Librarians: Forget Baby Einstein; Try Reading
By Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal,10/29/2009
Librarians and media specialists are secretly saying "I told you so" about the Walt Disney Company’s decision to issue a full refund on the Baby Einstein videos that parents have bought by the millions over the last five years.
While stopping short of admitting that the 30-minute videos, which often feature classical music or introductory sign language lessons, didn’t turn babies into geniuses, the extensive refund offer from Baby Einstein does
 |
|
Baby Einstein is issuing full refunds for videos purchased over the last five years. |
“Rather than talk to them, a book talks with them,” says Pat Scales, past president of the Association for Library Service to Children. “It becomes interactive between the child, parent, and book. We want them to develop language, and I can always tell a child who has been read to.”
The push against Baby Einstein began in 2006, when the nonprofit Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) complained to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about the educational claims being made by Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby, another company that creates DVDs, toys, and other products for the preschool-and-younger crowd.
“We want to help parents make decisions on real research and information, not on what ifs,” says Josh Golin, associate director for CCFC.
In 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics set a policy advising parents and educators against “television viewing for children younger than 2 years.” Since then, studies on the effect of television, computers, and video games on children and infants have shown that television or video viewing doesn’t seem to independently improve cognitive and language skills for infants and toddlers—but that reading and talking with a child does.
And yet it’s the parents of this preschool age group that Baby Einstein is precisely marketed to—children who are beginning to understand and make sense of their world.
Four calls placed to Eric Maehara, vice president of worldwide communications for Disney, were unreturned. But the brand’s general manager, Susan McClain, made her thoughts loud and clear on how the brand has been “under attack by propaganda groups” as she posted on the company’s Web site on October 25.
McClain goes on to say that the new refund offer, for anyone who has purchased a video in the last five years, is just an extension of the one currently in place for a 60-day money-back guarantee, and that the brand does not claim that Baby Einstein is educational.
“But look at the name,” says Golin. “Einstein has a very specific connotation.”
Post a comment Return to article View other article discussions
| Submitted by: | Babette Reeves, The Passionate Librarian (babette.reeves@gmail.com) 11/5/2009 8:17:03 AM PT |
| Location: | Alamosa, CO |
| Occupation: | librarian |
In the average American household today, babies and toddlers watch 36 hours of TV a week (Jim Trelease). Even having the TV on in the background is detrimental to a child's language learning (New York Times). And language learning is the biggest predictor of a child's success in life.
Children do not "need" screen time (computers, TV, cell phone screens etc.). They need caring adult interactions and a whole lot of it for many, many years. The biggest problem with Baby Einstein is that its marketers convinced us that their product on our TV's could substitute. Read more on this issue at The Passionate Librarian blog.
This refund decision is attracting so much attention because it hits at much larger issues.
| Submitted by: | Rakisha Kearns-White 11/2/2009 10:45:51 AM PT |
| Location: | Brooklyn, NY |
| Occupation: | librarian |
As a youth librarian, parents often ask me how do I feel about toddlers and children watching television. To be honest, I am an all for it. I say bring it on, but set a balance and follow your own guidelines. Add reading and trips to cultural centers, and I think you have a well-rounded child. Finally, I tell the parents, don't feel guilty if your child watches television.
I don't think anything on a DVD or television show or a computer can make a child smarter just by viewing it. I think it can help a child learn more if what is being shown is coupled with books and real life experiences. My daughters did not like the Baby Einstein videos as babies. My youngest, who is turning 3 in February, just now started to enjoy them at 2 and a half. She liked watching the animal puppet hijinks, and seeing the real-life footage of animals that she learned from going to the zoo.
| Submitted by: | Christine George 11/2/2009 7:55:02 AM PT |
| Location: | Kansas |
| Occupation: | Mother |
I don't think Baby Einstein was ever meant to make your kids smarter. It has always been a fun, quality show for kids. My older kids think the videos are cute too. It does introduce kids to classical music and painting and other concepts that are found nowhere else in the video world.
Sure, sitting your kids in front of the TV as a babysitter is not optimal. But if there is a stressed out mom for whom some options include - A. Being so frustrated trying to do everything that she is yelling at the kids. B. Sitting her kids in front of Cartoon network or something equally non educational or enlightening or C. Sitting kids in front of Baby Einstein. I know I'd pick C. Everytime. (I know there are lots of other options. But most of them require patience and/or adult interaction/close supervision. And when you are at the end of your rope at the end of a long day - I see Baby Einstein as superior to some scenarios.)
| Submitted by: | Ellen Cassidy (ellen.cassidy@berrienresa.org) 11/1/2009 5:10:50 PM PT |
| Location: | Michigan |
| Occupation: | parent educator |
AS a parent educator, I have seen my share of families use these videos. I have always advised that I don't see anything wrong with a few minutes of watching so a parent can cook dinner, etc. But what rubs me the wrong way about ALL the "promotes early reading and superior skills" propaganda, is that, just because something CAN be done, does that mean it should?? Does it make it right and appropriate? The resounding answer should be NO. We are in such a hurry to outperform and outdo even the baby next door,parents will buy anything that can help fulfill this promise. NOTHING helps kids become book lovers better than parents reading to and with them, as well as buying the books kids like to read. It really is that easy.
| Submitted by: | Denise Pritchard 10/31/2009 4:51:49 AM PT |
| Location: | Boston, MA |
| Occupation: | Educator |
Everyone keeps lumping in Brainy Baby with Baby Einstein. True, Baby Einstein is offering a refund. Brainy Baby is not. Why? Because their products actually work and they have scientific proof that they are benificial (just look at my kids who were raised on Brainy Baby). True, the CCFC filed a complaint (anyone can) with the FTC and the FTC investigated for nearly two years. However, why is it NEVER reported that the FTC found no wrong doing with Brainy Baby. Why is it that no one ever reports about the POSITIVE studies that show that DVDs can actually help your child learn. C'mon parents... you know these products work. Stand up and support good companies or don't complain when their products are no longer available. Tell the CCFC to stick their nose elsewwhere! In fact, I'm going to buy some more Brainy Baby gifts right now!
| Submitted by: | Chris Pickett 10/30/2009 11:14:40 AM PT |
| Location: | Elk Grove, CA |
| Occupation: | Network and Audio Engineer |
Some parents seem to think these Baby Einstien DVD's make an ideal "babysitter". I for one don't feel any video or television program is suitable as something to entertain the kids while left unattended. We have never plopped our kids in front of the TV and just let them watch without supervision. Especially these days, since so much of what is on TV is just plain garbage. Many of the childeren's programming is flat out insulting in the lack of quality or value, although there are a few good ones if you don't mind sifting through it.
One thing I like about the Baby Einstien DVD set we have is that it was not designed to just be passive entertainment. In fact, it really was designed to be watched by the child and the parent together. At certain points the video starts an activity, with the intention of having the child and/or parent participate in completing the activity, often a "name the item/color/shape" type excercise.
Our kids are read to nightly. They have easels and Magnadoodles to draw and write on, which they do constantly. We also watch a feature length movie once a week most weekends, during which myself or my wife or both are in attendance the whole time. The kids get to choose the movie from the DVD and BluRay library. Often they fall asleep through it though.(Yes, even during the Disney movies too)
Parents need to be reminded that the television is not a babysitter. Spend time with your kids and participate in learning with them. I won't be returning my DVD's. While they may not make my kids brilliant, this additional form of stimulation coupled with parental participation in moderation can't hurt.
| Submitted by: | Pam 10/30/2009 8:44:19 AM PT |
| Location: | East Coast US |
| Occupation: | mom and reviewer @ BooksForKids-reviews.com |
While I laud the concept of reading to children, from babies on up, I think it's unreasonable to think that parents can read to them all the time. I used the Baby Einstein tapes when my two were little to entertain them while I cooked dinner. My husband and I thought them vastly superior to most of the other claptrap that's out there.
And while I can't claim to be able to prove any positive influence, I must say that I've got the only children in our neighborhood who avidly watch operas. (My daughter loves Wagner's Ring Cycle, my son prefers Mozart's lighter pieces)
And yes, they both read 3-grades above grade level (as measured by AR), but I attribute that to the hundreds of books we've read together. As you've said, there is nothing that beats cuddling with a book.
Pam
BooksForKids-reviews.com
Post a comment Return to article View other article discussions
