Baby Einstein

Quick question - Baby Einstein

I don’t think they sell this here but I’ve heard lots of you talking about it.  Is it worthwhile getting and which one should I get? 

Comments

[emily]

Yes get it. It is very cool, lots of colors and classical music. Just my 2 cents.

[Allison]

De-lurking. I ordered a totally pirated 15 DVD set off of EBAY (starting bid: $20.00 - from Hong Kong) and my 7 month old baby is in love. She smiles at the opening song everytime. Well worth the $$ AND educational. :)

As for the whole EBAY thing...as long as interpol doesn't show up at my door, it was the best $20 I have spent in a long time.

[Slim]

Brace yourself; I'm sure there's going to be bickering.
Anyway, I hate anything that promises to make your child smarter or even implies that it can. We all know the only things that matter are whether you had a drug-free vaginal birth and breastfed.
Jeez, I'm kidding.
About the second part.
Seriously, if your kids like Baby Einstein and you need something like that, go for it. I mesmerized my kids with Animal Planet so I could trim their nails, but I'd have used Baby Einstein if I'd had to.
As far as entertaining your kids, though, I say snuggling, open-ended toys, snuggling, whatever music you and they like (you can Google "mozart effect" and "myth" if you need reassurance before cranking up Big Joe Turner), books, snuggling, and going outside.
And your pots and pans will finally be put to good use.

[Leah]

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it! Get them ALL or as many as you can :)

[Christine K]

We have most of them and have really liked them. Can you live without them? Of course - it's just a baby video, so clearly not critical. But Baby Mozart was the only reason I could get dressed for work in the morning the first six months after I went back.

Personally, we loved Mozart for babies and as he got older, Van Gogh. Hated the original Einstein, Beethoven, Bach, Galileo. Da Vinci was pretty good. But for those early months, only Mozart made him happy. One of my patients called it "baby crack".

Stupid question, but the DVDs I have in my house wouldn't play in South Africa right? That whole "zone" thing? I guess a bigger question is what's the purpose of making things that way. But, if you can get something that plays for you, and want to try them, I think you'll like them.

[Carla]

De-lurking, These saved my life when my twins were about three months old, they LOVED them, and would watch them while I took a quick shower, or made something to eat. Their favorite is, "World of Animals" or "Baby Neptune" "Old MacDonald" is cute too. The thing about them is they can watch them for a long time, mine are still watching them and they will be two on Saturday.

[Lisa S (& Riley, Bella, & Adelyn)]

I love the Baby Mozart DVD, especially the "repeat play" thing. I don't know if it made my kids any smarter, but it kept them quiet at 5:30 am so that I could lie on the couch and doze. This was much more important to me than a few silly IQ points! IQ, bah!

I didn't like the orginal Baby Einstein - stick with Mozart. We also have Baby Neptune, which is cute too, but may be intended for older kids. It doesn't hold Adelyn quite as rapt as the original Mozart does.

Anyway, do what you can to get this! It's worth it!

[gkk]

Yes, yes and YES. To quote my sister when I burned a few for her "Has this woman been sainted yet and how many can you put on in a row before you're a bad mother?". To be honest though I think they really come into their own at 12m+. You can buy box sets on ebay quite cheaply, the favourites at my house (23m and 10m girls) are Baby MacDonald, Baby Van Gough and Neighbourhood Animals. For littlies, Baby Mozart was good.

I personally don't like "plugging kids in" but some days these have saved my life!

[tracy]

Listening to Mozart not going to make your child smarter. Even the Baby Einstein company doesn't push that claim any more. But we LOVED Baby Mozart (and to a lesser extent, Baby Bach). They can actually be very interactive with older kids - you can talk about what's going on in the video. Love, love, love.

[Stacey]

Baby Mozart = le cool.

[Christy]

My son's favorites were Baby Einstein and Baby Newton, and he did not like Shakespeare at all. Those movies were a life saver to get him to sit still while we gave him nebulizer treatments. My daughter, on the other hand, will not watch any TV at all.

[judy]

We have a few of them - got them with my 5.5 year old, and now that I've been playing them every now and then for the new babe - 5 mos - my older son is all into them again! Very cute to watch. Don't know how much they really get out of them at this age - soap operas have the same effect on my little one at this point - LOL!

[Jessica]

I know some mothers swear by them, and lots of babies love them, but Madeline could not have been less interested, and I personally was very disappointed. My pediatrician even recommended them to me, saying "you, along with the baby, will be captivated." I could have made the two videos we own in my living room! All they consist of is still shots of basic toys with a background of classical music!

That being said, if you want to check them out, I think you should. Maybe one or both of your babies will love them. Please email me your address and I will be happy to mail you the dvds we have. (I think they are Baby Mozart and the one that involves farm animals.)

[Ally]

We tried them with our boy was a couple of months old and he wasn't interested. I've thought about getting them out again but haven't gotten around to it. I think as videos go they're pretty harmless and cute.

[Sherry]

My kids aren't even here yet, but we bought the Baby Bach CD, which I've heard RAVE reviews about. Also, the Baby Monet DVD seems to be popular around these parts, too.

[Annieb]

Tertia, I have to come out of lurkdom to rave about Baby Mozart. When my son received the DVD for Christmas we were told by parents of twins that it was the best thing in the world. "Crack Cocaine For Babies". I now give this DVD at every single baby shower I go to. I also ususally explain that without Baby Mozart, I couldn't have blow dried my hair or put on any makeup. Ever.

[Courtney]

My son was only mildly interested in them... but he LOVES Shrek and anything Shakespeare. We just recently introduced The Incredibles as well. I think it is just all of the color and music and motion. So, don't feel that you have to stick with one brand or another. Baby Einstein's are good, but I recommend that you buy only a few at a time and see how the twins like them before you go whole hog.

Enjoy! (And try Shrek! Liam won't utter a peep while it is on!!!)

[em]

I probably shouldn't comment as I don't have kids... But I did buy my Godson some baby Einstein and he loves it. I got the foreign language one and an art book.

I have to say that the coolest toy I've ever seen is the Lamaze Octotunes, it's so cool I thought about buying it in case I have kids one day and can't get hold of it :)

[danigirl]

The commentor above who talked about nominating Julie Clark (founder of the Baby Einstein megacorp) for sainthood is my kind of chick. I can't imagine life without these DVDs. Something about the colours and music mesmerizes babies, and whether you choose to take those 30 stolen minutes of freedom and shower or cook dinner or stare stupidly at the carpet, it's time well spent.

For babes your age, I recommend the Baby Mozart. We started with that when Boy #1 was three months and he loved it. Same with Boy #2. We have almost all of them now, and the 3yo and 1yo both love to watch them to this day.

Five star recommendation here!

[Sonja]

Another de-lurker....my twins like Baby Bach and Baby Mozart...I haven't gotten any of the other ones. They also love Sesame Street's Kid's Favorite Songs DVD...and The Wiggles...those have saved us countless times! Shrek 2, Finding Nemo and A Bug's Life are also a hit. Granted, so is Dr. Phil...so I don't know what's up with my kids. ;)

We have that Lamaze Octotunes toy and I love it too. It smells like chocolate. Not kidding...the whole toy chest smells like cocoa. Mmmmmmm....

[Kay]

My 2 1/2 year old will still ask to watch his Baby E DVDs. He asks for them by the animal that is on the cover. It's pretty cute if I do say so myself. :p We have Mozart, Beethoven, Neighborhood Animals, Neptune (water), Newton (shapes) and the Language Nursery. The only one I find boring is the Language Nursery - but Jake likes it. I will likely get others when my 2nd child is born in November.

Also have to put in a plug for Shrek, Monsters Inc, and Finding Nemo. We know all the words by heart at my house.

[jen]

I look forward to getting some of these for my upcoming Beanlet... though from the feel of it mine isn't a baby Einstein but a baby Beckham, as my stomach feels bruised on the inside and am only 21 weeks LOL!

By the way Tertia, reckon you need a couple of these for your twinlets... am sure you can add "And Divine" on that tag :D

http://www.eatyergreens.com/item.lasso?category=babies&sub_category=T-shirts&referring_ID=415&-session=eyg_order:8B0F9E66E3BC13FBE246C2442BC8DE56

[Emma]

It's the only thing that could distract my colicky baby enough to let me eat my own dinner (albeit very fast).

The first Baby Einstein was great, she also liked baby Neptune (puppets). Only problem I had with these tapes was the massive advertising at the end - twenty minutes of actual video and another fifteen showing all the other videos/happy customers etc.
I found an alternative as well - 'Brainy Baby' it was a knock-off for sure but it was a longer tape and no advertising.

[Princess K]

I was once a nanny for an 18 month old boy and he was madly in love with the Baby Bach and Baby Mozart DVDs. He would sit there, completely enraptured, and hum along with the tunes. I liked them too - they're soothing. That little boy is 4 now and can read and do simple math. He knew his letters, numbers, and colors by the time he was two. He's probably just naturally brilliant, but maybe the DVDs had a hand in it? Who knows.

[Rachel]

Baby Einstein is great. Both our sons love all of them (oldest just turned four and youngest is two). We only own a few because our library actually carries most of the B.E. videos or DVDs, so they're handy to check out.

[Marlen]

We only have one - Baby Noah - and my 2 1/2 year old and 8 month old love it! If I need to shower or something I put it on repeat play =) We also have a series here (USA TX) called Praise Baby - similiar to Baby Einstein but with Praise and Worship music. My friends rave about it.

[sarah]

Baby Bach is one of the few things that will distract my daughter enough to cut her fingernails (another is the credits from the third season of Friends on repeat). She also loves Baby Mozart, but it makes her feel like dancing, so it's not so good when what I want is a still baby.

The videos won't make your kids smarter, but they just might distract them for long enough that you can get something done, or cause them to forget entirely about the fact that they were cranky and were contemplating screaming until your ears bled.

I don't use the DVDs often, but when I do, it's because I really need my kid to be distracted and I am delighted at how well they accomplish that.

[Teacher]

I'm afraid I have to be a dissenting opinion here...

I am a school teacher, and although I do not deal professionally with babies, I deal with children. I've seen what happens to babies who have been exposed to a little too much Baby Einstein aka Baby Crack... ;-)

The Einstein series has some very appealing imagery - it is bright and colourful, and the scenes last about as long as a baby's attention span. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a problem once the child gets a little older and starts in preschool, kindergarten and school. If they have become used to a world that the BE suggests with lots of stimulus happening quickly they can tend to expect this in other places also. Sadly, classrooms are not like Baby Einstein - they move at a slower pace, and many small kids find them less stimulating and become confused by the lack of bright colours and quick images. The consequences can be many kids with a reduced attention span. Indeed, this can lead to behavioural problems as many of the small kids find it difficult to stay so focused while the world around them [and teacher] is moving at a slower pace. Story time can be a challenge, for example, since sitting still for a book in a classroom just can't compare with a DVD featuring bright colours etc...

The music aspect, I have no problems with, just the visual.

I certainly don't mean to be disrespectful to the other parents here who have babies who enjoy Baby Einstein - and certainly not ever kid who watches one of these DVDs is going to grow up ADD or behaviourally challenged or whatever... only that many in my profession do believe that for those kids who tend to find it difficult to stay focused in a classroom, some of it can be linked to early childhood activities. I wonder if there are any dissertations on this on the web? *off to check*

Once they become older kids, they swap the Baby Einstein for the Playstation anyhow... :-)

[Jennifer]

Definitely buy one or two and see how they like them. Baby Eistein is the only way I could eat dinner. I would put the video on on and my Daughter would instantly quiet down. She loves the videos. She watches 1 every night before bed time.

Jennifer

[Blondie]

I would have to say, as much as I HATE shoving television at my kid, the Baby Einstein series has given me many sane moments. He didn't really have any interest until he was 5+ months but your kiddos may be different. He's one year old and he actually prefers the Baby Beethoven and Baby Neptune editions moreso than the others.

But hey, don't forget, I'm sure you will have some ass tell you "Television is horrid for children...they will have ADD, ADHD and other learning disabilities from being exposed to more than 15 minutes per day". Well, my kid is rambunctious like any other 1 year old...but I don't think the Einstein series halted his learning abilities. Jimmy also has a fondness for music in general. I make sure that at least an hour or more during the day I'm melting my brain tissue with childrens' music. Not just classical either...nursery rhymes, play & dance songs...songs that make you want to beat your head in the concrete but can't because your child is too cute as he bebops around his toybox... So invest in some CD's with childrens' songs too. Baby Genious has a good set, I know that I honestly didn't remember all the words to nursery rhymes...until now.

I say, Hats off to the creator of the Einstein series...many quiet moments were cherished and still are due to the bright colors and classical music!

[Julia]

As an infant, my daughter loved Baby Mozart and Baby Bach and hated Baby Einstein. After she was a year old we also ahd World Animals (beautiful) and Baby Van Gogh (nice).

Now several years later friends with babies say their tots like Baby Neptune. The production qulaity of new videos (since sale to Dinsey) is much better, but real live children are no longer featured.

Just my 2 cents,
Julia

[Kam]

Another dissenting opinion here. (surprise, surprise! Not.)

As far as I know, there's been no recent, reliable study showing that screen time for children younger than 3 is beneficial as compared with other activities in which the child interacts with another human being. If you are using the television as a baby-sitter, than I suppose it's better than babies staring at the wall (is it true they burn fewer calories watching tv?), but when you are with them, there are so many wonderful things to do with music. One of Meg's first signs was 'snow' to Vivaldi's "Winter" as the snow fell out the window. She still will sign 'snow' when she hears it. And dancing with them. And a little massage to some Mozart. All ways to integrate what they hear with the rest of their world.

Emotional intelligence is what babies are working on. Watching faces and hearing voices and, of course, listening to music with people they love are great ways to foster that. I think the usefulness of television with kids, especially where real intelligence is concerned, appears much, much later, beginning in elementary school.

And if you're worried about starting bad habits, television is probably one of the most difficult habits to break. "Baby crack"--I love it.

I don't fault parents who use these videos marketed to parents of babies. I just think it's something to think about seriously before diving in.

[Amy]

We got a few Baby Einstein dvds as gifts, but my son was completely un-interested. And I agree with the previous poster who said she could have made the video herself. They are not very complex. My son was completely uninterested in tv until he was over a year--then we stuck with Sesame Street, which he loves. He watches 1 hour a day, except on weekends, and has learned his ABCs and numbers (he's two) already. I really try and keep the tv watching to a minimum, and in my opinion the baby einstein dvds are a waste. We do have the cds, though, and both my babies LOVE them. We turn them on before every nap and bedtime and it soothes them to sleep.
Lots of people swear by these, so you may as well get one and try it out. But I wouldn't buy a bunch until you see for yourself.

[beth]

I bought Baby Einstein for my daughter because of all the rave reviews. I watched it with her one time, and it pretty much freaked me out. It's like stuff that you would watch high on acid or something. "Baby crack" yes, it is. And one would want to give your baby crack, why????

My daughter would have none of it, anyway. Even if she liked it, I would've vetoed it on the grounds that it was likely rotting her brain. My opinion is to save the TV until they're old enough to get something out of watching sesame street.

[Cherith]

I am also a teacher and I agree with Slim, Teacher, Kam and Beth.

My kids were more interested in chewing on the video tapes than watching them.

[Danigirl]

Oh for goodness sake. To Kam and Teacher - lighten up! We're not talking about parking your kid in front of the TV for hours while we sneak off to the mall for a latte (although had I thought of it at the time...)

Seriously, a little TV isn't going to affect their future academic careers. My own mother credits the 2 hours of Sesame Street I watched a day with the fact that I was reading at four and graduated magna cum laude from university 20 years later.

Of COURSE playing with your babies is better than abandoning them in front of the TV, but when you need 5 minutes of distraction, you can do a hell of a lot worse than these DVDs.

[Laz]

Hi Tertia -
Someone at CBC did a little investigative journalism into 'edu-toys' including Baby Einstein and you can find the article here: http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/money/brainybaby/grade.html
To summarize: if you/your child likes it, get it, but the effect the toymakers claim to have on your child's IQ is not based upon any actual research. Hope this helps!

[Carol]

I LOVE them all, but especially Baby Mozart!! My baby loves them, and so did my daughter when she was a baby. Can you get them online? eBay? I'll send you some if you want!

[Susy]

We first introduced our daughter to Baby Einstein when she was about 8 mos old (Neighborhood Animals and Baby Galileo). She loved them then, and she loves them now (she's almost 2). I don't know anyone who has ever had a negative thing to say about those DVDs.

[Heather]

Danigirl said it best - I agree completely. The videos are only 25-30 minutes long, it's not like they are parked there for hours. When I needed a break (shower, potty, eat, you know, the basics that you can't do without a little distraction), I put on Baby Mozart for my son. He LOVED it. He never much liked Baby Einstein, just Mozart. He also loved the animal ones - Neighborhood Animals and World Animals I think they're called.

[Teacher]

Danigirl: I agree with you!

I was not speaking as a mother there, I was speaking as an educational professional. While I am very 'light' most of the time, I take my profession and the education of children very seriously.

I was not saying that if you let your kid watch TV you are going to turn them into a ADD, Ritalin toting child! I was just pointing out that shows with lots of bright flashy colours and short scenes may be detrimental to developing focus and concentration in some children.

My post was NOT meant as a Drive By Mum comment - I was mindful that it may have come across that way. I was trying so hard to present another point of view informed by my teaching practice.

[Teacher]

Hey Laz, thank you so much for that link!

This researcher is kind of getting at what I am talking about: http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/money/brainybaby/harm.html
... although I would like to see more research. No TV before the age of 2 does seem kind of harsh to me.

[MollieBee]

Yes, any one you can find. When the twins are about 3-4 mos this will mesmerize them long enough for you to knock back a glass of wine.

[megan]

Here's an interesting article that I read recently. It talks a lot about the Baby Einstein videos
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/money/brainybaby/grade.html

[Lou]

HI there-
we like baby DaVinci and baby neptune the best- also world animals.

I'm not sure how much smarter they make your baby - but they do keep them occupied for a bit. We got baby neptune first for Jonas when he was about 8 months- it was like baby crack! He was hooked.

I actually like the books and the toys they make better than the videos- ds loves the books- he likes Jane's Animal Adventure the best. I highly reccomend it :-)

[Nicole]

Personally, I could take 'em or leave 'em and so could my kids. I didn't even get Baby Mozart until my first was a year old b/c it seemed so trendy. And by that point she'd already fallen in love with Elmo's World and didn't really care much about Baby Mozart. When my second came along we got Baby Shakespeare. My second enjoyed the two videos more, but she watched them at an earlier age and was pretty burnt out on them by 18 months.

But on this subject, here is my assvice for the day. Make a visit to your local library and see if they have Baby Mozart available to check out. Plus, they might have some of the books to go along with it. And your local librarian could probably point you to some other age appropriate things they might enjoy at no cost to you. If they don't I bet your local video store will and they'll probably be really cheap to rent for a few days. That way you can try them out and see if Kate and Adam seem interested. And even if they aren't interested now, they might be when they're a little older.

[Christina]

My baby LOVES the Baby Da Vinci, Neptune, and Van Gogh ones. Skip the Language Nursery, unless you want to learn how to count to ten in Japanese. I said you, not the baby. That one doesn't hold the same magic as the others.

[Mollie]

The whole thing makes me want to barf.

Seriously.

I hate this shit. I have a real problem with babies watching TV, and it's my problem, doesn't have to be yours. But since you asked, I'm telling you. I won't even let Nico watch a full-length feature film now, at age four, since I don't think 90 minutes is an appropriate amount of time for a preschooler to look at the screen (theatre or TV).

Until Nico was about 2.5, he thought our TV was a big, black mirror. He never saw it turned on. I don't say this to boast, I say this as someone who has struggled all my life to avoid watching hours on end of TV, and who doesn't want to start a new cycle of dependence in the next generation. Screen time is addictive, and nothing good can come of it, in my opinion. The idea of "educational videos" for infants is just... repulsive to me.

This is not a flame! This is a heartfelt kvetch. It's not easy to go against the grain at a time in history when talking, techno-toys and TV tutors are all the rage. I'm a Waldorf devotee. Museli all the way. Sure, I roll my eyes when I see tiny tots in front of a TV, but I know it's not the end of the world. We all have our fixations. This is one of mine.

Sorry if I come across as zealous. I am long on zeal.

[Meg]

Neither my daughter nor i ever cared for them - and someone gave us at least five. They mostly just seemed like giant toy commercials set to music. (Not that there is anything *wrong* with giant toy commercials set to music if it gives you that magic 15 minutes to potty and brush your teeth.) My lame assvice is that the one thing that would keep her quiet (and usually put her to sleep whist i did housework) was turning on Ravel's Bolero and setting her swing that that it went in time with the music. Totally hypnotic. Good stuff. (Long time reader, first time commenter. Even the survey couldn't get me out the first time...Love the blog.)

[Nancy]

What do you think my kids are doing right now? ;) Totally agree with Danigirl, we love the BE series (still do Neptune, Dolittle, MacDonald) but have a hard time believing that a Winnie the Pooh movie about friendship is gonna create an uninterested kindergarten student in my child 3 years from now....

[sweetisu]

We have several of these DVD's. Guess how many times it's been played? You can count it with one hand.

Our son isn't interested in these B.E. in the least bit. He much prefer Mama/Papa time, books, and Bob the Builder if it must be on the TV.

Personally I think the B.E. was a total waste of money. Maybe I'll EBay them.

[scott]

There's just no point, T, my children are the cleverest. I win! I win!
(I'll lend them to you as tutors, for a small fee) :-)

[Emily]

Tertia,

B.E. gives you 26 minutes of freedom. Both babies occupied at the same time (!) We started the girls around 3 months.

I don't think it will make my twins any smarter. But, I don't think it will cause any lasting damage, either. It DOES mean that I get to take a shower or eat lunch without holding a baby.

Sometimes, I wonder how CONSTRUCTIVE it is to have both girls screaming at the same time.

Although, we all want to be the pefect parent, I've learned that with twins you have to take some shortcuts. That's been a hard lesson to accept. I can't do everything "just like" a singleton mom.

Our babies will get bonus stimulation in other ways by having a constant playmate and companion.

[kat]

Yes. Kiddo#1 when younger would crawl around like a maniac. Put a BE in the dvd player and all of a sudden, he was captivated. I found them nice too. We would sit there looking at the images, listening to the music -- it was nice since he wouldn't sit still to let me read him a book.

We were big fans of the water one.

[whitney]

I haven't read all the other comments, but in my opinion, they are all worth the money. My 3-year-old has been watching them all her life and she still loves them. And it's the only way I get my one-year-old to sit still. They are the only videos that I buy as soon as they come out.

I'm sure some will say that videos are no substitute for motherly attention, but come on, sometimes a girl's gotta shower all by herself.....LOL. Me, I love Baby Einstein. I also have some of the toys and my girls love them too.

And the music is so much less annoying than Barney, the Wiggles, or any other kids' shows!!

[Maggaggie]

We have the entire set (not all are worth buying) but our favourite is Baby Neptune.

[Lori]

Another lover of Baby E. here! Okay so I don't know if Dd is any smarter for it but lord did it give me some much needed sane time when she was around 3 months old. I put dd in her swing and now her jump-a-rooand I could take a shower, shave my legs and arms or do my hair and makeup. Loved them! She was good for about 1 video before she started fussing, (I take quick showers) She still enjoys them and we have the 15 box set of 15 dvd's and have only watched about 5 of them. Daddy spoiled her! She is now into Veggie Tales! Really cute, semi religious stories. so yes I'm a bad mommy and I use the tv to entertain my baby but hey! a mommy needs to shave her legs once in awhile!

PS:DD's 10 months now and she also LOVES American Idol, stops everything she's doing when she hears the opening music and claps when the audience claps. dh thinks her first words will be "Absolutely Horrendous" inand english accent of course!

[Pazel]

We had it for our daughter but she found it boring and I found it to be tortuous to watch. She ended up loving Elmo on Sesame Street, probably because of his high pitched voice and bright red color. I guess that means she won't be going to Harvard.

[sandi]

I think they are a blessing. For those days when nothing else seems to be working! When they were young they loved Baby Mozart and Bach. Now they love Baby McDonald and they have learned so many farm words from it. :-) Big thumbs up for these videos!

[buggy]

I liked them. My son seemed to "really" watch them, he would concentrate and watch things move around when he was little. It allowed me a free moment to get in the shower etc. Now people will argue that you should not plop your kids down infront of the TV. I agree with that, but it is better to watch the TV then stare at the shower curtain while mommy showers isn't it? Also, sometimes when he was fussy I would have him watch and again I figure he is not learning anything from me if he is crying and fussy so a video is probably OK!! I got a boxed set from Costco. But in hindsight I would stick with the Baby Mozart etc. He did not care for them beyond about 14-18 mos.

[Kel]

We got them (though go check them out at the library for free, always, before spending any cash on them...we've saved so much money and so much space in our house from doing that) and our son loved most of the ones we have (none of us got into the Shakespeare one).

Didn't get them to make him smarter, got them because I wanted to control what was on the TV instead of just letting it run. Gave us sanity (and cleanliness - time for a shower) at 5:30 am. Watched it lots of time with him and talked about what we were seeing and listening too.

The child got my TV gene (I can't tell you how to start a motor or what plants are safe to eat, but I know what Jan Brady did on her 12th birthday - a US reference, sorry.), MOST UNFORTUNATELY.

In my dream world, I would have parented without TV altogether, but I don't live in my dream world, just the closest one I can get too.

At three his favorite program now is Magic School Bus, so we must be doing something right.

Kel

[Brandi]

J still loves them even though she is turning 2! If you don't have them there I can get them and ship them to you. They are all over the place in the US.

[juliejulie]

we are not big tv watchers here and try to limit how much/ what my kids see.

i have two baby einstien tapes (mozart and numbers nursery). i dont understand the need for so many - my kid prefers what she's used to and comfortable anyway. it does work for calming fussy babies, but so does music on the cd player, singing or rocking.

[Rhonda]

My cousin gave me Baby Mozart when my daughter was born. I appreciated it because after a day of interacting with my daughter (and she demanded a LOT of interaction and constant holding) sometimes we were both cranky. I was glad to interact and hold all day, but everyone has their limits, and around 5 I'd reach mine.

So if I wanted 2 free hands to get dinner started before my husband got home from work, I could put her in her swing and put on Baby Mozart and she'd go right to sleep.

Now, having said that, I thought the video was basically a long advertisement for cute toys, so I tried to use it sparingly. But the music is nice and soothing. You can also get CDs of just the music, which is good for car rides.

[Cathy]

I have to totally ditto Mollie. MAJOR pet peeve of mine, sticking kids in front of the TV.

[tracy]

Mollie, if you don't want people to think you're flaming them or being judgemental, you don't tell them that their parenting style makes you want to barf, or that the things they do with their children are repulsive to you. I'm just saying.

[Janis]

I used to be totally against TV for little ones. Thought it was bad parenting and horridly neglectful.

Then I had twins. And I was taking care of them pretty much by myself. I had no time to shower, brush my teeth, feel like a normal human being.

I was desperate, smelly, furry teeth and about to lose the last grasp I had on my fragile sanity.

I broke down, bought one of the BE dvd's and popped it in.

I was able to shower, brush my teeth and look semi-human. It made a huge difference in all our lives.

So for 15 - 20 minutes a day I was a horrid, neglectful mom. I used the tv as a sitter.

My babes are now 18 months old. Both are very happy, intelligent, loving individuals. And even better- I don't smell like the rotten funky stuff in the bottom of a trash bin. I smell purty!

So get the BE dvd's. Shower, brush your teeth, get Marko to give you some oral. ;) Enjoy!

[Soper]

First, thank you thank you thank you for fixing the preview thingy. Yay, it worked, you are a techno goddess!

Second, one of my friends told me that her kid (9 mos old) was screaming his head off the other night. After getting up hourly to coddle and rock him, her husband got up, put in the baby E tape, and fell back to sleep on the couch.

My friend found her son quietly, happily sitting on the floor an hour later...

[danelle]

The twins I nanny hate baby einstein but love Boobah and Calm Baby. I highly recommend those!

[Kristen]

Absolutely we love them. Jack never cared a whole lot for them as a small child, but at about 2 he adored them. Mt twins have loved them from the start. They are a godsend to get me 15-20 minutes of peace. I believe there are sets you can order/buy. If you can't find them, let me know. We have almost all of them and some are better than others, but I think it depends on what interests your child. plus, I never thought they'd make my kids smarter...I'm happy to just ahve the peace. Will say for older kids, the flash cards are GREAT.

[Annie]

If a baby is in front of a TV all their waking hours = bad. Half an hour while you have a shower, or an uninterrupted toilet session, or even putting a washing in = good.

When they are small, BE is no different to an electronic toy with loads of lights, sound etc. Now mine is older, she still watches them, we watch them together and she tells me what is going on and we talk about it.

Of course, this is ONLY MY OPINION.

Have a read of these

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3603235.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3640223.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3896093.stm

[tess]

i would also suggest baby einstein, but there is also the wiggles! lots of singing and dancing there for kids to love. i can get you some, easy from hk. let me know.
xo tess

[Lisa]

I wasn't overly impressed by them and my son could have cared less about any of the BE series. We tried a couple of them but he never showed an interest. He much preferred to watch me do whatever I was doing - even if it was just blow-drying my hair. I just put him in the bouncer seat outside the bathroom door.

I am not completely opposed to television - I just wasn't overwhelmed by the series. My son, however, did love Sesame Street videos. Elmo may drive others crazy but he kept me sane when I most needed it.

If you want to try one of the BE videos/DVDs just let me know and I will be happy to send you mine. It is clutter that I just don't need right now. And, yes, I know that you live in South Africa.

[Mollie]

Mollie, if you don't want people to think you're flaming them or being judgemental, you don't tell them that their parenting style makes you want to barf, or that the things they do with their children are repulsive to you. I'm just saying.

Just to clarify: VIDEOS marketed to parents for the "enrichment" of babies' brains / lives make me want to barf. Or should I say the companies that create and promote them make me want to barf. And I said the "idea of 'educational' videos for infants" (i.e. put your kid in front of the TV and watch these images: guaranteed to raise SAT scores!) was repulsive to me, not what anyone was doing with their kids.

I'm the first one to advocate for parents. Parents need to do what works for them. If they need to plop Jr. down in front of the TV so they can deal with chores or catch a break, okay. But I, for one, think it's loads better for a baby to look at the shower curtain or sit in the bouncer and watch you unload the dishwasher. Seriously.

And just so you know how consistent I am: there isn't a single toy in our house that does the talking. No batteries, no flashing lights, no sound chips of famous composers' greatest hits, none of that stuff. I really think it's all not only really, really annoying noise pollution, but an imagination-killer as well. Again, are we talking about life or death here? Hell no. Tertia asked for opinions and she got mine.

By the way, even with less than two hours of TV in any given week (and often zero), my son is still a total TV addict and has enormous withdrawal tantrums when we turn the fucking thing off. I suppose for some, TV works wonders in their house. In mine, it's just trouble. And I hate it.

[Jenn in AK]

*sigh* This brings up the whole T.V. thing. I recently went to workshop on how T.V. affects children under age 8.

An infant's brain is being hard-wired for life in the first 3 years of life. The brain is figuring out what to do with all this information bring thrown at it.

In the case of T.V., the cortex eventually gives up trying to process the images on the T.V. This starts to put the brain in "lazy" mode. T.V. does nothing to help a infant or toddler learn - honestly, nothing. The brain can't process images that fast.

Baby Einstein is the exact same thing. You could say "oh, but it's slowed down..." No, the images are not slowed down enough. The whole Mozart Effect gives no benefit to the child because the music has been put to images that the child cannot control.

Now, having said how bad it is (T.V. in general), I am only the mother of a 1 year old. Only 1 child. We use the stereo and play jazz music, classical music and just CDs that I like. Bekah loves it and plays with toys, etc. while we listen.

I don't have teo babies. I have no idea what struggles you have with Adam and Kate, so the choice I have made is the right one for me. We have no BE in our house, except the books.

That's my personal opinion on BE - please let it help you as it can and make the decision that is best for you.

Jenn

[Heather]

Thomas got his first BE when he was 2. He was at a family friend's house and saw it and had to watch it over and over again. Now Rachel loves to watch it every morning (she cries when it stops). It's her cup of coffee while I get my cup of coffee, her cereal, Thomas' breakfast, and everything else that has to be done before my eyes are fully open.

[Nicole]

Our therapist actually recommended them for the girls, as well as toys that have lots of lights/music and all that jazz. They need that stimulation to help them apparently. We haven't tried the video's of yet, but I have heard wonderful things about them. They do love the overhead gym thingy that plays music and has bright flashy lights (which I see no difference in than watching a movie both are flashing images IMO). Maybe they are recommending them to us because the girls were preemie's I don't know, but if you do get them, tell us what you think!

[Kelly]

I know everyone loves Baby Einstein but... ummmm... babies should not be watching TV. Period. There have been numerous research studies about the effects of babies/toddlers watching television.

The proof: http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/features/eco/tvdanger.html

QUOTE:
A study from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that watching videos as a toddler may lead to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, also called ADD in UK) in later life.

TV watching "rewires" an infant's brain, says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis lead researcher and director of the Child Health Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Wash. The damage shows up at age 7 when children have difficulty paying attention in school.

I am too lazy to look up all the articles but feel free to google away. It amazes me that most people believe television is good for young babies.

[Jean]

We have Baby Mozart, my twins totally ignored it while I thought It was like an LSD trip!....don't mix viewing it and white wine!!
Better off with a colourful baby gym and a music box (the kind you wind up that fixes onto the cot)

[Orange]

We loved Baby Mozart and Baby Doolittle/World Animals (it includes animals of the savanna--what could be better for your kids who can see such animals out the back window?). My son liked them, and my husband and I found them entertaining and catchy, too.

And yeah, yeah, babies and children should watch far less TV than most of them do. I was 3 when "Sesame Street" debuted, and it transfixed me like nothing else. I have watched a lot of TV ever since. I turned out gorgeous and divine, from an intellectual standpoint, so I have a hard time really believing that TV is harmful. All the brilliant people I know grew up watching a crapload of TV. And now my brilliant 4-year-old boy watches "too much" TV--it sure makes my day less of a challenge. (There's only so much I can take of Hot Wheels car action.) SpongeBob has even taught him to say hilarious stuff like "Mommy, I have a confession to make"--which gives me excellent blog fodder.

[elizabeth]

If your using the videos so you can have a few moments for the bathroom, a meal or whatever, you don't need to limit yourself to the BE videos. "Barney Songs" is a great one. I find the purple dinosaur v v v annoying, but it does the trick. My kids also like "The Wiggles", "Richard Scary" and the "Maisy" series. During bathtime/bedtime I can't make sure my three boys will keep out of trouble, so I do use the TV as a limited babysitter. I don't like it, but it works for me. My 4yo DID learn his colors, numbers and the alphabet song from these videos. In an ideal world, I would have liked to have taught him, but there is only so much time in the day.

[Jujubee]

I'm not trying to flame back here, but these people who say TV watching rewires childrens' brains and makes them unable to concentrate at school and beyond... well, it seems alarmist to me. I watched buttloads of TV as a kid (as in several hours everyday, my parents both worked full time and thought that overthinking a child's development was a total waste of time) and on every report card or at every parent teacher conference my teachers raved at how well-behaved I was, how well I concentrated and got my work done. And I always did very well in school, got into a top university, and now, as an adult, personally hate watching TV. So I think I turned out okay being completely TV addicted in my childhood.

[Janis]

So Kelly- (and a few others)

Are you a mom to mulitples? Do you have help with your babies? Or help with one baby?

Get off the moral high horse please.

15 minutes of a BE dvd so mom can shower, brush her teeth and regain some sense of self is not going to hurt them.

What WILL hurt them is a mom who is so sleep deprived, who cannot manage to fit in normal daily hygiene, that all she can do is sit and cry. A mom who has no joy in parenting will hurt a child far more than a few minutes in front of a tv.

I never used tv when I had singletons. I was able to put the baby in the bouncer, etc and shower with them in the room with me.

When my twins came, one of whom had colic and screamed almost every waking moment, there was no such thing as plopping them in a bouncer and showering. It was wait till someone else was home who could cope with the babies or not shower for a few days.

I lost a 16 year old daughter 8 months before I had the twins. I was already feeling like a total fuck up as a parent due to her death. I was so worried about doing something wrong and screwing up another child.

But I also knew deep down that if I did not take care of me, there would be no me left to parent anybody. I would have been locked up or worse, dead.

So I made the choice to be an evil, rotten ADHD inducing mother who put her babes in front of a tv so I could shower and brush my teeth.

You know what, my babes have flourished because I took time for me.

At 18 months, both love to read, can speak well, are active, energetic, curious and smart as hell.

They are secure in their mothers love for them, they are very loving in return. They give hugs not only to others but each other. They have great amounts of empathy and compassion for others.

They loudly tell everyone in the family "I love you!" numerous tumes a day.

They love to play outside, color, draw pictures. (Of what god only knows but they love to draw)

So, please, quit bashing and judging. Nobody here is advocating sticking an infant in front of the tv all day, propping bottles and never interacting with their baby.

We are talking about preserving basic sanity levels and being able to bathe at least once a day.

Take your surveys and assvice elsewhere.

If I am coming across as harsh- ih well. Your words have been no harsher. It is never right to judge another or demean their parenting choices.

I'm sure you've all done things as parents that would make others judge you. Or are you perfect and follow EVERY guideline ever set in parenting?

Or are you human and you do the best you can and hope not to muck things up too bad?

**Steps off rant box and goes to shower**

[Joie]

Every parent has a right to make the decisions that they feel comfortable with for their children. I'm not going to judge anyone for what decisions they make, but why are people so angry about an opinion that is different from theirs? I think the research about television and infants is pretty compelling, and I agree that watching you brush your teeth is probably better for your child than television. But, I have to admit that when my niece and nephew visit, I am known to pop a video in the boob tube out of sheer laziness. Aren't people allowed their opinions, even if it disagrees with yours? And isn't the research worth at least examining?

[Cory]

Oh man, I so knew the TV debate would happen at an innocent Baby Einstein question, lol. As with anything concerning parenting, there are people on both sides. And some more extreme than others.

Here...the breastfeeding mauling going on over at Chez Mis....why are mothers like that to eachother!? No matter how disrespectful we are towards one another, I suspect we're all pretty good moms when you get down to it. Unless someone is coming online in their blog or in comments saying they are BEATING their children on a daily basis or completely starving them...why can't people chill the heck out?

That all being said... I think Baby Einstein is a lifesaver. My son adores the movies, and even though PRE-BABY I always said I'd never be the parent who lets the tv babysit their kids... I need to be able to get ready for work dammit! My son is 16 months right now...his consistant favorites since he was 4 months of age were Baby Neptune, and Baby Gallileo. We have several others that he likes as well.

Fisher Price also has a great line of videos out. http://www.fisher-price.com/us/infanttoys/babydvd/

Musical Baby is great, and even my parents enjoy watching that one.

[Melanie S.]

T.,

I actually enjoyed all of them. You should look on EBay for a collection of the DVD's. The CD's are great too.

I don't know if they had anythingto do with our 13 year old making 1280 on her SAT's or my 9 year old being in the gifted and talented programs, but they sure enjoyed them, and they weren't an ass beating to us like barney and Teletubbies were.

[Laurie]

We had many of the titles. My b/g twins' favorites were Baby Mozart, Baby Newton (which we all called "Circle Shapes"), World Animals and Neighborhood Animals.
Definitely worth it. Baby Mozart is great for the visuals and music (classical). Baby Newton was excellent for learning names of shapes and colors. The Animals' titles were great for ... learning animal names. Baby Newton was (as I recall) the first title put out after BE was acquired by Disney and it is animated, unlike the others. You can also buy some of the featured puppets from the website...all very fun. Worth it.

[Kathy]

Bravo, Janis, bravo.

Tertia, I don't know if my twin 13mo old boys will be admitted into the genius club or not, but they LOVE Baby Einstien, Galileo and Neptune, in particular. My husband is home alone w/ the boys in the morning after I leave for work and he pops in a DVD so he can get ready for work. (about an hour)

Personally, I believe in doing what works for the family. We don't focus absolutley everything around the babies. Dh and I are important, too. So, we do put 'em in front of the videos sometimes so he can get ready for work, so he and I can have 15 minutes to reconnect, whatever. I promise, these kids DO NOT lack for playing-at-the-park, going-to-the-zoo, rolling-on-the-floor-getting-tickled kind of attention.

Again, do what works for you. BE works for us.

Kathy
Your favorite (favourite?) stalker

[chris]

If it distracts them for a few minutes, what can it hurt? It will certainly make you feel better. My son watched it on occasion. Of course, at two, he's now a devoted Wiggles fan. Personally, I miss the baby Einstein videos and the days when I didn't sit on the playground and play "Which Wiggle would you do" with the other mothers.

[Linda]

While not as zealous as Mollie, I'm trying to break my own TV habit (down to 4 shows/week!) and am really conscious of not passing on my slothfullness to my kids. So we don't own any BE. I think, however, that I am lucky in the fact that I have twins. If I want to eat or pee or throw a load of laundry in, I can. They roll/crawl around the floor and play together. They have each other (and toys) instead of TV. I think it would be a lot harder to resist the TV if I just had 1 baby.

[LisaGK]

"Which Wiggle would you do?" Holy Crap, that is funny.

My daughter, 5.5, is brilliant. She was talking by 10 mos, ABCing by 13 mos and counting to 20 by 15 mos and I owe it all to a healthy balance of me, her dad and fun, lively, stimulating toys and videos. It all made her imaginative, playful, communicative and, well, terribly witty.

It's a matter of balance. I agree with everyone else in that I feel a 30 minute break so you can pee, poop and shower is perfectly reasonable. If you are not taken care of your kids won't be either. I am expecting my 2nd child in October/November and don't intend to do anything differently unless it looks like I should at the time. Do what works and feels right for you and your family.

[Carolyn]

Coming late to the party - and not going to touch the TV for infants good or bad debate with a ten foot pole.

Baby #1 - no interest in TV until about age 2. Baby Einstein never made her radar - but the Teletubbies sure did.

Baby #2 - no interest in TV until about age 3. Still turns to the bookshelf and will "read" to herself rather than watch the TV.

Both 1 & 2 will routinely turn the TV off and engage in imaginative play or read books together side by side rather than watch TV. This is just their preferred style. They entertain each other and are happier playing "Let's Pretend" then anything else.

Baby #3 (8 mo. old currently) - Certifiable Couch Potato. LOVES Baby Einstein. He giggles, coos, sings and talks to it.
We make a lot of jokes (unfair tho they may be) that if we just gave him a bottle, the remote and plopped him in his reclining highchair in front of the TV kitchen with Baby Einstein we'd probably find him scratching his crotch and channel surfing innately. I would never have known that he liked Baby Einstein if I hadn't, on a whim, rented it from the library.

My assvice: Rent or borrow a couple (if you can) first before buying them. Had I purchased them for my first two children, I'd have wasted my money. My plan is to keep checking one or two out from the libary on an "as needed basis" till my tot is too old to care for them any longer.

Your beautiful babes may or may not like them.. but if they can hold Adam's attention while you give Kate a feed - then that's all good, isn't it?

[April]

Just as a reminder to all of you well meaning mothers out there....wake up and smell the coffee. The American Association of Pediatrics released a study about a year or two ago stating that it was not in the best interest of the child to let them view ANY television before 2 years of age. It affects their development. Squashes the creativity.
Of course Disney Corp. wants to convince you all that Baby Einstein is an educational tool. That's how they make $$$. Don't be such sheeple people! My best advice is to throw that TV out! I got rid of mine 12 years ago, and now I have a baby daughter, and will not be getting a TV. We do fine. TV is for lazy minds. Don't create a lazy mind numbed baby that loves screens!

[suzie]

my child watches the einstein video's all day long When I turn them off he screams. I don't know what to do.

[Robert]

To all concerned, before you purchase Baby Einstein, or any other media learning or play tool for very young children, please take in to account the following:

1. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that NO child 2 years of age or younger be exposed to any screen-time (television, computers, electronic games, etc.)

2. Leading university research suggests that there is NO evidence that any of these tools, including Baby Einstein, improve learning at all...and in fact, the only scientific evidence that existst to date demonstrates that it can actually harm the development of a baby's brain.

So please think long and hard before making this purchase and offering to your child.