This past week, the The New York Times reported that William Clark, co-founder of the company that produced “Baby Einstein” videos, has asked a judge to release information from the University of Washington studies that showed the negative influence of TV viewing on young children. Clark is asking for the raw data and analytical methods used in the studies since “other research studies have not shown the same outcomes.
Clark and his wife started the company the produced the Baby Einstein videos but no longer have a financial stake in the company, after selling it to Disney in 2001. Last October, Disney offered refunds for those who bought the DVD’s, due to the “threat of a class-action lawsuit due to unfair and deceptive marketing suggesting that the videos boosted baby brain power.
According to the article, “the Clarks said they went to court to protect their legacy.”
What are your thoughts on the Baby Einstein videos? Did you see learning occur with your child? Did you even show them to your baby? I know what the research says but I also know what some parents have told me. This is a hot topic. One of the top viewed blogs of last year concerned the topic of Baby Einstein videos on the Wall Street Journal’s blog, Juggle.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
It’s been a week since the New York Times had a front page article on “No Einstein in The Crib? Get a Refund.” I was so amazed at Disney’s offer to give a refund for Baby Einstein DVD’s which the article deemed “a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect,” I wanted to thank the child advocacy groups that worked hard to get Disney to act so I decided to write a letter to the editor. Just so you know that this isn’t my usual practice, this was the first such letter I have ever written.
The New York Times called me two days later to confirm that I had written the letter and ask if they could print it. Of course I said yes and it was in Wednesday’s paper.
I have had some interesting reactions to my letter:
- members of my profession have thanked me for representing other speech pathologists who work hard to get the message out about the importance of talking, reading and playing with your infant to build language, not putting them in front of a baby video to increase intellect.
- Parents who have said, “Baby Einstein was the best video to mesmerize my child so I could get something done. I NEVER was under the impression that it would make her smarter though.”
- “The irony is that I Baby Einstein’ed James a lot and he was a VERY late talker. His younger sister just cruised around with James and me and observed and listened. She was never interested in those videos. Ironically, she always has and still does have something to say about everything!”
- “I love having my feelings about infant and early childhood education, validated by someone who actually knows something about it.”
- From a children’s author: “Fabulous and right on the mark!”
- “Great letter! I had read the article last week and was glad I never opened the many Baby Einstein DVD’s we got as baby gifts!”
We all know the power of television and the controversy over what effect it has on learning in preschoolers.
I was at the home of a 2 1/2 year old who is rapidly building his language skills and becoming age appropriate. He is adding words to his little 2-3 words phrases and showing understanding of what is going on around him.
Mom reported that James likes to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney channel. On the show, “Toodles” helps with problems solving. When the characters encounter a problem they say, “What would Toodles do?” and give options for the child to respond to with a no or yes. When James’ light wouldn’t go on he said to mom,” Oh no! What we do? Toodles.” What a wonderful link he made from the show’s concept of problem solving to his real life.
I guess TV isn’t that bad afterall.
Parents know that I stress creative play and offer lots of suggestions for good educational toys, books and games, particularly for the preschool set to prepare them for school, building strong language skills. In addition, I listen to parents when they offer a quality educational show that their child likes.
Last week, Ian’s mom sent me a note saying how much he likes “Sid the Science Kid on PBS.” Three-year-old Ian said he likes the Sid show because “he is a pretend kid but he does real things like go to real school and plant things in the backyard”. Ian loves the classroom setting and their different activities.
Produced by The Jim Henson Company, Sid the Science Kid’s characters are computer generated puppets. The main character, preschooler Sid, solves science problems with the help of his classmates, teacher and family. Friday’s shows are designed to review and reinforce the science concept taught that week.
Be sure to visit the website for games, information and ideas for parents and teachers to promote science study.
What educational shows are your child’s favorites? Let me know in the comment section below.
Ever since companies like Baby Einstein started marketing to parents of babies, claiming that their DVD’s boost brain power, parents and researchers have been discussing what is truth on the subject.
The latest study, appearing in the journal, Pediatrics, was conducted by researchers at the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School. They looked at babies who had viewed TV for about an hour a day for the first 2 years of their life. This is actually less than the average, which is unfortunately two to three hours a day.
This latest research found that children under two who watched around an hour of TV a day were not helped or hurt by the screen time. Once again, contrary to many parents’ contention, screen time doesn’t teach your child and boost his brain power, as many brands would like you to believe. Previous studies have shown that longer periods of time spent watching TV (2-3hours per day), can have detrimental affects on children.
The bottom line is that TV is here to stay and companies continue to market a broad range of programming for young children, many shows of which are high quality. Life is a balance, so be intentional about planning what and how much your young child will watch, keeping in mind that under 2 years of age, this is not “necessary” to help your child learn.
