Baby Einstein - Godsend or Mind Control?
I really do wonder sometimes. These videos are amazing. Amazing in the fact that they can hold my kid's attention like nothing else. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of good qualities about these movies, but the way they freakishly control my child scares me.
We became followers of the Baby Einstein series when Zack was about 4 months old. The little girl who was at daycare with him (the same age) had one that her mom left with Jessica for the babies to watch. Jessica would put it on for feedings and things like that, to relax them. I thought they were cute, so I bought one.
Then another.
And another.
Oh, and some DVDs.
Toys, too!
There are some books around here.
2 CDs in the car for baby emergencies.
And a puppet, don't forget the puppet!
Grandma just bought him a new video a few days ago. It's MacDonald's farm. My son is obsessed. First thing he says when we wake up "I wanna watch da animows!". First thing he says when we get home from daycare "I wanna watch da animows!". But, back to infancy and babydom for a minute.
There were times when Zack was a baby that NOTHING would calm him down. We've all been there with the rocking, nursing, changing, tickling, whatever it takes to get the baby to calm down. And we've all been there when nothing works. Baby Einstein always worked. It was scary. He could be screaming his little head off, but if we popped in a video, he would quiet down. Sometimes, when he was sick, it was the only thing that would comfort him. Amazing these things, especially on day 4 of Roseola with the constant screaming of the sad, feverish baby.
Which brings us to the present day. Zack2.5 is still loving these videos. Every last one of them. Now, there's a new twist to them - he will interact with them. Anyone who has a child knows the amazement that's involved in watching your child learn new things and showing self-pride in being able to identify items. It's one of the greatest aspects of parenting for me.
But here's the thing - is the woman who created these videos a true genius or are there subliminal message on the tapes that make our children crave them? No, I'm not serious. Well, not completely. She's made videos that not only teach, entertain, and encourage our children, but they don't annoy the parents either! Yes, she's a genius.
My guess is that Zack will be watching these things until he's 5, so I'd better get used to it ;)
We became followers of the Baby Einstein series when Zack was about 4 months old. The little girl who was at daycare with him (the same age) had one that her mom left with Jessica for the babies to watch. Jessica would put it on for feedings and things like that, to relax them. I thought they were cute, so I bought one.
Then another.
And another.
Oh, and some DVDs.
Toys, too!
There are some books around here.
2 CDs in the car for baby emergencies.
And a puppet, don't forget the puppet!
Grandma just bought him a new video a few days ago. It's MacDonald's farm. My son is obsessed. First thing he says when we wake up "I wanna watch da animows!". First thing he says when we get home from daycare "I wanna watch da animows!". But, back to infancy and babydom for a minute.
There were times when Zack was a baby that NOTHING would calm him down. We've all been there with the rocking, nursing, changing, tickling, whatever it takes to get the baby to calm down. And we've all been there when nothing works. Baby Einstein always worked. It was scary. He could be screaming his little head off, but if we popped in a video, he would quiet down. Sometimes, when he was sick, it was the only thing that would comfort him. Amazing these things, especially on day 4 of Roseola with the constant screaming of the sad, feverish baby.
Which brings us to the present day. Zack2.5 is still loving these videos. Every last one of them. Now, there's a new twist to them - he will interact with them. Anyone who has a child knows the amazement that's involved in watching your child learn new things and showing self-pride in being able to identify items. It's one of the greatest aspects of parenting for me.
But here's the thing - is the woman who created these videos a true genius or are there subliminal message on the tapes that make our children crave them? No, I'm not serious. Well, not completely. She's made videos that not only teach, entertain, and encourage our children, but they don't annoy the parents either! Yes, she's a genius.
My guess is that Zack will be watching these things until he's 5, so I'd better get used to it ;)
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