Badeau P.O.V.
Refunds Offered for ‘Baby Einstein’ Videos
By Chelsea-Badeau
Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:41:15 GMT
The videos that many parents believed would turn their babies into the next Mozart, Shakespeare, Galileo, and well…Einstein, may not actually do all the pretty packaging promised, according to the New York Times. In a somewhat surprising move, the Walt Disney Company is offering refunds to parents who are upset that the ‘Baby Einstein’ videos didn’t magically turn their children into geniuses.
People will be able to get $15.99 for up to four ‘Baby Einstein’ DVDs per household. No receipt is required and this offer runs through March 10. (See specific refund details.)
Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, has been pushing this issue for quite some time and sees this refund as “an acknowledgment by the leading baby video company that baby videos are not educational.”
According to the NY Times article, a 2003 study showed that a third of all 6-month to two-year-olds in America had at least one ‘Baby Einstein’ video. But let’s take a step back. Were the advertising campaigns and packaging designs of these videos really that clever? Or were time-deprived parents just looking for an electronic babysitter that would ease their guilt since they implicitly claimed to make their kids smart?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time whatsoever for children under the age of two. But we know this, don’t we? It’s sort of a common sense thing. TV is not good for young children. While it’s virtually impossible to interact with your child at every moment of the day, any time you allow your child to spend in front of the TV should be viewed as entertainment rather than education.
Interacting with them, reading to them, taking them to museums is what really helps them learn and mature. And yes, that’s not always easy. My daughter is almost five, and I know first-hand how tempting it can be to let ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ babysit for a little bit while I pay some bills or do some cleaning. But as responsible parents, we must fight that temptation and not expect TV or videos of any kind to teach our children. We must teach them.
Message Edited by Chelsea-Badeau on 10-27-2009 07:24 PM
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
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You are absolutely correct. There is no substitution for a parent's teaching. My now grown children did not have these videos and are indeed geniuses. I read to them constantly and spent countless hours teaching them as well as working.Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:40:58 GMT | Italianmomma
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I beg to differ. My children did watch these videos, and they too are all academically gifted. I think this is another unfortunate example of how litigious our society has become. I don't think it was ever "promised" that your child would become a genius. I refuse to feel guilty because I let my child watch a video now and then. A mom who is able to give herself a break here and there will be better for her children because of it. I'm sick of being made to feel like a bad mom by these so-called experts and other "holier-than-thou" mothers. My kids are bright, sociable, well-rounded children and are doing just fine, thank you very much.I think the baby einstein series is very well done, and cannot even be compared to Spongebob. This is absolutely absurd!
Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:28:21 GMT | jm4b
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We have 3 Baby Einstein videos and we love them for the wonderful music and bright happy colors. We watched them together and thought they were wonderful for some "down time" - the music is soothing the young children love the bright colors....my daugher is very outgoing and social and I don't ever remember a promise that my child would be a genius just from watching these videos and I can't believe any intelligent adult would think so. What ever happened to common sense. I'm not putting in for any money - we got them for the music and happy & bright videos...nothing else!Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:08:39 GMT | mibs
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jm4b: Well said! I don't comment much online, but I could not resist. I was a stay at home mom who raised a mother of three, a police officer and a U.S. Marine. They too watched the "videos or shows of thier time and guess what? They are well adjusted dependable and intelligent individuals.Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:11:32 GMT | Gidget57
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Whether we work outside the home or stay at home, we are all working mothers who can use some down-time sometimes. If we choose to stick a musical video in here and there, it's not the end of the world. I am sure most of the parents reading this also spend a lot of time doing many other educational and fun things with their children. This is just another situation where some folks will take advantage of the loss of common sense in our society. We really should know by now the difference between real-life and marketing.Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:26:59 GMT | teachertoo
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Our society is in sad condition if people truly believe that Baby Einstein products will turn their offspring into Mozart, and then feel duped when the children fail to produce more than noise on a toy xylophone! Where's the involvement of the parents in the education? I was able to watch Romper Room and Sesame Street and could still read the Cat in the Hat by myself at barely 4 years old (I know this doesn't make me a prodigy). I was also able to watch tv after school every day of my childhood and teen years and still maintain straight A's in gifted and AP programs. My son is following the same pattern and we have never restricted tv entirely. However, we do limit viewing as we see fit. My mother read to me daily and my father, a physicist, took me on walks in the woods. I do the same for my son. It's not that I'm bragging. Recommendations for chidren's television viewing is, in fact, a recommendation and not gospel whether it's Disney or the American Academy of Pediatrics doing the preaching. The point is all intelligence is inherited and is cultivated by other people of varying degrees of intelligence in the ways that are appropriate (or sometimes inappropriate) for them. I do not see the refunds given by the Disney company as an admission that videos are not educational for all children, but kowtowing to the frivolity, foolishness and sense of entitlement in our society.Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:00:07 GMT | DoodleBuns
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This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Parents actually thought their children would be geniuses just from watching an "educational" video? What is going on with our country. People are looking for any reason to sue someone and get their greedy little hands on some money. My childen watched video's as young people. In particular, my daughter, who has learning disabilities, benefited GREATLY from these types of video's. Music and color truly help children who have difficulty learning. Barney's "Days of the Week" song helped me teach her that rote information. Just watch a child help clean up when you start singing Barney's "clean up" song. Or very young children recognize the letter C with the phonetic sound, from Sesame Street's "C is for Cookie". I am of the persuasion that you can never start too young regarding educational information, in moderation, and with age related material. If I was Disney, I would go back to court on this ruling.Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:35:41 GMT | 2cor517