Baby Einstein videos don't do crap

i-2bef56a52f4c85c17eb0bf7a6512b79f-b250.jpgI've been waiting for a long time for major press to finally come around and start telling people how Baby Einstein videos or listening to Mozart isn't going to make your baby into a genius. If you have a baby and are wondering whether a certain product will help your baby become smarter, there is a good rule to follow. If it's on TV it's not going to help and if it costs more than $10 it's not going to help either. I'm sure watching these videos are probably better than kids watching random flashing colors on a TV, but come on.

Here's a snippet of an article from USA Today (Which I'd normally make fun of as a trashy newspaper but hey - lots of people read it).

"While neural connections in babies' brains grow rapidly in the early years, adults can't make newborns smarter or more successful by having them listen to Beethoven or play with Einstein-inspired blocks," says Sara Mead, a senior policy analyst with Education Sector, a centrist Washington think tank.

That a baby's first three years are key for brain development is beyond dispute; scientists know that babies' brains change rapidly, growing and pruning synapses. But Mead says a few early childhood advocates have misinterpreted or misused research to suggest that if parents don't sufficiently stimulate children's brains before age 3, they'll do irreparable harm. There is no evidence that the first three years "are a singular window for growth that slams shut once children turn 3," Mead says.

She says researchers don't know enough about brain growth to say whether educational toys or lessons help: We are "far from knowing how to build a better brain."

But that hasn't stopped parents from spending billions on infant brain-building products. In 2005, the market was $2.5 billion, according to Fortune.

If you're interested in a good book about the whole making kids smarter schtick Einstein Never Used Flash Cards seems to cover the topic pretty well. (I only know this book by reputation - so no guarantees).

Here's a summary of that book from Publishers Weekly:

Authors and child psychologists Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff and Eyer join together to prove that training preschoolers with flash cards and attempting to hurry intellectual development doesn't pay off. In fact, the authors claim, kids who are pressured early on to join the academic rat race don't fair any better than children who are allowed to take their time. Alarmed by the current trend toward creating baby Einsteins, Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff urge parents to step back and practice the "Three R's: Reflect, Resist, and Recenter." Instead of pushing preschoolers into academically oriented programs that focus on early achievement, they suggest that children learn best through simple playtime, which enhances problem solving skills, attention span, social development and creativity. "Play is to early childhood as gas is to a car," say Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff, explaining that reciting and memorizing will produce "trained seals" rather than creative thinkers. Creativity and independent thinking, they argue, are true 21st-century skills; IQ and other test scores provide a narrow view of intelligence. The authors walk parents through much of the recent research on the way children learn, debunking such myths as the Mozart effect, and pointing out that much learning unravels naturally, programmed through centuries of evolution. Although the research-laden text is sometimes dense, parents will find a valuable message if they stick with the program, ultimately relieving themselves and their offspring of stress and creating a more balanced life.

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I've always found the whole push-parenting thing to be rather classist anyway, and the classical music fetish in particular borders on racist -- I mean, if it's not racist, how come no one's ever done research on the "Coltrane effect"? Classical jazz has all the complexity of classical music.

"Classical jazz has all the complexity of classical music."
Complexity in some respects... but perhaps too confusing for children or most people... Classical is more organized.

Just to put the record straight, one of the first experimental psychologists to really work hard to debunk the mozart effect claims was Ken Steele at Appalachian State U. Don't know if his name gets mentioned much, but it should.

By boojieboy (not verified) on 03 Apr 2007 #permalink

My children don't watch Baby Eistein so they'll be smarter. They watch them because they like them, because it soothes them, and because it's not Spongebob Squarepants. They also keep the kids out my hair for 30 minutes so I can do laundry.

Best dvd's EVER, just for that alone!

I grew up with my dad playing Lou Reed and Frank Zappa compositions for me - I'd love to see a study of the impact of that on childhood development. In fact, I'd love to see someone try to get that past an IRB.

"My children don't watch Baby Eistein so they'll be smarter. They watch them because they like them, because it soothes them, and because it's not Spongebob Squarepants. They also keep the kids out my hair for 30 minutes so I can do laundry.

Best dvd's EVER, just for that alone!"

Well then they should advertise them that way!!! ;)

But the woman who created the Baby Einstein company was showcased by Bush during the State of the Union address, so it must be great! I also vaguely recall that a few years ago some state had a program in which they handed out Mozart audio cassettes to new parents...I forget the details.

When my kids were little we bought some of those Baby Einstein videos. At first I thought they were really lame, but over time they grew on me, and I found myself just sitting and watching them with the kids. Very hypnotizing. (Hmmm, maybe it's part of some evil subliminal mind-control plot?)

When they were little, my daughter liked listening to jazz and my son seemed to prefer the classical stuff, but now they mostly just listen to Kidz Bop. And watch Sponge Bob. And I must say that although I was horrified at first, I have really come to appreciate the comic subtleties of Bob and Patrick and Squidward and Mr. Krabs. (And although I don't recall him ever commenting on it, I'm sure that PZ would appreciate the fact that Squidward is the intellectual of the bunch.)