Is your little one watching hours of Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby? Do you think it's that lots of TV is fine as long as the programmes your kid is watching are educational? Well, think again ....
Parental guidance advised
TOTS TO TEENS by Daphne Lee
A STUDY, published recently in the Journal of Paediatrics, found that babies don’t benefit from watching educational videos like Baby Einstein.
Dr Dmitri Christakis, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle, the United States, headed the study. He and his colleagues surveyed 1,000 parents and their babies (age eight to 16 months) and found that the children who watched these videos more than an hour every day had a smaller vocabulary than those whose parents read to them and told them stories.
Christakis, interviewed by The Boston Globe (boston.com), said, “I would rather babies watch American Idol than these videos.” His reasoning is that parents are more likely to watch American Idol with their babies (and interact with them), instead of just dumping them in front of the TV.
Well, I admit to having used Barney to babysit my eldest, Elesh. (I’m not proud of it.) I did also read a lot to him when he was a baby, though. I think that’s something to consider: Is watching TV all that your children are doing?
My kids watch a lot of telly, but I’m not too bothered since they also read/are read to, and clearly love books. However, I know there are parents who think it’s okay to skip reading so long as junior is watching something “brainy” on TV. Let’s face it, it’s easier to press “Play” than read a book.
Personally, I’m grateful for the box. I watch a lot of TV with my kids. And, get this, I watched so much Barney when Elesh was a baby that I grew quite fond of that purple dinosaur that many adults have told me they would like to maim.
As Christakis said, the key is interaction and contact between child and parent. So, you have to watch Barney prancing around and be there for the group hug at the end. You may also want to buy a few Barney books and sing “I love you” until you’re blue in the face.
I’ve said before that TV can be used to sneakily introduce kids to books. Most children’s TV programmes have spawned books (merchandising is where the money is!) and if baby is riveted by Dora exploring on the telly, she will also be delighted to find Dora exploring in a book.
To read The Boston Globe’s report on Christakis’ study go to www.boston.com/yourlife/health/chidren/articles/2007/08/08/study_faults_einstein_videos_for_infants If there are parents out there who are looking guiltily at the stack of Baby Einstein (and similar) videos they’ve accumulated, don’t worry. Just make sure you start watching with baby and reading to her, too.
Just found your blog! Love it! Thanks for this intersting post!
Posted by: Amy Watson | Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at 06:49
Just found your blog! Love it! Thanks for this intersting post!
Posted by: Amy Watson | Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at 06:49