Baby Einstein? Good or Bad?

[kusumat]

My DD is 7 months and really likes baby einstein dvds. She always smiles and laughs when she sees the shows. We only let her watch them when we feed her. Recently, my SIL told me that Baby Einstein hurts the brain development per the book " Parenting for Dummies." I am going to ask my Ped tomorrow. What are your thought?

[Pennylane]

IMO that is ridicoulous. My older dd, who is now 5, loved Baby Einstein and watched the 30 minute videos probably twice a day for a few months. If it has had some negative effect on her I sure can't see it. She can write her letters, read some, count to 100, etc.


This is what the AAP says though and I'm sure most doctors would agree:

And, according to the guidelines, children under age 2 should have no "screen time" (TV, DVDs or videotapes, computers, or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, TV can get in the way of exploring, learning, and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which helps young children develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally.


I'm sure, like everything else, moderation is the key! I also would watch the video with her and "talk" about it.

Ann

[hillview]

We follow the AAP recommendation -- DS is 18 months old and no TV so far. He seems happy :0
/hillary

[mommyapb]

We do the same. Once we were at a playdate & the mom put Baby Einstein on the TV. DD watched it for about 2 secs until she was off exploring their house. At this age I think curiousity is the best. Babies & toddlers learn through active learning (mouthing an orange, flipping through a book etc.) rather than passive learning (watching tv) and this fact is the basis of the AAP's recommendation. That said, Baby Einstein is not a "bad" thing especially when you watch it with your baby. As with 99.9% of parenting issues, you have to do what you think is best & works for your baby.

HTH

Amelia

[ehmom]

like most things, i think videos in moderation are fine. also, with baby einstein, i think the ones geared for older kids are a little better as far as educational value. baby monet teaches seasons, baby galileo (our favorite) teaches about space. with these at least the kids come away learning about something insteead of just watching toys go by. jmho though!

[Beth568]

Well, here's what I think about Baby Einstein. I agree with the AAP recommendation that TV probably isn't any good for little ones. They just don't need to watch it, when so many other things around them are fascinating to them.

I also think that TV is detrimental to brain development in large doses. Sadly, there are some people who turn on the TV as soon as kids are awake in the morning and leave them stuck there in front of it all day. Clearly you're not doing that. I can't imagine that a few minutes a day is a big deal. I wonder if you might want to find a time other than feeding time for the videos, though, so that she doesn't get into the habit of watching TV while she eats.

I also think that the claims the Baby Einstein people make about their videos improving kids' intellectual capacity are junk. Nothing going on there that you can't do by listening to music with and reading to/playing with your kids. But I don't see them as potentially harmful, either.

My kids watch TV, even though I swore upside down when I was PG that we'd be a TV-free household. :( It's in small amounts, and I try to be careful about it, and I feel OK. As one of the PPs said, everything in moderation.

[BeachBum]

Yes, the AAP says no TV before age two as it impares the development of the neurological system.

We did no TV before age 1, and now we only do videos while on long car trips and 1 30 min video every 10 days or so on fingernail trimming day. LOL

I would not be comfortable letting my child watch TV as you describe, but every parents needs to do what they feel is right for their family.

I also believe that their are several lawsuits against the BE company for calling their videos educational and marketing them to the under 2 set.

[jacksmomtobe]

My Ds has not watched tv with the exception of recently watching baseball games with Dad and he is 2 yrs 9mo old. I originally was given some of the Baby Einstein videos and didn't see much value in them and decided since he wasn't really interested then why introduce videos or tv. That said I know that some parents need a break to get things done and a video gives them that opportunity. My son (until he reached 2 1/2) has been a really easy going guy who will amuse himself so it's easy for me to not go the tv route. I didn't consider tv or videos until recently but decided to still wait since at 2 1/2+ a lot of things are battles why introduce something for us to battle over. It is what works for you and your family. However I would advise against using videos while feeding. The beginning of introducing foods is not really about eating but is supposed to be more social. I also read somewhere that it's not good to have things going on simultaneously because it leads them to need that extra stimulation. Hope my 2 cents helps.
Good Luck!

[pinkmomagain]

My dd is 15 mo and she loves BE DVDs too. She also watches some Noggin and Nick Jr and laughs and dances at parts she likes. Often times she ignores it if it's on and plays with toys. I try to limit it to first thing in the am when I'm trying to get my two older girls off to school and in the evening when I'm trying to get dinner on the table. Also, sometimes if she wakes up from a nap cranky and sort of needs to ease back into the waking world. Good or Bad? I don't think she will suffer irreperable (sp?) damage and not be a happy, productive member of society. I also don't think these are very educational or enriching (particularly at this age). But I don't live in a bubble or a book, I live in a hectic household with three kids, a dog, and a husband who is off to work everyday and sometimes a video or show just comes in handy.


JMHO,

Gina

[jhrabosk]

I'm not a big Baby Einstein fan, myself, but I do keep a few episodes of Sesame Street on the Tivo for those days when DD is SUPER cranky in the late afternoon and I just don't know what I'm going to do with her until dinner. :) That said, I try to make it an interactive experience by talking to her about what's on the screen and encouraging her to dance/play instruments to the music.

I do agree with the others though about using caution when feeding. Sometimes feedings are definitely challenging and a distraction helps, no doubt. I don't mean to pass any judgement, but I would be concerned about setting bad habits for later. Just my opinion though. :)

As others said, too...everything in moderation and do what feels right to you. Guidelines are just that.

[gr8danemom]

I think Baby Einstein videos are fine. I let my daughter watch 1 a day. I don't think she's suffered from it at all. She's 10 months and already consistently signs 2 words and says mama and dada. 30 minutes a day isn't going to do anything.

[Jen841]

TV is fine in moderation IMO. I would be an unshowered Mom for 1 years if I did not have Baby Einstein or an exersaucer (another controversial must have IMO.) In addition, Baby Einstein is the treat my kids get if/when they need nebulizer treatments.

Jude, my regular watcher, is 3.5 knows his number, letter, etc. He knew his animals early due to World Animals and Neighborhood Animals videos. We have not updated our collection, so we have the 3.5 year ago version of everything. He'll still watch them with Evan.

Life saver!!!!! Their toys are good too. Their soft stacking blocks are E's fav.

[kusumat]

I stopped showing her BE and she seemed to be ok with it. Thanks for you input.

[Tondi G]

I alwasy wished my kids wanted to watch tv when they were under a year but they just weren't interrested! now at 20 months my little guy loves Little Einsteins and thanks to his big brother Scooby Doo! I know a ton of us grew up in front of a tv screen and turned out just fine! If you don't want to let her watch it don't.... if you need a shower or to make dinner and it will keep her happy for the time you need and you feel ok with it then DO! IMO there are much worse things you could be doing to your child than letting her watch Baby Einstein videos!

Good Luck

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/8/01 and Aidan 5/4/05

[neeleymartin]

for every hour of television (any type) that children watch a day before the age of three, the risk of add/adhd is increased by 10%.

as an adult with adhd, this is certainly not something that i will risk with my child.

Read her a book instead. much better for brain development and bonding.

neeley

[pinkmomagain]

I would be very interested to know the study you've quoted from. Do you remember where you read this?

Gina

[neeleymartin]

This was startling to me as well. I read it in "The Read Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease, sixth edition. I am an elementary reading specialist and this book was one that i first read in college. It has been around for many years and is well respected in the teaching field. I bought the updated version the moment that i knew i was expecting.

I was especially interested in this finding b/c many of the children that I teach (mostly gr. 1) are diagnosed adhd, and watch MUCH tv, play video games as well. i have not read the actual research. i trust jim trelease to share the facts honestly. you can read it if you like: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/tvapril.pdf

Chapter 9 "TV, Audio, and Technology: Helping or Hurting Literacy?" I highly recommend the whole book, but this chapter addresses this issue. Make sure you get (either buy or borrow at library) the sixth edition, as the research in the book is updated. There is loads of other research in this chapter.

Being an adult with ADHD is so tricky. It is even harder to see my students with this diagnosis struggle so much. This is not something that I am leaving to chance. I wish more parents could see the detriment that add/adhd does to a child's ability to function in today's classrooms.

Good luck.
neeley martin

[neeleymartin]

This was startling to me as well. I read it in "The Read Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease, sixth edition. I am an elementary reading specialist and this book was one that i first read in college. It has been around for many years and is well respected in the teaching field. I bought the updated version the moment that i knew i was expecting.

I was especially interested in this finding b/c many of the children that I teach (mostly gr. 1) are diagnosed adhd, and watch MUCH tv, play video games as well. i have not read the actual research. i trust jim trelease to share the facts honestly. you can read it if you like: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/tvapril.pdf

Chapter 9 "TV, Audio, and Technology: Helping or Hurting Literacy?" I highly recommend the whole book, but this chapter addresses this issue. Make sure you get (either buy or borrow at library) the sixth edition, as the research in the book is updated.

Being an adult with ADHD is so tricky. It is even harder to see my students with this diagnosis struggle so much. This is not something that I am leaving to chance. I wish more parents could see the detriment that add/adhd does to a child's ability to function in today's classrooms.

Good luck.
neeley martin

[Melanie]

I don't think it is any worse than any other young child-directed television; but I don't think any of it is GOOD for them. What they watch, the stimulation, or the act of being vegetized watching it.

Can you believe we even got Baby Einstein CLOTHES for Dd as gifts? That's right, they can no longer just WEAR their clothes, they must be stimulated by them.

[pinkmomagain]

Thanks so much, Neeley. My middle daughter is ADD - inattentive type and is age 7 and I know first hand how it causes problems in the classroom.

I hope to read the book you suggested at some point in the future, but I must admit I was shocked and skeptical of Jim Trelease's quote about each hour of TV increasing chances of ADD by 10%. As with all research, it can be sliced, diced and interpreted any which way. After checking out the AAP link and doing some additional research on the study that was done, it is interesting to hear further interpretation: (I found this on about.com)

Does Watching TV Cause ADHD?
A new study, 'Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children', has many people thinking about the effects watching TV may have on our children. Does watching TV cause ADHD?

This new study that appeared in the April issue of Pediatrics suggests that it does. Children followed in this study were more likely to have attentional problems if they watched a lot of TV at age 1 and 3 years.

There were some limitations to the study. For one thing, the children weren't formally diagnosed with ADHD. Instead, their parents were simply asked if they had trouble concentrating, were easily confused, impulsive, restless, or had trouble with obsessions.

And most importantly, just because those children watched more TV, it doesn't mean that was why they had problems paying attention. It may just be that they already had ADHD, got easily distracted by other activities, and simply watched TV more because it is so stimulating.

There are plenty of other reasons not to let your younger kids watch a lot of TV though. Kids who watch too much TV are less likely to read well and more likely to become overweight. If you add in that watching TV may also cause ADHD, it should make it easier for parents to follow the AAP guidelines and:
discourage television viewing for children younger than 2 years
limit children's total media time (with entertainment media) to no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality programming per day
remove television sets from children's bedrooms.


Thanks again for your perspective. I am always interested in speaking with adults with ADD with the hopes of getting a better understanding of dd's issue.

Gina

[neeleymartin]

baby einstein also has a line of sunscreen. i couldn't believe it when i saw it at drugstore.com "Splash & Discoverâ„¢ SPF 45 babies sunblock lotion" ... discover what?!?!

neeley

[gr8danemom]

Maybe I'm completely clueless and am a nominee for worst mom of the year but I cannot possilbly intellectually stimulate my daughter all of her waking hours. I read to her, we play together, we listen to music, go on walks, go to the park, let her have independent play and she also happens to watch a Baby Einstein dvd while I take a shower or fix supper or whatnot. I guess my point is that a suggestion of read a book instead of watching a Baby Einstein isn't necessarily a realistic suggestion. Maybe for the pp it is. I really take sort of a defensive attitude when it comes to this sort of thing because it's not like letting your child watch Baby Einstein is like handing her a handgun to play with. Just like feeding a baby formula isn't the equivelent of giving her battery acid to drink. Relax and have fun with your kids!

[Melanie]

>baby einstein also has a line of sunscreen. i couldn't
>believe it when i saw it at drugstore.com "Splash &
>Discoverâ„¢ SPF 45 babies sunblock lotion" ... discover
>what?!?!
>
>neeley

LOL. Maybe it has colorful chunks in it.

[alexsharp]

As a mother of two (5 yo dd and 3 yo ds), I have always let my kids watch Baby Einstein. Of course they don't spend all day in front of the tv - but they have their designated tv time. My daughter started watching the BE videos when she was an infant - usually only when I was showering or needed to keep her occupied while I did a chore. She is a very bright child and started reading before her fourth birthday. My son is a huge fan of BE. He can identify Van Gogh paintings and has learned things from the videos that I probably would not have taught him without them. I really don't think the BE are hurting my kids - instead they are reinforcing and adding to their learning. At least my kids are humming classical music instead of the latest rap hit.

I do not advocate kids spending all of their day in front of the tv - but a BE video or Sesame Street or other educational show has not seemed to hurt my kids. I agree with the PP that it is not realistic suggestion to merely read your kid a book instead - believe me we read ALOT at our home but there are simply times when a video is a godsend! And with twins on the way I plan on using the BE videos again. The key is moderation. Think what you may of me and the way I raise my kids - but I feel that giving my children a loving and fun environment is the best environment for them to learn in and so many children don't get that in life.

[clc053103]

I never heard that about BE!! I had one video- DS never took to it, I tried two or three times and gave up. He's 18 mo old and I try not to let him watch much TV- which is easy b/c he really doesn't like much.

He LOVES Jacks Big Music Show on Noggin. It's colorful, it's musical. I can't see the harm in watching it. And of course, Sesame Street.