Baby DVDs and TV shows! Are they a glorified babysitter or a developmental tool?

Question

Are Baby DVDs such as Baby Einstein a helpful developmental tool? Or just a glorified babysitter?

Answer 1

Glorified babysitter.

Yes, they can be educational. Yes, they can be a developmental tool. Are they better then mom reading a colorful book? Nope. Are they better then mom singing a song? Nope.

I'm proud to say my boys don't watch TV. Yes, my home is extremely clean. Yes, I shower and am very hygienic. Yes, I get all of those little things done without using the TV. It's because at an early age we didn't use it to babysit our children. Now, at five years, there can be a movie in and he won't even care.

Instead of watching a movie we go to the park, go to the zoo, go out to eat, just play in the backyard, read books, or heck they even play in their own room. People don't need the TV.

Answer 2

Those are just glorified baby-sitters. The "studies" that show Baby Einstein and other developmental "aides" which are actually supposed to accelerate development are bogus. The only data anyone has ever gotten comes from studying the effects of classical music and such on college students-not babies. And those results were only temporary spikes in brain activity, not overall improvement. I know as parents we (me included) want the best for our children; but we've let ourselves be duped into investing into this crap by clever marketers who have not actually tested their products. If you really want to give your kids the best possible chance, then read to them and love them-they'll turn out just fine.

Answer 3

Since my son was about 7 months old, I've been putting on dvds such as Blue's clues to help keep him entertained while I did some quick cleaning and have found that he is really learning alot from them. He recently turned 3 on Friday and already knows colors and shapes such as parallelogram and octogon. He also knows his ABC and is able to tell you what the letters are and not just sing them, plus he knows how to count up to 25. I have a friend who is a kinder teacher and she says that for he's very advanced for his age and I can honestly say that those dvds have done alot.

Answer 4

I always love it when someone start a point with "studies show..." because within five minutes of research I can usually find at least one counter study that proves that the initially quoted study is bass ackward. The truth is that baby videos in moderation can help if done properly. FIRST, babies that are just plopped in front of the TV for hours on end aren't getting helped, whereas if it's in short bursts both baby and parents can have a break. SECOND, I've found, when considering my tv habits with my son compared and contrasted to friends and their babies, that it's usually best to make at least 3/4 of the TV time shared time. This makes it easy for parents to monitor what their children are watching, plus gives them a chance to play games together. The trick is to find shows that don't make your mind go numb. I personally like Pocoyo (can be viewed on your local PBS Kids station or on youtube), but will watch a lot of other stuff, and my son watches movies with me, too (kid friendly, of course!). While we're watching, I ask him questions and interact with him, and we get up and dance whenever there's some awesome music playing. These naysayers who point out that you making your child lose so much time over the course of so much other time only refer to the "plop" tv method, not the "get involved" method. In contrast to what they say, my almost-two-year-old is developing a good vocabulary, ironically a lot of words that are used regularly in Pocoyo. He's also got a good set of wicked dance moves =D THIRD, it's important to remember to get active and do things other than watch TV. Both parents and children. Now that it's spring I take my son to the park, we go shopping, play in the yard, visit the library for story time, and so on. FOURTH, it doesn't matter if you watch Baby Einstein at $16 per DVD or free over-the-air PBS Kids. It's all marketing, as one person pointed out, and not necessary to pay out the wazoo for something you won't enjoy either. ETA: I like the link poprocks_and_coke gave. They explain WHY the "studies" that state TV is horrible were bad. I like the quote “Statistics don’t lie… but beware the statistician.” By neglecting certain factors, you can make a statistic say whatever you want. By the way, another point it made is that the AAP made the recommendation for no TV for children under two WITHOUT any sort of negative evidence. That would be the equivalent of saying "children should never be around animals." You could guess by that statement that I'm telling you that children can easily develop allergies, but I'm not basing my statement off of anything. Just that they shouldn't be around animals. Just because there are "studies" and some big fancy association tells you something doesn't mean you shouldn't do your research. All it means is that they're trying to tell you something that could be important.

Answer 5

I think a little bit of both depending on your child. My daughter did both and by age 1 1/2 she knew her alphabets and her numbers from 1-10, and primary colors. It does help in teaching the, but you can't stop there. You must continue to aid and teach also.

It does give you moment to do what you need to do at times. I had my daughter and completed my masters at the same time. There were times the computer needed me and my daughter watched TV and drank her juice in the same room while I was doing my work. It does help in those cases. I never just sat her in front of the computer all day as a source of just babysitting.

It is all in how you take time out and teach your child.

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

Before I had a baby, I swore that I'd never sit him or her in front of the television to "babysit." However, on occasion, Baby Einstein is the only thing that makes her happy. I believe that if you don't over-do it, these types of things can serve both purposes, helping mom/dad have a moment of sanity, while also enriching a baby's learning experience. The tricky part is not always turning to them JUST to babysit!

Answer 7

My daughter doesnt go for the baby einstien dvds, but on cable theres a channel called sprout, by PBS..great shows anytime of the day. She learned how to jump this weekend, from watching the doodle bops for 5 minutes. I think people who bash tv for kids just dont know whats out there these days... there are a ton of great learning shows that they can watch while you get things done.

Answer 8

Both in a funny sought of way ,

I do use it as a baby sitter as sometimes it is all i can do when i need my kids to sit quietly but in saying that they do learn things. They say kids have memories like a sponge and these programs can teach them things in a fun kids friendly way. The only advise i can give you is to just limit the time they watch.

Answer 9

No matter what it is a child is watching, they should not watch more than 30 minutes a day of TV/videos. The Einstein videos are no greater than Barney, Hi-5, etc.. A child learns much better from their parents playing with them and talking with them then from any video you can buy.

Answer 10

BOTH!!! While my daughter watches TV I can get things done!!! I can wash, clean, cook, ect. At the same time, she's learned so much from watching them. She only watches maybe an hour of TV a day and the rest I spend with her but I think it's both!!