Seattlest: Baby Einstein Sucks the Vocabulary Out of Your Kid's Brain

James Callan

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:10:46 -0800

"Plan on"? It's a fait accompli. I want her to curse more eloquently than I do, actually, so when she's three I plan on giving her Deadwood DVDs.

kimshi

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:57:49 -0800

"Goddamn," eh? Hope that isn't one of the vocabulary words you plan on teaching your child.

Jeremy M. Barker

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 16:31:13 -0800

It's funny how "concerned" parents who want to have smarter, healthier, sexier babies all seem to have undiluted faith in the power of buying things to make that happen, when in fact what's best for children is spending time and interacting with them. I'm tempted to find fault with the companies that promote snake-oil parenting products, but on the whole I can't help but feel that it's just not that hard people--we've been raising kids forever--and you might just be a moron for not getting it. But at the same time, most of the people I know who have kids (primarily family) use crap like this, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that a parent will never admit to doing something wrong, and they take parenting advice as an insult, particularly if you don't have children ('cause I totally forgot what I had to do helping take care of younger siblings and, you know, how my parents treated me).

James Callan

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:51:49 -0800

Katie Trotsky from Baby Einstein's PR firm sent me an email with their response: We wanted to share the below statement with you so you can have Baby Einstein's view on Children and Electronic Media. Feel free to contact me if you need anything. Children and Electronic Media Response Baby Einstein Encourages Discovery and Parent-Child Interaction All Baby Einstein DVD/videos are designed as interactive tools and catalysts to promote interaction between parents and their young children, which is one of the most critical elements to the development of a healthy and happy baby during the first three years of life. The entire Baby Einstein DVD collection is specifically designed to promote discovery and inspire new ways for parents and babies to interact – such as clapping, pointing to objects and verbally interacting with their baby – in real time and in age and developmentally appropriate ways. Wow. 100 words, 5 of which are some form of "interact." That study must have struck a nerve.

TroyJMorris

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:10:43 -0800

I HATE when parents let their children watch T.V. ESPECIALLY under the age of two. Personally, I hope to let my child not watch TV under 5. Short movies I watch with them don't count. But then again, I don't plan on having kids.