Here is an interesting article on the state of affairs regarding the Baby Einstein division of Disney. In case you aren't up-to-date with all things Disney, a class action lawsuit was brought against the company for falsely advertising that their movies help make children smarter. Obviously, many many people believed them, and now have a chance to be refunded for their investment.
I have never owned or watch one of the videos in question, but I have a lot of friends who say that their children are genuinely entertained by them. I have heard that they are simple videos with music, pictures and simple words-an environment that most try to cultivate for their kids. When Corinne was an infant, I was a little kooky with the television; I didn't even want it on when she was awake or in the room. Since then, I have let go of this control issue and we do have it on sometimes. Although, I am not sure we've ever had a cartoon on- partly because we only have 12 channels from which to choose.
I did put on Wall-e one weekend and we made it through maybe 15 or 20 minutes. She doesn't seem that interested in the T.V. and prefers to listen to music because she likes to dance. We dance a lot in our house :)
Anyway, as a teacher and mother, I am not sure really where I stand on television as part of a child's life. The AAP recommends no T.V. for any child under the age of two, but why is that the magic number? (and is this including everything watched on a T.V., or just regular programming with advertisements? Is there a difference between "programs" and "videos?"). My instinct is to say that it's not necessary to watch T.V. at all, but I know that it will be a fact of life when she gets old enough. Shouldn't parents start watching Television WITH their children to talk about what they are watching and the advertisements that are present? Isn't education the best tool we have when it comes to technology such as this? And if that is the case, when do you start? It's been a while since I took a Media Literacy class, so I suppose I should read up.
Thoughts anyone?
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My baby LOVES TV. He is three months old. I feel ashamed or guilty or something... we first noticed it when he was a week old and I was watching Good Morning America while feeding him and he crained his neck to get a glimpse. I have since realized that he doesn't understand plot lines or characters or anything... its just bright lights and sounds and moving objects. He has the same interest in watching windows! I want to research when its a good idea to turn off the TV - when his comprehension begins!
I also always wonder what the deal is with timelines - ages seem arbitrary. What about a 22 month old or a 26 month old? Why shouldn't they watch TV?
I will research this and let you know!
Well...as a mom of twins...and having a husband who travels...baby einstein saves my life. I ALWAYS do a 30 min dvd every day. I feel that it is kind of that extra set of hands for me. It's soooo hard to get both of their attention and teach them little colors and shapes and things, but they are very into seeing it on tv. I have an activity book of stuff you're supposed to try to teach your baby every day and it makes me want to cry...how impossible it is with multiples. I guess I kind of feel like the educational videos sort of back me up.
Very interesting. My kids were brought up on tv. Partly for my sanity but also for their enjoyment and a way to settle themselves down for a bit.
Especially when they are sick and they just want to lye on the couch and fall asleep to the tv.
Priya who's 18 months old, doesn't find tv interesting which is fine bye me. But when the all the kids do watch tv, they are watching educational videos and tv shows at best.
They are getting an educational value from what they do watch. For instance, they love the Leap Frog Learning videos, abc's; learning to read' and so on. They are now starting to read and write. Christian even can write in cursive and in print but prefers cursive.
I think tv is ok, but in moderation and also gear your programs so that they are educational. There is a lot on PBS and some of the other channels that really promote understanding and learning lessons, values, and basic education.
Cheers, Kari
we LOVE baby einstein in our house! of course, the intent in watching said dvds is not to "smarten" our daughter -- she enjoys watching them; she gets excited to watch the animals, to hum along with her favorite songs, to listen to the funny noises... perhaps parental perspective changes when time spent with one's child is 24/7? i find "all" or "nothing" parenting behavior difficult to swallow -- probably because i err on the "laid-back" extreme... while i respect one's personal parenting opinions, i've long since learned to place judgment...
Eric was telling me about this...interesting. I'm also not all for the tv, but we do have our daily dose (20 min) of Your Baby Can Read with the occasional Baby Einstein in there to change it up a little! It is really interesting watching Hunter interact with the dvd and dance to the music. He has learned words that I have never even thought to teach him at this age. I was actually kinda upset when Eric wanted to get rid of the Baby Einstein for a refund (if that is actually true). I will most likely continue doing it....30 min a day can hurt anyone...right!?!? =)
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