Why Baby Einstein is Anything But
Rahul K. Parikh, MD
In most studies of media and kids to date, there’s ample evidence to show that TV
is bad, having been linked to, among other things, violent behavior, autism, attention
deficit disorder, and obesity.
But somehow, videos marketed to infants and toddlers, like Baby Einstein, seem
to get a free pass from all that scrutiny. Maybe, it’s their brand name (in addition to BE
there’s a Brainy Baby line of videos), which implies they’re good for your kids’ IQ.
Parents buy the products in droves—3/4 of Amazon.com’s 100 best selling children’s
videos make educational claims.
But a recent study showed that it’s time we questioned the value of these
products. Three University of Washington researchers looked at infants and toddlers who
watched these videos. They published their findings late last year in the Journal of
Pediatrics.
In it, they measured the language skills of kids whose parents read to them, told
them stories or plopped them in front of a TV set to watch a baby video.
Kids whose parents read or told them stories scored above average on the test.
However, 8 to 16 month olds who watched at least one hour of baby videos per day
scored about 18 points lower than that average. This corresponded to a deficit of about 6
to 8 words.
The authors hypothesized either: 1) it’s the kids, in that many may have had a
language problem and were watching the videos because their parents felt that they could
help 2) it’s the parents: Less motivated or busier parents may use TV as a babysitter. 3)
it’s the videos themselves, since, as they point out, “baby DVDs/videos are designed with
only an approximate sense of developmental needs, based on no formal research.” This
contrasts with the carefully developed and vetted preschool age content, like Sesame
Street or Barney.
Like all studies with sensational findings, this one will deserve further
investigation. But these researchers deserve a lot of credit for questioning our long-held
assumptions about them. BE’s website states: “The Baby Einstein Company is aware of
the ongoing discussions regarding children and television viewing, particularly as it
pertains to infants under the age of two years old.”
They go on to imply that there is such a thing as responsible use of their product:
“The Baby Einstein Company believes that when used properly, developmentallyappropriate video content can be a useful tool for parents and little ones to enjoy
together.”
But the researchers controlled for whether “parents and little ones” watched
together—both groups did just as poorly.
It would seem that we parents are being snookered by some pretty snazzy
marketing. Chris Kelly, a blogger for the Huffington Post put it best: “Next you're
going to say I shouldn't feed my kids all those McNuggets, even though I write the word
"Bach" on each one with magic marker.”
But since it takes a village to raise a kid but most of us live in single family
suburban homes where both parents work instead, the question arises: What do I do with
my kid when I’ve got to do the dishes, take a shower, or just plain need a break? As
usual, the American Academy of Pediatrics is clear in its dogma. To paraphrase: “Thou
shalt not show thy kid TV under the age of 2 years.” That’s ideal but not realistic, and
addressing parents’ need for some downtime is important. I think the practical answer is
use something else, like a exersaucer, playmat, or music. Otherwise, use TV very, very
selectively. Remember, the study showed negative effects for kids who watched for one
hour or more a day, though we still need research to see what’s going on for less time.