My DD loves the old macdonald einstein DVD. She loves the music. She watched it at 6 months but didn't show an interest til 9 months. She is now 14 months and dances and sings along to it. I didn't buy it because it had the word "einstein" in it. I bought it to see if she would like it. I do think they are popular because they are simple. If it's "too busy," then it's no good. Some people absolutely HATE them...so to each it's own.
I think a lot of people use those DVDs because they need to plunk their kid down for a few minutes while they do something else, like make dinner or go to the bathroom. Ideally, parents should stimulate their kids by actively interacting with them (like reading a book, or sharing a toy) but many parents are caught with having to entertain a baby and get other stuff done at the same time. You can't always time everything else around your baby's naps. Some parents probably believe that an "educational" DVD is preferable than stimulating them with regular TV. I think toys and quiet play is more ideal than leaving your kid in front of the TV, but at that young age, I know a lot of parents struggle to find stimulating activities that are safe for the baby to play with for a few moments unsupervised. For example, my two month-old loves to play with a small stuffed animal, but I'm not comfortable leaving her alone with it yet. When she's older, I envision giving her books, blocks, and puzzles to play with when I need a couple minutes to take a shower, but until then, I put her in a bouncer outside the bathroom door where I can peek at her while I scrub away. I understand how tempting it is to put in a CD or DVD for five minutes so I can get dressed, vacuum the hall, or whatever. UPDATE: I appreciate you clarifying your question. Bottom line, I think the best thing for a baby is one-on-one interaction and stimulation with a parent, caretaker, friend, or relative. I just think it's hard to do that 24/7. To me, it's okay to take a few 5-10 minute breaks to take care of yourself and things around the house during the day, even if your infant spends a few minutes in front of the TV because you don't feel toys are safe yet to leave with a baby unsupervised. Everything should be done in moderation, and in the case of TV with babies, severe limitation.
my son is 5 months and just started watching baby mozart and beethoven, he only watches them a couple times a week and adores them! they have a general age limit on each one so make sure to take a look at that :)
I honestly believe that these DVDs are just a way to get parents to part with their hard earned cash. Good old fashioned reading to your baby will do he/she the world of good not least because it's educational, but because he/she gets to hear your voice and can interact with you.
My daughter was 6 months but i've been reading a lot of things saying it actually makes them learn slower. She will no longer watch them here's an example of what I've found.
They do nothing for your child. Recent studies have just brought that out in the open, it doesn't harm their learning but again it does nothing just a waste of money.
Reading a book to your child everyday is more beneficial.
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My DD loves the old macdonald einstein DVD. She loves the music. She watched it at 6 months but didn't show an interest til 9 months. She is now 14 months and dances and sings along to it. I didn't buy it because it had the word "einstein" in it. I bought it to see if she would like it. I do think they are popular because they are simple. If it's "too busy," then it's no good. Some people absolutely HATE them...so to each it's own.
I think a lot of people use those DVDs because they need to plunk their kid down for a few minutes while they do something else, like make dinner or go to the bathroom. Ideally, parents should stimulate their kids by actively interacting with them (like reading a book, or sharing a toy) but many parents are caught with having to entertain a baby and get other stuff done at the same time. You can't always time everything else around your baby's naps. Some parents probably believe that an "educational" DVD is preferable than stimulating them with regular TV. I think toys and quiet play is more ideal than leaving your kid in front of the TV, but at that young age, I know a lot of parents struggle to find stimulating activities that are safe for the baby to play with for a few moments unsupervised. For example, my two month-old loves to play with a small stuffed animal, but I'm not comfortable leaving her alone with it yet. When she's older, I envision giving her books, blocks, and puzzles to play with when I need a couple minutes to take a shower, but until then, I put her in a bouncer outside the bathroom door where I can peek at her while I scrub away. I understand how tempting it is to put in a CD or DVD for five minutes so I can get dressed, vacuum the hall, or whatever. UPDATE: I appreciate you clarifying your question. Bottom line, I think the best thing for a baby is one-on-one interaction and stimulation with a parent, caretaker, friend, or relative. I just think it's hard to do that 24/7. To me, it's okay to take a few 5-10 minute breaks to take care of yourself and things around the house during the day, even if your infant spends a few minutes in front of the TV because you don't feel toys are safe yet to leave with a baby unsupervised. Everything should be done in moderation, and in the case of TV with babies, severe limitation.
my son is 5 months and just started watching baby mozart and beethoven, he only watches them a couple times a week and adores them! they have a general age limit on each one so make sure to take a look at that :)
I honestly believe that these DVDs are just a way to get parents to part with their hard earned cash. Good old fashioned reading to your baby will do he/she the world of good not least because it's educational, but because he/she gets to hear your voice and can interact with you.
My daughter was 6 months but i've been reading a lot of things saying it actually makes them learn slower. She will no longer watch them here's an example of what I've found.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-kelly/bush-bab...
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/08...
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/aug/07/science/sc...
They do nothing for your child. Recent studies have just brought that out in the open, it doesn't harm their learning but again it does nothing just a waste of money.
Reading a book to your child everyday is more beneficial.
my daughter was 3 months old
3 months... She LOVES them!