Parents hoping to raise baby Einsteins by using infant educational videos instead might be creating baby Homer Simpsons, according to researchers.
In a study published in today’s Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that, among babies ages 8 months to 16 months, every hour spent daily watching programs such as “Brainy Baby” or “Baby Einstein” translated into six to eight fewer words in their vocabularies as compared with other children their age.
The makers of the videos have sold hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth to parents aiming to put their babies on the fast track.
It’s all money down the tubes, according to Dr. Dmitri Christakis, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Christakis and his colleagues surveyed 1,000 parents in Washington and Minnesota. They determined the babies’ vocabularies using a standard set of 90 common baby words.
The researchers found 32 percent of the babies watched the videos.
Christakis said children whose parents read to them or told them stories instead of showing them videos had bigger vocabularies.
“I would rather babies watch ‘American Idol’ than these videos,” Christakis said, explaining that there was at least a chance that the parents would watch with them – giving the babies contact and perhaps interaction that would have developmental benefits.
The Brainy Baby Co. and Walt Disney Co., which markets the “Baby Einstein” videos, did not return calls Monday from the Los Angeles Times.
Baby Einstein was started in 1997 in the basement of Julie Aigner-Clark, a mother of two who now lives in Lone Tree.
Along with her husband, Aigner-Clark, a former English and art teacher, ran the company in Colorado for several years before selling to Disney in 2001. At the time, she and her husband said they would continue as consultants to Disney.
Aigner-Clark could not be reached for comment Monday.
In the past, Aigner-Clark has said the videos aren’t meant to be substitutes for a parents’ time and attention.
The Denver Post contributed to this report.
