Flickr: babyeinstein2008
by Kimberly Mayo-Achan MA, CCC-SLP
Everybody wants their baby to be the smartest, brightest, most gifted child on the block, so naturally, as parents, we tend to buy products that represent themselves in such a way that makes consumers believe just this. There are many products on the market, but products with names such as Baby Einstein, a subsidiary for Disney, catch our attention quicker than one with a more generic name. So, do Baby Einstein products really make your child a genius?
According to babyeinstein.com, this company offers a diverse range of products from books, to flashcards, to DVD’s. These products were created by a mother from a baby’s point of view and incorporate language, art, music and poetry into their merchandise. The DVD’s actually stated in them that their purpose was for educational intent rather than just entertainment. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that no conclusive research or evidence supported these claims made by the company and in fact, studies have shown children who watched these videos extensively actually preformed worse on IQ exams later on in life than children who were not frequently exposed to them.
One woman has made it her priority to inform the public about this false advertising and has brought this company under such intense scrutiny that Disney’s Baby Einstein has decided to offer a full refund or exchange to any parent who has purchased their DVD’s between June 4, 2004 and September 5, 2009 and is not completely satisfied with their child’s progress or the product itself.
The bottom line is that Baby Einstein DVD’s are probably no worse than some of the other material out there, but there is no educational research to support this. If used as a bonding or teaching experience, instead of a babysitter, these products may not be as “risky” as people claim them to be. As a parent, instead of complaining about what material your child is watching, monitor it closely and choose for yourself what you feel is beneficial or not. Any excessive amount of unsupervised television will ultimately result in less interactive, educational time spent between a parent/caregiver and a child.
For more information visit www.babyeinstein.com
Tell us what you think about these methods of education for children
October 28th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
What a sad state of affairs. Did they just plop their children in front the video and expect it to transform them. Kimberly – I would like to see more articles on the TV and these shows children just cant take their eyes off.
October 28th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
It really is sad to see that parents are blaming a DVD for not “educating” their child. Instead of sitting them in front of the TV with an “educational DVD” that teaches them, why not sit down with them and teach them yourself. In the first years of life a child learns most by the people around them not a DVD. It seems like people are just trying to put the blame on someone else instead of themselves. Great article Kim!!!
October 29th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
These DVD’s do serve a purpose, as most mother’s with young ones know. Simply finding time to distract the child to take a quick shower is worth the price of the DVD. Granted, some parents may go overboard, but as the contributor states, monitor the content and decide for yourself how often and for how long to expose your child to it. No DVD will make your child a genius, however, they offer harmless entertainment when used in moderation.
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