Do You Expect TV To Make Your Baby Smarter?

by tedgar | More from this Blogger

26 Oct 2009 12:39 AM

Educational television for babies - does it work? I admit that my daughter watched television before she turned two, but her heart wasn't in it. She looked, looked away, and turned to her toy octopus and started eating it again. I believe that was some sort of commentary on the movie, but I'm not sure quite what.

I have not quite been sold on educational television for kids. The Planet Earth series is educational, and I watch and discuss it with my daughter, now four. But educational television for a baby? Not so brain-building, though perhaps a distraction for five minutes. On the other hand, I found educational television for babies to be quite entertaining, especially when I was sleep-deprived. It was about the right level for me.

All levity aside, the American Academy of Pediatrics has said that children under ago two shouldn't be watching television. Listening to their parents or caregivers chat, batting at toys, going for walks in a carrier, and eating a stuffed octopus - now that's what babies should be doing. However, many babies do watch television, and what they've been watching has sparker a huge debate in recent years. Have parents been told that some television is good for their babies? Do they believe it? And if so, do they need compensation when they AAP says that babies should not watch television at all?

On October 23rd, Tamar Lewin from the New York Times ran an article about Baby Einstein videos. The article stated that "Baby Einstein is now offering a refund for all those Baby Einstein videos that did not make children into geniuses." The article was in response to recent actions taken by Susan Linn, the co-founder of the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood. She's been fighting the Disney company and Brainy Baby since 2006, when her campaigning got the companies to drop the word "educational" from their products. Baby Einstein now offers a refund to parents who are not satisfied with their product.

A third of all American babies over 6 months old have watched a Baby Einstein video. My daughter is among them. I don't think that her limited television-watching either damaged or enhanced her brain power, so I won't be looking for a refund. Will you? Do you feel that television can be educational for babies? Do you expect it to educate?

Learn more about tedgar

Tricia Edgar is a mom of one lovely daughter. Before her daughter was born, she decided to be guided by the needs of her child, and this led her to attachment parenting philosophies.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger

drnewmom (307) 26 Oct 2009 12:45 PM

I received all our BE DVDs as gifts. Even if I hadn't, I wouldn't be clamoring for my refund. I would never expect TV to teach a baby anything, especially without interaction from adults or older siblings. I think TV can be entertaining to little ones, but NOT educational.

I actually call our BE collection "baby crack" because my guy will stop whatever he is doing and watch it. I rarely have it on and try to reserve it for when I really think he needs to sleep but won't stop long enough to do so. I put him in the swing with BE on and he watches it a bit then falls asleep. He is clearly drawn to it compared to just regular TV, but I believe it is simply entertainment.

tedgar (67) 27 Oct 2009 10:24 AM

Yes, ours were gifts too. I do think that there's a role for tv as entertainment - now that my daughter is older, I definitely enjoy watching movies with her. I just find it a little odd that there seems to be a cultural expectation that it will be educational - I suppose with all the time we spend in front of it, we want to think that there's an additional benefit?