Every time I make a post like this or share similar information in a forum, someone says, “No, that’s not true.”
“We all watched television when we were kids and we turned out just fine.”
“If you use television properly, it can be educational.”
“I HAVE to have some time to myself and videos are the only way I get it.”
“But this is educational?!”
“The research is biased. . .”
And so the list of excuses go on.
At the risk of sounding like an obnoxious broken record, a new study was published today that shows babies ages 8 to 16 months who are shown Baby Einstein videos knew 6 to 8 less words per every hour that they watched, than kids who didn’t watch television. All I can say is, ‘See, I told you so.’
Some of you who have been reading my blogs for a long time may remember that I too have used the Einstein videos. As a busy mom of five, including a set of twins, I will be the first to admit that there were nights when the choice was clear: prepare dinner for my ever hungrier family and numb my babies brains or skip dinner. Skipping dinner is NOT an option.
The AAP says that children under the age of two shouldn’t watch any television at all. When possible, this is what we try to do. What bothers me about videos like Baby Einstein though is that they are marketed to make you believe that they are actually good for your baby. This is simply not true. There are numerous studies that show that babies learn more with human interaction than they do with electronic toys. To my knowledge this is the first study that has specifically addressed these so called educational videos.
So parents, don’t be fooled. You aren’t doing your baby any favors by letting them watch television. Even ‘interactive’, ‘educational’ television isn’t really that great. It’s like giving your baby soda–no, it won’t kill them but you really can do much better for them. On the other hand, neither should you think you’re a bad parent if you simply have to get something done and have no other options. Believe me, I’ve been there. Just remember that human interaction with live people is far better for your baby’s brain than any educational product!
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