Baby Brain Development Harmed by Videos

“Parents hoping to raise baby Einsteins by using infant educational videos are actually creating baby Homer Simpsons” says Amber Dance in the L.A. Times.  A new study reveals that the most remarkable thing about the Baby Einstein videos is the marketing,not the content or the benefits.  American parents have been seduced into spending millions of dollars on the hope it will put their babies on the fast track.  Unfortunately, it’s all money down the tubes, according to Dr. Dimitri Chistakis, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle. 

 For every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as “Brainy Baby” or “Baby Einstein,” they knew six to eight fewer words than other babies, the study found.   Christakis and his colleagues surveyed 1,000 parents in Washington and Minnesota and determined their babies’ vocabularies using a set of 90 common baby words, including mommy, nose and choo-choo.   The videos, which are designed to engage a baby’s attention, hop from scene to scene with minimal dialogue and include mesmerizing images, like a lava lamp.   Christakis said children whose parents simply read to them or told them stories had larger vocabularies.   THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS RECOMMENDS NO TELEVISION FOR CHILDREN UNDER 24 MONTHS.  

The Brainy Baby Co. and Walt Disney Co., which markets the “Baby Einstein” videos, did not return calls from the Los Angeles Times.

It is tempting for parents to steal time for themselves by sitting baby in front of the television, especially when marketers are telling them it is good for their baby.  Don’t be duped!  Instead of the T.V., YOU be the entertainer for your baby.  Situate baby in a place where he can see and hear you.  Talk to your baby as you are doing chores, cooking, cleaning, whatever.  TELL baby what you are doing.  Describe or name colors, smells, objects, actions, emotions, all the things in the world around you.  Even though your baby cannot yet talk, she is processing information at an amazing speed.  She is learning language and object recognition and knows SO much more than you give her credit for!  Talk with baby in real adult language.  After all, isn’t this the language you want her to learn? 

Play with baby too.  Help him to move arms, legs and body.  He wants to know how to move this amazing body that he lives in, and how to get around in his world.   Name the parts of his body as you work with him.  Play silly games and sing songs.  This time together will stimulate the learning centers of the brain and optimize your baby’s cognitive abilities. 

All you need to be “smart” is just to be active and involved with your baby.  Technology can never substitute for parental involvement, especially during the early years of development.   Enjoy your baby!