Watching 'Baby Einstein' Actually Makes Your Kid Dumber - Disney is Pissed

[cynatnite]

A recent study by researchers at the University of Washington determined that those babies who regularly watched the supposedly stimulating videos actually scored more poorly on an assessment survey of language development. All research was conducted through phone interviews of over 1,000 parents of children between 2 and 24 months of age.

This has Disney in an uproar. They have challenged the quality of the research, the competence of the researchers, and the intelligence of the University, whose president has chosen to stand by the work and the press release bonanza that this study has created. Why do companies suddenly become experts in basic research only after the emergence of findings against their products? Would this attack on the excellence of the research exist if the opposite outcome had been true, and the videos actually enhanced language skills? Of course not. But that would have made for quite an interesting sticker label on the package –

“****New research determines that Baby Einstein videos enhance language development!!**** (however, we at the Disney Company have reason to believe that this study was conducted in a poor and sloppy manner and the potential remains that this DVD may hinder cognitive growth. Please watch at your own risk)”

It is senseless to debunk a published, peer-reviewed manuscript as non-rigorous without statistics, an independent study, or other credible evidence to back up such accusations just because you disagree with the outcome. However, in the defense of the company, their #1 concern seems to be the inflammatory, and potentially result-distorting, press release that was issued by the University. I agree that parts of that blurb leave much to be desired with regards to the facts (the University must know that very few parents out there are actually going to sit down and read the full article to make their own assessment of the study's merits, especially if they don't have full-access rights to the article.) But upon reading the response of Disney's CEO to this press release, credibility erodes when it begins to look like his "high road" talk against an inaccurate, malicious press release is just a front, allowing him to proceed to bash the article itself. Of course, the president of UW reciprocated.

Disney has started to go down the appropriate path by working with an expert to assist them in interpreting the new findings, but even she was quoted in a Nature news feature as saying:

“"There are some valid conclusions in that warrant additional research. I'm cautious, but it makes sense."

http://blogs.nature.com/nn/actionpotential/2007/08/what_kept_einstein_smart_1.html

[SoCalDem]

1. Message to moms.. Play with your baby, talk to him-her..do NOT

plant him/her in front of a tv to watch "educational tapes"..
YOU are the best teacher a baby could ever want or need..

[Skidmore]

2. Yup, yup, yup....

When my daughter started this stuff with her firstborn, I hit the ceiling. We went to visit and all the kid did was lay there. I went out and bought some toys that did not talk, sing, dance, or have batteries. I took the DVDs and put them up, and then we sat and played with him. She got the message, and now the teevee stays off except for 1 hr every day, and all her children are read to and play all sorts of games that require imagination and creativity.

[Arkansas Granny]

5. I don't think there is any substitute for human interaction with a baby.

Play with them, read to them (they enjoy this even before they can talk), talk to them and answer questions. It's well worth the effort.

[SoCalDem]

7. and babies are tactile creatures.. My boys loved touching leaves, ice, water

pets, and yes even dirt & bugs..long before they knew what they were..

[Arkansas Granny]

25. I took my grandson (aged 9 months) out to watch the migrating

Monarchs the other day as they were fluttering around the flowers in the yard. He was fascinated.

[Warpy]

11. There isn't from the baby's point of view

Oh, they might go into some sort of a trance like state when those videos are on, but that's from boredom.

They really need PEOPLE.

[renie408]

19. Bingo. And no baby talk. n/t

[fasttense]

20. Amen to that.

I'm a woman who loves to talk. When my children were babies I use to have conversations with them that I knew they did not understand. I kept up the chatter only because it made me feel good and the babies seemed to love it. People in the grocery store would stop and stare at me as I asked the five month old if they like frosted Cheerios or plain. When I quizzed the six month old about the prices, they would smile while adults around me shook their heads and wondered. When my babies could talk, I read them everything I had. Children's books, my science fiction stories, I even read them the newspaper in the morning. When we drove long distances, I would play recorded books or I read short stories to them.

To this day, my children always score very high on verbal/language skills. It is helping them even in college, where any course that requires them to read and write gives them an automatic "A".

I think talking and reading to children is the most important teaching tool a parent has in developing a child's intelligence, despite all the odd looks from strangers, friends and relatives.

[tsuki]

27. Start reading to them early. I started at four months. It didn't hurt. nt

[wtmusic]

37. They love it -- use "board books" unless the pages are expendable. nt

[Arkansas Granny]

43. One of my sons has told me that his first memory is sitting in my

lap while I read to him. We think he was no more than 3 years old at the time. All of my children loved their books.

[Sequoia]

47. I started in embryo form!

Heh, heh...sort of anyway, I'd read aloud. After she was born and I fed her I'd hold a book with the other hand and her little tiny hand would reach up and smack it. She did not want any talking while reading though. Later on, after I read to her I'd sometimes tell her a "lights out story" before she fell asleep.

I've seen that Eienstein stuff and it sure is crappy. Teletubbies is more entertaining. So poor little Disney is upset, too bad. Some of that crap on the Disney channel is awful with pre-teens who want nothing more than to shop, give their friends trouble, complain, and live in houses you and I would never be invited too. At work, if people say their going to Dizzyland everyone else acts like their going to heaven or something. Look what's happened to their "special girls", Lindsey and Brittany. Way to go Disney, way to go. Don't be fooled by them, they're pretty evil in my book. And still no planes are allowed to fly over their hallowed ground. I can go free there if I want but I'm not going to jump up and down over it.

[rucky]

39. We enjoy a video or two together every now and then.

and I would say that the Baby Enstein type videos do support development when they're watched under supervision and guidance. Kids do learn visually, but they need prompting and modeling to make the connections.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Legos. They shut a kid up AND make her smarter. Everybody wins.

[Hosnon]

6. Yes...big fan of Legos.

Damn castles...grmmble

[Skidmore]

9. I don't know how many times I nearly pulled up lame on a Lego

when my kids wer little. LOL! Those and Matchbox cars bring back many memories of the battle of the toys.

[BlooInBloo]

30. lol! True that! Still worth it overall though, I'd say.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. My kids loved Legos, but those things hurt if you step on them

barefooted (almost as bad as jacks). I finally had to make a rule that any Lego I found on the floor was going in the trash. It didn't take long and they were picking them up and putting them away with care.

[wtmusic]

14. Beat me to it AG

I was just gonna say -- parents' impression of Legos is based on how it feels when you step on them

:thumbsup:

[Arkansas Granny]

18. Post # 9 beat me to it, also. Stepping on Lego's with bare feet

must be fairly commonplace.

[angstlessk]

41. We kids were lincoln log affectionadoes...but what I stepped on

was one of those pot holder weavers...back then they were metal and it cut my little foot like a knife. We did have Lego's, but I preferred building houses with lincoln logs!

[AlCzervik]

13. legoes, best thing ever. We've been to 2 lego lands so far, 2 more to go

and we will have seen them all! Demark--prepare!

[Odin2005]

24. Legos ROCK!!!

I knew the fun of Legos from an early age.

[0rganism]

29. everybody wins, until you encounter them barefoot in the dark

Under those conditions, the Legos have a clear and decisive advantage.

[Zhade]

52. Legos RULE. I still love them, and I'm 32.

=)

[Jack Bone]

4. Rec'd.

My sister-in-law sent us a few of these videos when my daughter was a wee lass, I read something somewhere that brought into question videos where images would change quickly. It associated them with possible ADD down the road. After watching one w/ my daughter, I could see that these Baby Einstein videos did just that, and I took them away and put in a closet. I'm going to throw those things out now.

Thanks for the post!! :kick:

[annabanana]

8. M. I. C. (see ya real soon) K. E. Y. (Why? Becasue we LIKE you)

Wa-a-a-a-a-a-ah!

[derby378]

12. My remedy? Less TV, more techno for babies

I like classical just as much as anyone else, but show me a baby that can appreciate the nuances in Mozart's concertos, and I'll show you the next Mozart.

Techno - especially the good ol' Richie Hawtin stuff from Detroit and all that Goa/Psytrance coming out of Israel - rewards the listener with subtle changes over time.

Just trying to think outside the "box"...

[wtmusic]

15. Mine is "Throw all the techno stuff away and interact with your kid"

(at least until they're able to operate a computer)

[derby378]

33. Human contact?!? What a concept...

You're swell. :hug:

[valerief]

22. No, no, no, no. Jazz. Definitely jazz. nt

[derby378]

34. WHICH jazz?

Dave Brubeck? Miles Davis? Charlie Parker? I'd say "Yes" to all three. Not that Kenny G "smooth jazz" stuff, though.

[valerief]

35. I don't consider Kenny G. to be real jazz. I like Brubeck and Monk myself.

Any "real jazz" will do. And it can be jazz standards, too. Duke Ellington tunes never hurt anyone's ears.

That pseudo-jazz might as well be new age or modern pop. Ugh.

[KansDem]

16. I remember when my children were born, we went round and round with family...

...who wanted to send them Disney videos, from "educational" to "new releases." At first, I attempted to be polite in suggesting they send something else, but eventually I had to be blunt and say "no" to Disney. My sister then offered a "compromise": She would send only "classic Disney" (the old feature animations like "Lady and the Tramp," "Show White" etc.). I agreed, but the 'toons went into storage after one or two viewings; just enough so the little ones would say "yes" if asked if they watched their presents.

Now, I'm not as diplomatic. I say "no" and if they send it anyway, it goes into the trash. This happened when the same sister sent "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (not Disney) Now she knows better.

[cynatnite]

28. I love Disney movies...

Got 'em all. I watch them from time to time. My kids didn't start enjoying them until they were about four. The only one we had a problem with was the middle child. Drove the husband crazy because she loved 'Beauty and the Beast'. She watched it a lot over the next two or three years. She's 17 now and still loves that movie. Go figure.

My kids were never ones to watch TV when they were under the age of three. They were too busy with playing and all that.

[burythehatchet]

17. and Mickey Mouse gave Mini herpes.

god I hate Disney

[rucky]

38. I heard she was fucking goofy. n/t

[Odin2005]

21. It's a scientific fact that kids under 2 shouldn't watch TV. n/t.

[TahitiNut]

23. "Disney makes kids stupid" ... sure isn't news to me.

I lost IQ points when I was watching the 'A' and the 'E' disappear on Annette Funicello's sweater. To be fair, I gained those points when we were schoolmates in the 4th grade, so I guess I've no complaint coming.
:evilgrin:

[Quantess]

26. Well, anyone with a solid education in early child development

would know that already.
Disney needs to do what's ethically right, and discontinue their product.

[Dukkha]

31. Sesame Street is seriously dumbed down too.

Used to be the best thing on TV for kids now they sold out and made it them same formulated crap that you see everywhere else. There's no variety whatsoever just the exact same sketches repeated every day for 45 minutes, then 15 minutes of "Elmo's World" the worst thing they ever produced, that character does nothing but promote bad grammar skills and hyperactive behavior. I guess there more interested in selling merchandise and making the show another TV babysitter.

[gollygee]

36. Isn't Sesame Street owned by Disney these days?

I thought it was but I'm not positive.

[Dukkha]

42. Disney owns The Muppets now

http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2004/021704.shtml

[Sequoia]

48. Well, I do like Mr. Noodle.

The older one that died was especially funny. I remember when S Street first came on, I liked it although I was not the targeted age group.

[Dukkha]

49. yes I enjoy watching the classic sketches on YouTube

There's a DVD set of the original episodes going back to 1969 when Oscar the Grouch was orange

[Sequoia]

50. You Tube has them!...well...I'm heading over! Thanks.

[gollygee]

32. The only thing Baby Einstein is good for is as a babysitter

If you have to finish up dinner and your kid won't let you be, 20 minutes of Baby Einstein can help YOU, but parents are deluding themselves if they think it's doing anything of value for their kids. And TV in general is bad for kids in the age group Baby Einstein is made for. No kids that age should be watching TV.

[BurtWorm]

40. It's common sense. They don't call it the boob tube for nothing.

Watching TV is passive. You learn language through constant positive reinforcement as you try it out. TV cannot give you that.

[BlooInBloo]

44. Boobies?

[XemaSab]

45. My mom read to me every night

and I "taught" myself to read when I was about 3 1/2 or 4.

The only TV I remember watching when I was really little was MacNeil/Lehrer and Lewis Rukeyser. :P

[BlooInBloo]

46. i LOVED the intro music to Wall St Week!

[GreenTea]

51. Fuck right wing Disney-ABC....I don't believe a word those asshole republcans have to say. n/t