Who’s the Einstein?

So a new study says the Baby Einstein videos will eat your child’s brain.

The claim always seemed too good to be true: park your infant in front of a video and, in no time, he or she will be talking and getting smarter than the neighbor's kid. In the latest study on the effects of popular videos such as the "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby" series, researchers find that these products may be doing more harm than good. And they may actually delay language development in toddlers.

OK, I’m familiar with the BE stuff because I used to watch them with my son. Key words: “watched, with”. And I interacted with him while we watched. We had whole routines for different scenes and there was lots of verbal interaction between us as well. In fact, the videos recommend you do just that; use them as points of interaction not as babysitters. Nowhere do the BEs state that you can “park your infant in front of a video and, in no time, he or she will be talking and getting smarter”. I’m not sure if that statement comes from the study or the reporter who wrote the story about the study, but it certainly doesn’t come from the makers of the videos. Anyone who thinks they can put a 1 year old in front of a TV and expect them to learn something is a fucking idiot. That’s the conclusion of my unscientific study.