loves all the games she gets to play. She is learning animals sounds, colors, objects and songs. I enjoy sitting with her because it is so well done.

Jump Start Baby is such a hit with my 19 month old son; I can't turn on the computer without him pointing to the Jump Start Baby CD. Being a former high school, Computer Applications teacher, I found this software engaging, easy to follow, and appropriate to the targeted age level.

Our 12 month old loves it. He constantly go into his brother's room and waiting by the computer until we let him play JumpStart Baby. He's often engrossed for a half an hour or more.

Teddy's appearance and voice have won him over. The graphics are colorful and the music is appropriate.

This software has eight activities and that's about the best I can say about it.

A major problem for us is that activity introductions last a while and our son is bored before the little characters get set up or quit talking, especially if he has already done the activity before. Secondly, it's not always easy for a baby to figure out what needs to be done. Get the mouse to the upper left corner? Connect the dots? A baby just wants to push buttons or move the mouse around.

Finally, and I know this is my own personal bias, I think the animation is too primitive and the JumpStart Bear's voice is saccharin-y to the point of being creepy -- similar to PBS's Noddy but not so cute.

We have several different baby software packages, and Reader Rabbit is far superior to the JumpStart product.

Like many other reviewers my son started watching this game before he could talk, probably around 10 months. We would sit in front of the screen and watch the animals. I would push a key and the animal would make a noise. Cause and effect. Immediate gratification. He got it...fast. This is a great piece of software to introduce your child to the computer. Talk about the keyboard and the keys. Sure, she may not understand the words but she will soon learn. These games are very simple, but what else would you want for your baby who can only say moo or baa? The Jump Start and Reader Rabbit series are perfect for babies and toddlers. If your child is not interested, don't push. Try another cd or just wait. Your child will probably soon develop an interest. Highly highly recommended!

My son started with this software when he was one. He's now 2 and we're not about to give it up. The best thing is that the child can simply press any key on the keyboard and something will happen. It requires NO mouse usage. It's very engaging and there's so much to do. I can't recommend it highly enough!

I purchased the 3 different software systems that I could find - Jump Start Baby, Reader Rabbit Playtime for Baby, and Sesame Street Baby and Me. By far, for my 15 month old son at least, the best is Jump Start Baby. He loves Teddy, who walks him through the fun activities, and he giggles with delight as he plays. This isn't the case with the other software brands that I bought. I wish I had only bought Jump Start Baby, as the other two have ended up collecting dust on the shelf. You just can't help giving your son the software he asks for.

There are many things that I like about this software, but our 17 month old has no patience with it. If I even click on the Teddy icon he starts screaming No, No, Wabbit, Wabbit. For him at least, that bear talks entirely too much. And it seems to take forever for anything to happen. Maybe if he hadn't played with the Reader Rabbit Baby game first or maybe when he gets a little older it will be OK. But for now, it's Wabbit Wabbit.

JumpStart Baby Deluxe Edition was the first CD-ROM that I bought for my daughter when she was almost a year old. She found it fascinating the first handful of times that we played it together, but it seemed to get old pretty fast for her. She did learn basic cause-and-effect via keyboard banging, but she lost interest in the games quickly and some were actually quite confusing.

As lapware, this was not a fun program to use. With lapware, the child sits on the parent's lap while they both attend to the game. It's a way for the parent AND child to interact together so that the computer doesn't act as a babysitter per se. However, I found the graphics very stilted and unappealing. Teddy was much too talkative and the animals were downright scary-looking. The baby performing fingerplays and dancing in the song section was nightmarish. I don't know what the JumpStart team was thinking when they released this version of JumpStart Baby.