Will Baby Einstein DVDs Make My Child Smarter?
The Importance of Caregiver Interaction Instead of Screen Time
Aug 5, 2009
Baby Einstein produces DVDs for infants and toddlers, as well as books, music, infant activity centers and feeding utensils. With a name like Baby Einstein, parents assume these products will enhance a child's intelligence. However, Baby Einstein products don't actually claim that their products will increase a child's intelligence. Are Baby Einstein DVDs a good resource for parents of young children?
Infants and Screen Time
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for infants, saying that babies need real-world interaction with a caregiver instead of time spent in front of a TV, especially during the period of rapid brain development in the first two years of life. In Science Daily, Professor Dimitri A Christakis, from the Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the University of Washington, USA, says, “No studies to date have demonstrated benefits associated with early infant TV viewing." Christakis has reviewed 78 studies over the past 25 years, and he says, "The weight of existing evidence suggests the potential for harm and I believe that parents should exercise due caution in exposing infants to excessive media.”
The Importance of Caregiver Interaction in Infant Development
Babies are primed to recognize and encourage positive interaction with their primary caregivers. All those adorable baby smiles, gurgles and coos are a baby's way of saying, "Look at me! Talk with me!" A baby needs interaction with a caregiver to develop normally, including learning language and gross motor skills.
Baby Einstein Does Not Make Babies Smarter
From the Baby Einstein website: "The Baby Einstein Company believes, along with the child development experts with whom we have consulted, that parent-child interaction is one of the most critical elements to the development of a healthy and happy baby during the first three years of life. Baby Einstein products are not designed to make babies smarter. Rather, Baby Einstein products are specifically designed to engage babies and provide parents with tools to help expose their little ones to the world around them in playful and engaging ways..."
How and When to Use Media for Babies
The reality of life for most parents is that there are moments when mom or dad really just needs to cook dinner or take a shower. Since babies love watching DVDs like Baby Einstein so much, it is an easy solution to set baby down in front of a DVD while making dinner. If parents want to use DVDs in this way, they should be aware of both the AAP's guidelines and Baby Einstein's statement quoted above and limit the amount of time a young child spends alone in front of the TV.
The truth of "educational" Baby Einstein DVDs is that they are not designed or intended to make babies smarter. Infants need interaction with an attentive caregiver, especially during the first two years of life when major brain development is underway. The best way to use media for infants is infrequently on occasions when a caregiver needs a short break, or as a tool to inspire parent and child interaction such as dancing, clapping and singing together.
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