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Baby Einstein Videos 'Like Crack for Babies', but Kids Don't Learn From Them
Filed under: In The News, Development: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Research Reveals: Toddlers & Preschoolers
Baby Einstein videos are not all they're cracked up to be. Credit: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Though hailed as a wonder drug of sorts by devoted parents, Baby Einstein and other educational DVDs may more accurately be, as one mother describes them, "like crack" for your baby.
A study slated to be published online in Psychological Science this month reports that toddlers learn virtually nothing from these educational DVDs -- touted as aides to help boost vocabulary and launch kids on the road to academic superstardom, according to Science News.
Researchers studied the effects of the videos on four groups of toddlers, ages 12-18 months, and determined that those who viewed an educational DVD regularly for one month -- either with or without a parent -- showed no greater understanding of words from the video than kids who never saw it, Science News reports.
"The degree to which babies actually learn from baby videos is negligible," writes psychologist and study director Judy DeLoache of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
In actuality, the children who learned the most words -- about half of the 25 that were in the video -- were those who never saw the video, but whose parents taught them the words in their own way. According to Time, researchers say that's because children naturally learn vocabulary words through "meaningful gestures and interactive communication with parents" -- things they just can't get from watching a video screen.
The study found that parents who initially liked the DVD erroneously thought their children learned many words by watching it; but the researchers offer that parents can mistakenly assume these videos "prompt the spike in word learning that naturally occurs between 12 and 24 months of age," reports Science News.
DeLoache notes that parents often included descriptions of their children's intense DVD-viewing habits in logs they kept during the study. This may partly explain why parents who are proponents of these types of videos claim their toddlers learn a lot from them, psychologist Roberta Golinkoff, of the University of Delaware in Newark, suggests to Science News.
"Kids can look so rapt when they watch these videos that parents may think that attention equals learning, when clearly it does not," she says.
Related: Refund: Disney Offers Money Back for Baby Einstein Videos
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
9-08-2010 @ 8:14PM
shuolezaijians said...The study found that parents who initially liked the DVD erroneously thought their children learned many words by watching it; but the researchers offer that parents can mistakenly assume these videos "prompt the spike in word learning that naturally occurs between 12 and 24 months of age," reports Science News.I am an Air Force and seek ing someone .I need a woman who can love me back ...I also uploaded my hot photos on uniformedmate.c omunder the name of IOIO555..It's the largest and best club for seek ing Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Police Force, and the admirers of those who wear the uniform.I just hope you don't mind me being a soldier ...Please Check it out!I'm serious
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9-08-2010 @ 8:41PM
carollline said...wow I am so impressed with the first comment. Ha Ha The first one has nothing to do with the subject. Folks have nothing more to do then to advertise their own lack of love life.
9-08-2010 @ 8:47PM
vicvod said...SPAM SPAM SPAM REPORT IT PEOPLE!
9-08-2010 @ 9:03PM
Amanda said...While Baby Einstein might not work, I KNOW that Go, Diego, Go! does. My son would not talk for the longest time, but if I turned that show on and left the room, I could hear him say a few words like "Click," "There," and he would mimic animal sounds. He also understands when they ask him "yes" or "no" questions, and answers what he thinks is the correct one (he's usually right due to repitition). He also learned to sign "Play," even though their depiction isn't accurate to the ASL version of sign language. But that's okay. It broke through to him, and after I started encouraging him to say those words he learned from Diego, he started saying new ones.
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9-09-2010 @ 5:20AM
Micahel Michalchik said...If your son is not learning words from real life but is imm
itating sounds from a videotape, you neeed to get him to a developmental langauge specialist immediately. I have seen this before , your son may be autistic and early intervention can make a big difference.
9-08-2010 @ 9:19PM
dnalierman said...i completley disagree with this study. my children learned all kinds of things from these videos - sign language, animals, colors, songs, art. maybe because i actually did what the videos suggest - working with your children while watching them!! These are made so well that my children still love to watch them and now they are 2,5, and 8!
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9-08-2010 @ 10:02PM
mark said...Why don't you teach them? Don't rely on games, take the time and talk to them! Isn't that the way you learned?
9-09-2010 @ 5:27AM
Micahel Michalchik said...You can't disagree with a study by just giving a personal anecdote. They followed theinstructions on the video, They tried some variations. You don't know if your child would have done better or worse without these videos because you have nothing to compare him to and no systematic observations. Your son might have done better worse or the same without these videos. A controlled study involving many children carefully measured and observed shows that most children do better without them. I am not surprised, people are made to learn from other people, not psparkly machines that don't listen, touch, talk back, respond, love, and care.
9-08-2010 @ 9:44PM
martie said...I have felt so guilty because I was unable to purchase these items for my children. This study is a big relief to me and a load of guilt off my shoulders
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9-08-2010 @ 9:48PM
John said...Amanda, your baby had to talk EVENTUALLY. Don't credit a video for this. Lots of babys are late bloomers when it comes to talking, and it has nothing at all to do with intelligence. The best thing you can do for you child is read to them. The same book, over and over. Oh, and limit the TV and internet to a specific time, and stick to it!! Make sure the kids get chores, no matter what they are, and make sure they do homework before play.
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9-08-2010 @ 10:09PM
J said...This isn't true. My son 16 month-old son learned words and sign language from our Baby Einstein DVD. I think they are great videos, with only one "but"..... they have like 50 commercials before the actual film begins and it is terribly obnoxious! I sure wish they would stop all of that, but regardless. they are fabulous for the kids, and my son loves them, so that's good enough for me!
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9-08-2010 @ 10:03PM
nagy22 said...An other stupid game!!Even the name baby Einstein!! Eistein was a stupid kid and a bad student!! Only later he..had ideas....Most really famous people came from very poor family and they pushed themselves for the love of what ever they believed!!! Writers painters scientists mathematicians
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9-09-2010 @ 12:54AM
Chris said...Actually Einstein was a good student, this is a historical misinterpretation. Google something before you say it then you don't look like another sheep repeating common misconceptions. Here's WikiAnswers: "Albert Einstein was a good student. He dropped out of high school to attend the prestigious Eidgenössische Polytechnische Schule (sort of like a technical college) in Zürich, Switzerland. Lacking a school certificate, he was required to take an entrance examination, which he did not pass. But he excelled in the math and physics part of the exam. There is a common myth that he failed mathematics in school. That never happened."
Good in some areas, bad in others. See how easy that was? BTW I just put down the Isaacson bio and it said the same thing.
9-08-2010 @ 10:08PM
Kelli said...Never have I purchased a video hoping it would "teach" my child. However, I am thrilled with my few baby Einstein videos because it allows me a brief window each evening to prepare supper. My daughter still loves these videos at 2.5 yrs. and I am happy to allow her to watch these videos on certain evenings when her toys and books just aren't keeping her content.
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9-08-2010 @ 11:38PM
Momma said...Kelli, I totally agree. Having that 30 minute window to get dinner ready was invaluable. It provided distraction, without commercials or content that is inappropriate for children.
As to the parents who think TV is teaching their kids, wake up! Your kids don't need TV, or computer access, or pricey multi-function toys to learn. We're becoming a nation of morons, with limited attention spans, and an intellectual laziness that demands being entertained at all times.
9-08-2010 @ 10:13PM
Aunt Wayne said...I have heard all of these reports claiming Einstein does nothing for the child, it may be true with some children, but, I could not believe the interaction with our grand daughter. It was as if a lightbulb in her mind was turned on! Two weeks ago we watched First Signs, and we have been giving each other the signs in front of other people on the sly, just between us, and she always says the correct word with the sign, and I sign back. Its our little code,and she is only two!
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9-08-2010 @ 10:23PM
Anna S. said...I can't remember a single thing I learned from kid's shows (aside from turning the water off when I brush my teeth, courtesy of Barney), but I still remember the first book I ever read (after having it read to me countless times)--Hop On Pop by the late, great Dr. Suess.
I like what Kelli said, though, about letting her child watch when she's otherwise occupied. It may not teach them much (if anything), but it can't be worse than Hanna Montana.
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9-08-2010 @ 10:28PM
sheryl said...Sour grapes! These videos and movies are wonderful, from the music, to the simple toys used that kids always love. They are available nowadays for little at thrift stores, consignment shops, and amazon. my grandkids are seven to two, and they still love plugging them in. Baby Neptune and Baby Galileo especially. Do not even go there about the drug reference. You are letting your children watch and listen to everything. go pick on miley. Baby Einstein movie books and toys are to be enjoyed.
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9-09-2010 @ 2:12AM
tammy said...I agree.. These are to be enjoyed..Why does everything have to be criticized? Children learn. Some slower, some faster, so if YOUR child didn't learn from these, I am sure from something else that is particularly stimulating to his or her brain.. Every child is different, and unique in his or her own way..
9-08-2010 @ 10:33PM
Angie said...I learned all I needed to know from my grandmother and my parents. We were read to every night. Both parents worked full time and had long commutes but they still took that extra half hour before bed to read to us. (well mom did anyway) It even included tickling my toes and a hug and a kiss. Grandma took me to her friends homes to play bridge and never let anyone talk "baby talk" to any of us. Recently I was hospitalized and I'm sad to say that the majority of my Spanish comes from watching Sesame Street back in the day, but that was the only show I watched and I managed to graduate from both high school and college early.
These are probably good videos if you have nothing else, but talking to your baby, doing the "where's my nose? what color is the car? how many fingers am I holding up?" etc etc game is probably more valuable, more fun for them and a LOT cheaper.
Also if you can, involve their cousins and aunts and uncles as much as possible. Children are merely little people who will become adults. They want to understand and they want to be a part of the activity. I bless my family every day that I, while having toys and games and crayons etc, was never made to feel "childish" or inadequate if I wanted to learn something new or to participate fully with the family.
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