Baby Einstein DVD Review

Every concerned parent wants their child to get off on a correct start in life, and a collection of baby Einstein DVD products were developed to do just that.  Baby Einstein DVD subjects include classical music, art and poetry and these were designed for children of three months to three years of age.  They are currently made under the products division of the Walt Disney Co..  In other notable Baby Einstein news, the company was also mentioned in January 2007 in a State of the Union address by President George W. Bush.  Given the backing of the Walt Disney Company and also the recognition by a former president, Baby Einstein is a well-known name in the children’s education industry.

However, despite its high profile name in the education niche, Baby Einstein DVDs are not without controversy. In August 2007, research from the University of Washington found that the use of baby educational DVDs/videos lowered the test scores of language development of babies 8 to 16 months of age compared to the scores of babies who did not view the material.

So which is it? Do Baby Einstein DVDs aid in the development of babies’ brains and make them smarter or do they hinder? After all, as a parent, you are doing this for the betterment of your child; you do not wish to suddenly realize you are doing him/her more harm than good.

The controversy with Baby Einstein videos has to do with the fact that instead of learning, the DVDs are in fact overstimulating the baby's brain. In order for the baby to learn, he or she needs face to face communication or baby-speak from the parents.

Watch Baby Einstein Videos With Your Child

However, it is important to know that the study was specific to baby videos and not was not related to shared parental viewing. A baby should not be left alone in any case.

In fact, as a response to the University of Washington's research, Walt Disney responded by giving this statement:

Baby Einstein is committed to maintaining the highest standards in the development of all of our products. After thoroughly analyzing the University of Washington study, we have serious concerns about the many contradictions between the study's conclusions and the content of its press release that created publicity which incorrectly suggests that this study focused on Baby Einstein products. In fact, the report concludes by stating “The analysis presented here is not a direct test of the developmental impact of viewing baby DVDs/videos. We did not test through experimental manipulation whether viewing baby DVDs/videos has a positive or negative impact on vocabulary acquisition.”

If you are concerned with the educational needs of your child and want him/her to get a good start in life, it is only natural that you would spend time with your baby guiding him/her through the first lessons in life. Exposure to subjects such as languages, music, arts and poetry is great if the experience is shared between parent and child. It also strengthens the relationship with your child. Baby Einstein DVD videos can be a good option to launch your child's academic career if used in a proper and supervised manner.