baby einstein and other "educational" videos

I just saw this article and thought it might be something some of you would want to read since I know the topic of those educational baby dvds comes up a lot in this forum.

I've heard a lot of negative things about letting your kids watch TV under age 2 so personally I'm waiting (and maybe even longer - it still zaps my brain when I watch it LOL). I've seen people post about it being linked to short term to long term memory issues and ADHD (although what's not linked to ADHD?), but usually when this gets discussed, it seems like people think of Baby Einstein DVDs as an exception to the rule since they are made for babies. This article says that babies that watched educational baby videos KNEW 6-8 WORDS LESS PER HOUR that they were allowed to watch those videos than their peers who didn't watch the videos. To me, that says I'm wasting my money and their time if I get something that's supposed to make them smarter and it actually stifles their language development.

I think it's common sense that babies learn more from interacting with people, but what do you do when you need a quick break? This article says instead of putting them down to watch something even marketed as educational, you'd be doing better to give them some interactive toys instead. Just food for thought. I'm not try ing to insult anyone, just wanted to let you read it to make your own decision.

 

QUOTE(mamabee718 @ May 4 2009, 09:26 AM) [snapback]1299242[/snapback]
To me, that says I'm wasting my money and their time if I get something that's supposed to make them smarter and it actually stifles their language development.


I didn't buy them to make them smarter. I bought them for entertainment, and so I could have a break while cooking dinner. I believe most things are fine in moderation. I don't think Baby Einstein videos hindered my children's speech development or caused any other problems.

 

QUOTE(becky5 @ May 4 2009, 09:32 AM) [snapback]1299330[/snapback]
I didn't buy them to make them smarter. I bought them for entertainment, and so I could have a break while cooking dinner. I believe most things are fine in moderation. I don't think Baby Einstein videos hindered my children's speech development or caused any other problems.


I did the same as Becky. I think television is fine in moderation and I can't say it caused our children any problems. Sometimes, especially in those early days, Baby Einstein is what kept them occupied when nothing else would.

 

QUOTE(itsnancycozzi @ May 4 2009, 09:49 AM) [snapback]1299386[/snapback]
I did the same as Becky. I think television is fine in moderation and I can't say it caused our children any problems. Sometimes, especially in those early days, Baby Einstein is what kept them occupied when nothing else would.

Ditto! The article refers to excessive screen time. Moderation really is the key.

 

QUOTE(becky5 @ May 4 2009, 06:32 AM) [snapback]1299330[/snapback]
I didn't buy them to make them smarter. I bought them for entertainment, and so I could have a break while cooking dinner. I believe most things are fine in moderation. I don't think Baby Einstein videos hindered my children's speech development or caused any other problems.



Ditto. I would never expect a video to help aid in language development or make my baby smarter. A quick break, an entertaining 20 minutes and change of pace for them to wind down before nap and everything in moderation.

 

And my guess is that most of us talk to our kids while the video is on, or at least a lot during the day. I think what the study is looking at is less about the videos themselves, and more at parents who use videos instead of interacting with their kids. 20 minutes here and there is a fine distraction. What they're cautioning against is putting the kid in front of the TV for hours at a time.

 

QUOTE(becky5 @ May 4 2009, 09:32 AM) [snapback]1299330[/snapback]
I didn't buy them to make them smarter. I bought them for entertainment, and so I could have a break while cooking dinner. I believe most things are fine in moderation. I don't think Baby Einstein videos hindered my children's speech development or caused any other problems.


I agree that moderation is the key, and I'm sure a few minutes here and there are totally fine. I posted this more for the people who purposefully put their kids in front of these things thinking they are teaching them. I have a friend who did this religiously thinking it would make her daughter smarter, and I also remember reading posts on here about people who were happy about how long the babies stayed interested in the videos. I could see having it on in the background while they are playing or for a few minutes so you can do your own thing.

I do think there are probably some people strapping their babies into bouncies and sticking them in front of the TV for longer than a few minutes, though. I know taking care of two babies is hard, especially if one or both get fussy when you have to leave them, but there are other ways to entertain them. Mine have never watched TV and they manage to entertain themselves with toys, books (chewing on them and looking at the pictures), each other, etc. while I make dinner, clean up, use the bathroom, whatever. I play with them a ton, but I also let them do their own thing and it is very possible without sticking on a DVD. I just see it so much with other friends with slightly older kids where they plop them in front of a DVD for peace and quiet. I hate seeing how zoned out they get...and don't even think about interupting when a movie is on. They get so aggitated if you make them stop watching it because they are so sucked into it...it's scary to me. Why not take them outside or help them start a game using their imaginations instead. Sorry, I'll get off the soap box now...guess this post wasn't as neutral as I originally intended!

 

We don't watch almost any television in my house (no time!) but it's just astounding to me that the few times we do have it on, the boys are just mesmerized by it!! They tune in no matter what else is going on and just focus on the screen. I can see how easy it would be to keep them still for a few minutes by turning it on!

We'll probably buy a few videos for them when they're older and of course let them watch Saturday morning cartoons!!

 

No tv here, either. Our pedi has been very discouraging about television, giving me handouts at every appointment about the studies on what tv does to a little one at this age. We keep the boys entertained with different "stations" of things for them to do in their playroom, and keep them active with full schedule.

Since I'm not watching tv when caring for them, and dh and I are too tired to watch it after they go to bed, we are going to cancel our satellite service since we're just wasting our money.

Thank you for posting this article! I find it very interesting. I, too, know people who use the BE videos more like baby sitters and believe they are okay because they're made for babies.

 

Well we're a tv watching crew here, and not ashamed to admit it! But my kids can take it or leave it, if I turn it off they are fine with it! It also hasn't hindered anything, my son is in grade one and reads at a grade 2 level, and my dd is only 2.5 but she talks like she's 4 yrs old, using words and sentence structure better than I do sometimes!

But my older son has a friend who never watches tv. When they come over to play, if the tv is on, it doesn't matter WHAT is on, him, and his parents, are absolutely mesmerized to the point where he doesn't play with my son, and his parents don't chat with us! In my opinion them withholding tv makes it worse.

I'm a big proponent on moderation for everything! A little tv, a small cookie and a chocolate a day keeps everyone happy! :lol:

 

QUOTE(Danibell @ May 4 2009, 02:21 PM) [snapback]1299859[/snapback]
Well we're a tv watching crew here, and not ashamed to admit it! But my kids can take it or leave it, if I turn it off they are fine with it! It also hasn't hindered anything, my son is in grade one and reads at a grade 2 level, and my dd is only 2.5 but she talks like she's 4 yrs old, using words and sentence structure better than I do sometimes!

But my older son has a friend who never watches tv. When they come over to play, if the tv is on, it doesn't matter WHAT is on, him, and his parents, are absolutely mesmerized to the point where he doesn't play with my son, and his parents don't chat with us! In my opinion them withholding tv makes it worse.

I'm a big proponent on moderation for everything! A little tv, a small cookie and a chocolate a day keeps everyone happy! :lol:

Ain't that the truth! For my guys it is just background noise. They pop up and get excited when a song comes on. When it is over they go back to playing. We originally did the "no" TV watching to and I found that when it was on they were so glued to it. Now they can take or leave, unless a favorite song is on.

 

I just read an article in babytalk that states a new Harvard University study found that tv-watching during the first two years of life has no effect on cognitive ls at age 3...it doesn't harm or help. IDK just a thought...either way they aren't going to learn poop from the tele they are going to learn it from the parents.

 

I'm another supporter of everything in moderation. :good:

 

QUOTE(TwinLove @ May 4 2009, 04:36 PM) [snapback]1300207[/snapback]
I'm another supporter of everything in moderation. :good:

Same here. My boys did learn a lot from certain videos (Letter Factory, certain Baby Einstein and Baby Signing Time). They were not in front of it all day and they still learned from it. I also focused on the same things the videos focused on but sometimes it is fun to learn from different medias...not just mom.

 

I was a young mom when I had my Dd. I hadn't heard anything about TV being bad and so she watched it. She has always been very smart. She was talking in sentences by 2. She new all her colours, shapes etc. She could read by 3. She is now in grade 1 and is working above grade level in mnay areas. She has been diagnosed with ADHD BUT I also have ADD and I never watched TV as a baby. It is a genetic thing and I don't belive that her TV watching cause it. I didn't allow my boys to watch much TV until they were 11 months old when they got the flu twice in a row. They were to tired and sick to play. Since they've gotten better I do let them watch about an hour total a day of their favorate shows, at time where I need to get something done or they are really fussy and nothing else has worked. I agree with pp everything in moderation.

 

QUOTE(becky5 @ May 4 2009, 09:32 AM) [snapback]1299330[/snapback]
I didn't buy them to make them smarter. I bought them for entertainment, and so I could have a break while cooking dinner. I believe most things are fine in moderation. I don't think Baby Einstein videos hindered my children's speech development or caused any other problems.


same here!!

although I do think that certain PBS shows such as Sesame Street, Word World, Super Why! etc... ARE very educational...both my twins knew their shapes, colors, alphabet and to count to 10 before they were 2

 

We did the Baby Einstein videos and I don't think it will help my kids get into Harvard, I also don't think it hurt them. What it did do was provide me with a 20 minute break so I could shower or fix a meal!

 

When the babies were really little, we used to have TV on for background noise, and then suddenly I discovered that Eli was watching it, and he would get mad if we turned it off. I saw how it slowed his growth; he wanted to watch it over interacting. SO we turned off TV, and didn't let them watch it again until about 7 months.

Right now TV is on to help us get things done. Now they prefer Sesame Street, which is think is much more educational than Baby Einstein. Baby Einstein just doesn't have enough talking. However, If I start singing "If you're happy and you know it..," Eli claps his hands, which he learned from Baby Einstein.

For me there are few things I consider. First, I agree with others--in moderation TV is fine for most kids. And when I say moderation for babies, I'm talking maximum 2 Baby Einstein DVDs a day. Second, I would consider the child's personality. My kids don't get mesmerized by TV like many kids. They run around, and stop to watch sometimes. Occasionally, if we have to do something we put them in their high chairs, and they will watch more intently, but at this point, they'd rather run around. My niece, on the other hand, really shouldn't watch TV because it has a negative impact on her behavior (she's 4.5 and pooped her pants the last time she was here because she didn't want to stop watching the TV.). Third, the real problem is when TV replaces face to face interaction with other children and adults.

I agree with mamabee that too many people think these DVDs are more educational than they really are. Personally, I think Sesame Street is way better than Baby Einstein.

 

Another fan of MODERATION! The tv is my saving grace when I'm packing up the diaper bag to get out the door, need to use the bathroom, get their dinner ready, etc... In those few minutes I know my babies will be entertained and happy and I can calmly get things done. Sometimes I do have the tv on in the afternoon to watch the Food network or Oprah and they pay no attention to it. My pediatrician is fine with TV in moderation. I watched TONS of tv as a child and I turned out more than okay (two masters degrees!!)...I definitely agree it's up to the parent(s) and what they feel comfortable with and no one is to be judged for what they choose to do in the course of raising their children>

 

QUOTE
I just see it so much with other friends with slightly older kids where they plop them in front of a DVD for peace and quiet. I hate seeing how zoned out they get...and don't even think about interupting when a movie is on. They get so aggitated if you make them stop watching it because they are so sucked into it...it's scary to me. Why not take them outside or help them start a game using their imaginations instead. Sorry, I'll get off the soap box now...guess this post wasn't as neutral as I originally intended!


Do you have older kids? If you do then you surely know that even if they've played outside for a couple of hours, come back inside, played with their toys, colored in their books, used their imaginations and gotten plenty of parent time, they usually need a distraction. TV and movies are not the devil as some make it out to be. And, I wouldn't be so quick to judge parents of older kids so quickly if I didn't have them myself. I'm glad you don't see the need to use a DVD to get some free time, while keeping your children entertained, but it does not mean other parents are not doing their best with their children if they put on a DVD.

I have no problems turning on the TV, and never have. At age four my kids have their favorite programs which I tape and they watch at their allotted "TV time." I can hit the power button right in the middle of a movie and it won't bother them, unless it's Cars or recently Bolt which brings about "Oh come ON Mommy, it's my favorite part" (never mind that it's been their only choice for Friday Movie Night the last two months or more :lol: ) Like everyone said, moderation is key.

QUOTE
My boys did learn a lot from certain videos (Letter Factory, certain Baby Einstein and Baby Signing Time). They were not in front of it all day and they still learned from it. I also focused on the same things the videos focused on but sometimes it is fun to learn from different medias...not just mom.


Totally agree. My kids don't have speech delays or anything of the sort. From age 2-3, watching Dora kick started their interest in speaking Spanish, they just absorbed it like sponges, and they begin informal Spanish conversation classes this summer, which means they will know three languages between age 5-6 (now reading at Grade 1 level for two languages at age 4). Their DVD collection is catching up with their book collection, and I see them zone out/totally engrossed in both movies and books equally. How scary is that?

 

QUOTE
This article says that babies that watched educational baby videos KNEW 6-8 WORDS LESS PER HOUR that they were allowed to watch those videos than their peers who didn't watch the videos.

What does 6-8 words less per hour even mean?
I was very anti-TV. Until... they were 8 months old, and I was completely alone with them. We had moved, and DH stayed behind at our old house to fix it up and sell it. I was all by myself with two babies, and sorry but I needed a break. I ordered a Baby Einstein from Amazon and hoped it would hold their attention. At that point, it didn't. But I would still put it on once in a while. Then they did start to like it and I would put on a BE usually at wind-down times. I didn't think it was making them smarter. Rachel is right, there are a lot more educational shows out there like Sesame Street. I truly credit Signing Time for teaching my girls not only sign language, but also their colors and letters.

Yes, I will put on a full-length movie these days in hopes of keeping them occupied. Bad, bad, mommy. They don't nap. Sometimes I can set them up with play-doh or something, but sometimes I just really need them to stay in their room and do something that won't make a mess. Oh well. I certainly don't think their language has suffered at all.

 

Whatever. I guess I was one of those bad moms that buckeled her kids into their bouncy seats and put them in front of a baby einstein DVD so that I could take a shower. Those were the most blissful 15 minutes of my day.

My kids speak fine, they are completely age appropriate, no issues with language ... and they've watched a little tv since they were like 6 months ... It's on all the time in our house ... mostly for me and DH. And if I do happen to put one of "their" shows on, they watch it for like 5 minutes, then run around, play with their toys, etc.

I think my kids are just fine.

 

Wow, I should've posted this in the den - I didn't mean to start another debate on TV! I just wanted to add another article that I personally hadn't seen before. Not that it matters what I think anyway, but I don't think anyone who lets their babies watch a little TV is a bad mom at all - we all figure out which "rules" apply to our families and then do what we need to do to make things run smoothly. I just thought I'd share so you could think about it when you're making your decision.

My parents owned an electronic store and I was there all day every day until I started preschool - sometimes watching two or three TVs at once, but also drawing and playing with toys (you'd be amazed at the fun gadgets you can play with in an electronic store!), and I've been in advanced language classes since I was a kid. I highly doubt it affected my learning, but then like you all said, I also had both parents there interacting with me. The TVs were just another part of the scenery.

I am a little anti-TV, though, mostly from seeing kids who prefer to watch it to going outside. I really that's a big part of our problem with child obesity and general poor health. If I can keep TV to a minimum as they get older, I will, but not by making it the forbidden fruit. I'll probably let them watch it sometimes, but also try to have enough other fun activities that they can use their energy and imaginations in other ways, too. Maybe you're right about having it on enough so that it's not so exciting when it gets turned on. Like I said, I saw TVs all the time as a kid. When my mom would bring me home, I couldn't wait to get outside to play. I never even thought about putting on the TV at home because they were around so much. Moderation is definitely the key, but I think most of us agree on that already.

 

Personal opinions aside, there are numerous studies in the social sciences (mostly psychology) that show negative outcomes when young children watch TV. It's possible that there is a spurious correlation, and there is some other unmeasured variable producing the negative outcomes. So we can give our personal anecdotes all we want, the science does support those claims.

At the personal level for me, it's a cost benefit analysis. So I ask myself, if the possible negative outcomes (language and behavior issues) outweigh the benefits (getting time to get things done and not having them yell all morning)? At this time my compromise is to try to limit TV, and only turn it on when I really need them to chill out. My DH, on the other hand, gets a little too happy with the remote for my liking. But then again I'll be the first to tell you that I love the extra hour of sleep he helps me get in the morning, and often I get that sleep because the boys are watching TV instead of yelling.

FWIW--I did grow up without TV, and I think it was beneficial for me. We had no TV until I was 6, and then we only had one channel until I graduate high school. I think it taught me to be more creative.

 

I think the big key is moderation. I think we can all agree that parking your child in front of the TV for hours is bad. Is watching a 20 min DVD bad? Nah, I don't think so. Does it help in any way? Probably not, and I do think that "Baby Einstein" is a misleading title. Yes, they incorporate things like the names of the planets and colors, but I don't think an infant is going to get that by osmosis. Now what's kind of cute is that I will occasionally put them on now for Caleb and the girls (3.75 yrs old) actually do pay attention to it and are getting the concepts. I do think that some of the educational shows/DVD's out there are helpful and kids can learn, but not at the infant level. My kids really did learn from Signing Time, and a lot of kids have learned from the Leapfrog DVD's.

 

QUOTE(Snittens @ May 6 2009, 10:37 AM) [snapback]1302800[/snapback]
I think the big key is moderation. I think we can all agree that parking your child in front of the TV for hours is bad. Is watching a 20 min DVD bad? Nah, I don't think so. Does it help in any way? Probably not, and I do think that "Baby Einstein" is a misleading title. Yes, they incorporate things like the names of the planets and colors, but I don't think an infant is going to get that by osmosis. Now what's kind of cute is that I will occasionally put them on now for Caleb and the girls (3.75 yrs old) actually do pay attention to it and are getting the concepts. I do think that some of the educational shows/DVD's out there are helpful and kids can learn, but not at the infant level. My kids really did learn from Signing Time, and a lot of kids have learned from the Leapfrog DVD's.

On the personal level, I agree with you Kelly. I just know that there are enough studies finding negative outcomes that psychologists do recommend against TV watching for really young children. It's a pretty consistent finding. However, the intervening issue is content. I suspect a limited amount of time watching non-violent educational content has a very small effect on children both positive or negative.

I'm not not too worried about negative outcomes with my guys because I am trying to limit TV time and content. I also believe in the "every child is different mantra" (every parent too ) that we always discuss on this site.
I did turn off the TV for a while went one of my guys starting watching it and truly was being stunted in his development, but when we tried it again and he was older, it didn't bother him. I can say, if my kids were like my niece who decided to poop her pants at our house, I would cut TV time. For whatever reason, she really does seem to act up the more TV she watches. She just gets lazy and stanky, and if I see that in my boys, they'll get it cut off too.

 

PS- Kelly can you tell me more about this Signing Time? That's something I wouldn't mind the boys watching.

 

QUOTE(sullivanre @ May 6 2009, 02:23 PM) [snapback]1303143[/snapback]
PS- Kelly can you tell me more about this Signing Time? That's something I wouldn't mind the boys watching.


Me, too - I didn't know it was actually for the LOs to watch, I thought it was instructional or something!

 

They make Baby Signing Time now, which is supposed to be for younger (like infant - 18 mos). I don't think that was out when mine were infants, so I started with the regular Signing Time Series 1 DVD's, starting with Vols 1-3 when they were about 10 mos, but they really started actually watching it when they were 13-14 mos I think. I also did the signs along with it, incorporating the signs along with speaking to them. Plenty of people teach signing without Signing Time or any other DVD's, but I do think ST is very helpful, and educational. I KNOW they learned signs from ST! They picked up some of the signs that Rachel (the woman in ST) would do in the songs that weren't explicitly taught and I hadn't been signing. The songs are catchy, they love it that there are little kids featured, and they picked up on the concepts like letters and colors that were the theme of the DVD.

 

I'm with Kelly on this one. The LeapFrog videos did wonders for Nadia, and she started watching them very early on. Same with Signing Time -- we have 9 volumes, and they're all fantastic. Nadia was signing sentences at 18 months (although she was a late talker), and Karina "reads" to herself now by signing all the things in her picture books. This was through very little effort on my part -- it was all due to those videos.

Rachel, I know there are a lot of studies that say TV is detrimental at an early age -- but I don't get it, honestly. There are so many hours in a day, plenty of time to run outside, engage in pretend play, read, play board games, go on outings, nap, do a million other activities AND watch some TV.

I've always thought that it was mostly detrimental to kids who don't get any other interaction besides the TV.

Nadia is one of those kids who turns into a zombie when the TV is on. Hence we limit it, and use it as a reward. If she misbehaves, one of the first things to go is her TV time. But, I've found that it's a really great way to help her unwind after a morning at school -- she comes home all keyed up, and is a much nicer kid if she just chills with Maggie and the Ferocious Beast for awhile.

Baby Einstein is entertaintment, true, and is mostly meant to give the parents a break. However, there is a DVD called Baby Babble that is very similar to Baby Einstein, but with some simple words and sounds added. And, it's made by speech pathologists, and was recommended by Kevan's speech therapist to help his speech. He's supposed to watch it every day, more than once if possible.

We have Baby Einstein's Baby Van Gogh. Nadia noticed the picture of the Mona Lisa on it and asked about it...which led to a conversation about Paris and the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower (which she knows from Dora's World Adventure, LOL). Now she tells everyone that she wants to go to Paris to see the Mona Lisa.

I can't help but think that TV is not all bad.