Baby Einstien: Good or bad? Discuss.

[amygoforth]

WARNING: I'm feeling defensive.

So, when I saw the headline for this Mothering web article, I was curious. I figured the content wouldn't be favorable to the Baby Einstien videos. Since I own several of the DVDs, I tried to read the article with an open mind... but I still found myself feeling edgy about it.

Evan loved these DVDs when he was a baby. I'm one of those moms who used the TV when I needed to take a shower, throw a load of laundry in, etc. In the beginning, I watched the Baby Mozart and Beethoven with Evan. I thought they were cute, colorful, had nice soft music, etc. Kind of like a mobile on the TV, kwim? I'm not such an idiot as to think these DVDs will actually make my children smarter. That's up to my husband and I, as well as genetics. Depending on the TV for education? No way.

Obviously, her article is incredibly biased. That's okay. Many many moms out there probably feel the same way about BE. Many other parents probably think these DVDs are just the greatest things ever. I guess I fall somewhere in the middle. The DVDs were entertaining for DS1, and they probably will be for DS2 (who, I've discovered, LOVES watching Olympic downhill skiing on TV). They were helpful for me when I was home alone with Evan.

Okay. I've rambled enough.

Thoughts?

[Geofizz]

Ok, I only briefly skimmed the article.

There are two issues:

Will Baby Einstein make you child smarter? and Will Baby Einstein harm your child?

The article pretty much only debunks the Mozart Effect, which has been debunked time and time again. No, they won't make your child smarter. Tiny babies need to see lots of faces and interact with people. Older babies need to interact with their environment and people. That's what makes them smart.

However, TV is a reality in this house along with overworked parents. If I'm going to show my kid something, better BE than Dora as far as I'm concerned. We work to limit all "screen time" in out house, but there are times when my daughter simply needs some chill time.

I've borrowed a lot of the videos from the library and we have 2. I've noted that there's a change in the videos when you compare the oldest ones (presumably before the sale to Disney) to the newer ones, there's a real difference. The older ones show each scene without camera movement or cut for 10-30 or more seconds. The newer ones seem to rely on camera changes to keep the child's attention much more than just the inherent interest of the object on the screen. When you look at criticism of TV viewing in kids, a lot of it is centered on how rapid scene changes results in short attention spans in kids.

[mariposita]

my dad gave us the entire set one day (without asking us). we didn't watch any of the videos for months. then we popped one in during a cross country car ride and it totally helped ds calm down. we haven't shown them in the house, but watch them during long car rides. i agree with you - i'm somewhere in the middle of the spectrum on the matter. they're not for education, or constant babysitting. but i think the argument against them is the same for any tv or videos, and while i don't think constant use is good for children, there are certainly many, many more shows that are more detrimental.

[mykidsrock]

Well that article annoyed me the more I read. Here's why:
I am a stay at home, homeschooling mom of 4. I never rely on Baby Einstsein to teach or babysit my children, however I do have them and do let the kids watch them. I do not believe that my infant will be smart from watching them but my toddlers can learn from them. When I am schooling my 7 yr. old, I give the younger ones something to do like coloring, or toys.And with their short attention spans, they quickly go from one activity to another, sometimes television is one of those activities. When I am in the middle of teaching dd a new skill or concept, I need to focus on her quite a bit, and allow the little ones to watch BE or other videos. They have increased their vocabulary from the videos, but it doesn't mean that I DON'T teach them as well. When dd is doing work on her own, I am able to sit with the little ones and read to them, play with them, and teach them too. But, it is nice to know that they are watching something that is teaching them new words when I am working with my oldest.
Also, I love to include my children in housework, but sometimes they don't want to do what I am doing and want to play or watch a video. I always encourage playing first, then they can fall back on t.v. watching.
I believe that it is fine in moderation. It is not a replacement for parenting by any means.
But I will say this, there have been times (mainly during pregnancy) when I am too nauseous, have a migraine, or something else that has me in bed . . you better believe those kids are watching t.v. to allow me some rest.
This is like so many parenting issues where I believe it is wrong to judge another parent. As long as we are not neglecting our children or causing them harm, every parent has the right to decide what works for them and is best for the child(ren).

[amyjeans]

I never considered these videos as an educational tool- only a "mama break" type of thing. I watch it with them, and honestly it is very soothing after a manic day with 2 toddlers. Would they be considered mindless eye candy? Its not challenging or thought provolking in any way- which, sometimes is a really really good thing!
I do however have some of the music (in real form, orchestral, etc) that I play for the girls while we color or something and they can put it together- the music and the videos.
SO I like the videos.

[darkpear]

We have a couple of the videos and honestly they annoy the crap out of me. Also my oldest tends to really fixate on things and if it's something like a video where she knows we can pop it in whenever, she will ask for it over and over and over.

I don't think they're harmful, but then I'm not totally sold on TV, video games etc. being harmful in moderation. I don't think they're beneficial either, but then I don't think everything in a child's life needs to have some kind of empirically demonstrable benefit. God knows the (sometimes trashy) SF I read isn't teaching me anything, but it's lovely to escape into a good space opera while I nurse the baby.

I'm rambling. If the videos work for you and don't make you want to put your head through the TV, I say go with it

[beachcomber]

I'm prejudiced by my anti-Disney sentiments. I absolutely abhor the way Disney is homogenizing the world with it's smarmy messages and bastardized stories. I hate they way they're buying up everything I love (Winnie the Pooh, The Muppets, Pixar) and blandifying it so that it won't offend the "moral majority" in the US. Gah.

Sorry for the rant.

[IncaMama]

we have 'em. we like 'em, so we watch 'em.

[aisraeltax]

i havent thought about it much yet. we have one (got in a trade or something).
i too dont buy into the no TV thing (sorry). we used to not have cable, but then i couldnt get the news channels (cnn, cspan, etc.) so we have cable now. i watch tv in moderation (more since a difficult 3d trim. preg. and babe) and there are a few show i watch. the kids probably have hundred of videos...they dont really watch them that much, but ds2 will watch any video with baseball a million times if i let him. i consider videos for kids much better than TV (other than pbs) since there are no commercials for them to come to me and tell me how they HAVE TO HAVE so and so...which is a piece of crap that will fall apart shortly.
so...tell me about BE....when do babes watch them? the only thing i can think of is Fantasia..which we have also.
sorry for ranting...i just feel like videos do have some usefulness and like a pp stated, not everything in life has to be educational....sometimes down time is important. how much are we all learning from watching the Olympics? i find them fascinating, but i don't feel like im learning anything, kwim???
rach

[spiralmg]

BE seems kind of mindless to me but we have watched them. I prefer to watch something more directly useful like Signing Times (Amer.Sign language), Muzzy, or something meaningfully mindless and beautiful like that migrating birds nature movie - DS was obsessed with that for awhile.

[amygoforth]

Originally Posted by Geofizz

I've noted that there's a change in the videos when you compare the oldest ones (presumably before the sale to Disney) to the newer ones, there's a real difference.

YES! I've noticed that too. Evan LOVED Baby Mozart, and it's still his favorite of the series. Why'd they have to fart with a good thing?

Thanks for chiming in, ladies. That article really irked me... like she was a perfect parent because she made salad in the middle of the kitchen floor with her daughter (um, the last time I checked you can't quite do that with a 6-month-old), and all of us who need a break once in a while are using the television as a surrogate parent. :

[IncaMama]

oh...yeah...i definitely feel that tv and movies/videos are not a bad thing at all. in fact, i think they can be very good...they have taught rowan many things...things i wouldn't have thought to teach him, etc.

[IncaMama]

as i get older, i realize that i have very little patience for "superior" parents. you do what you want, and i'll do what i want. and shut up if they're not the same. if i *wanted* to do it your way, i *would*. since i'm *not*, that means that i *don't*! LOL!!

(edited to add, this is a general "you" - not anybody on here!!)

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by amygoforth

Thanks for chiming in, ladies. That article really irked me... like she was a perfect parent because she made salad in the middle of the kitchen floor with her daughter (um, the last time I checked you can't quite do that with a 6-month-old), and all of us who need a break once in a while are using the television as a surrogate parent. :

Maybe if you'd never show your baby BE, then your 6-month old could make salad. </heavy dose sarcasm>

Actually, I reserve my ignore list for perfect parents. It does wonders for my blood pressure.

[Jasmyn's Mum]

I also used the DVDs for when I took a shower. DD loved them. I could've never used them as a constant companion for my child. I know some Mums who do. I didn't use them to teach her things either. Baby Van Gogh teaches them colours. I used it IN CONJUNCTION WITH what I was teaching her. Sort of to reiterate what I was teaching her.

There has to be a balance, IMO. Plopping your child in front of the TV all the time is a bit much. I think using it to get a shower in is okay. I follow dd's lead. If she didn't like them, I certainly wouldn't have pushed them on her.

Different strokes, I guess

[anonymous4_20]

I've never seen the DVDs, so I can't comment on that. I did get a CD as a gift, though. I put it on last night to try it out and was really upset at the quality of music. The CD credits bill it as the "Baby Einstein Music Box Orchestra" or something, but all the songs seem to be played on a synthesizer set on music box mode. They're poorly arranged and performed, although I don't know of any performer that can make music box mode sound good.

As a music teacher, this upset me a bit because I believe children should be exposed to real instrument sounds. So much kids' music now is recorded with synths because it's very easy to do and you can make a lot of money on the CDs because you only have to hire 1 or 2 musicians to make it work. So I think it's a bit of a slight to performers in a way. It also ignores kids' natural enthusiasm for real instruments--they love to hear real, live instruments and how different they all sound.

From what you've all said about the video portion, it sounds ok to me. Maybe not genius-creating, but ok. Now maybe if you asked an art teacher, they'd have a different viewpoint. But I think the videos would probably be much better with real orchestral performances of the classic tunes playing behind them.

I hate the Mozart effect, BTW. Every time someone finds out I'm a music teacher they ask me annoying questions about it. Everyone seems to think it has to be Mozart to work, too, which cracks me up!

[IncaMama]

yeah i prefer actual orchestra music...we play classical music all the time to listen to...rowan likes identifying the instruments...and he's pretty creepily good at it too.

[amygoforth]

Man, we definitely should be playing more classical at our house. We listen to it in the car sometimes, but that's about it. DH and I are on a rock campaign to deprogram our son. No offense to the country music fans out there, but my MIL had her TV set to the country music video channel all day when he stayed with her. So now we listen to loud rock like the White Stripes, Kings of Leon, and other all-around good grooves like Bob Marley.

[mariposita]

we listen to the radio in the car. guess what ds1's favorite songs are? TNT and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, both by ACDC. We don't even like ACDC either! gotta get some classical in the car, i tell ya...

[MistyB]

We do not have any and I have never seen them

but my son has about 100 other dvd's. So I think I am rotting his brain! When we lived in Germany and didn't have English kids shows, we started buying dvds for him to occasionally watch.

I am not super picky about tv either. Well, I am as in what he is watching contentwise but if he wants to sit and watch discovery health or the learning channel or PBS kids...he can watch to his hearts content. It all blends in with his time at Montessori, our time out, outdoor play, reading books, building stuff, cooking and playing academic computer games.

I see no need to limit it as he usually pics stuff I am ok with and he is still very active. I do not see why so many people fear tv. Moderation is the key. And doing other things with your child and making sure they get lots of physical activity. I will never understand a no tv household though.