Strollerderby : baby einstein

Finish Line - Our Week In Review

Brett Singer — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:30:00 GMT

Back with a vengeance -- and the best of intentions -- we proudly bring you Finish Line, a weekly round-up of what we've writen the past week here on StrollerDerby.

Jeanne told us about a baby whose lack of a biological mother hasn't prevented him from being breastfed. By six different women, no less.
Amy got people talking when she asked "What Advice Did You Ignore?"
Shannon says that parents who help with homework might be no help at all. (It's more complicated than that, read her post to see why.)
Mike gets all serious when he tells us about "Autism and Links to Violence, a True Story".
Abortion! Now that I've got your attention, read Kate's post about a doctor on trial for performing the late-term variety.
Cole spills the beans on all of the stuff they don't tell you about becoming a parent. (Spoiler alert: the fact that kids are cute and sometimes stinky is not on the list. Cuz everybody knows that.)
And I pointed out that Baby Einstein doesn't just want your money -- they want you to feel good about giving it to them.

More next week -- have a great weekend everyone.

They Say: Autism is Linked to Watching TV

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:15:00 GMT

If you ever suspected it was no coincidence that the rise in childhood autism began around the same time as the advent of cable TV, a Cornell study shows you were on to something.

Researchers at Cornell University claim to have established a definite link between autism rates and TV watching among toddlers in California, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Oregon. Beginning in 1980, when cable TV brought Nickelodeon and other children’s programs into people’s homes, autism rates rose most sharply in counties with a high percentage of homes with cable. Specifically, the Cornell study found that “roughly 17 percent of the growth in autism in California and Pennsylvania during the 1970s and 1980s was due to the growth in cable television.”

And studying the amount of time children watched television based upon particularly rainy and snowy years in the Western states (bad weather is known to increase child TV watching), the researchers concluded that “just under 40 percent of autism diagnoses in the three states studied is the result of television watching.” Although it’s possible that these numbers reflect a relationship between autism and staying indoors (not watching TV), these numbers are much more conclusive than any of the numerous studies looking to establish a link between autism and vaccines.

The Cornell researchers are advancing no theories as to why increased television watching among toddlers causes an increased likelihood of an autism diagnosis, but it’s possible the link is related to the fact that the ability to process visual data develops in the first three years of life; children with autism exhibit abnormal activity in these areas of the brain.

It may be time that researchers turned their attention away from chemicals and genetic links in the search for a cure for autism. If something as simple as avoiding TeleTubbies and Baby Einstein could help lower autism rates, this is something every parent needs to know.

Photo: Cleveland Leader

Schools Tying Up Autistic Kids

Interview: Larry Martinek of Mathnasium

Kids TV Haiku

Brett Singer — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Toddler decides that 5:30am is the time to wake up. The mind wanders. And this is the result:

Bob The Builder

Bob and Wendy have
Unrequited love which they
Express through machines

Barney

Barney, purple dino
Back to prehistoric times
Annoying weirdo

Sesame Street Part 1

One-third is Elmo
I miss Roosevelt Franklin
At least there's still Bert

Little Einsteins

Little Einsteins show
Tried to exploit DVDs
Bad idea, Mickey

Sesame Street Part 2

Alan at Hooper's
Everyone can see Snuffy
Its not the same show

Pokemon

Pokemon are odd
All they say is their own name
Pikachu is cute

Thomas The Tank Engine

Engines with faces
Perpetually worried
They should really chill

Yu Gi Oh

Something about cards
Why are they always fighting?
Parents are confused

Haiku was originally a type of Japanese poetry with a lot of specific rules, but the simplified American version is just 5 syllables/7 syllables/5 syllables. Try it, it's fun!

image: Wikipedia, and some Microsoft Word Art that I pasted on

Is TV Bad For Kids??

Cole Gamble — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:21:00 GMT

We all do it, let our kids watch TV. Well, accept you Amish, with your luxurious quilts, delicious fried chicken and inability to read these very words. Sure, we limit the kids to Noggin and Sprout, but I think most parents still wonder what effect that television watching is having. Yeah, the value of Baby Einstein, for instance, is not quite as advertised. But is it all really bad for baby? Well now the results are in… I do like how this article begins, “Here's an issue your parents never had to consider: the great babies-and-TV debate.” Was I born during the depression? Did my parents have to curb my “radio fever” as I glued my ear to the crystal set for new episodes of “The Shadow”? Maybe the author means parents didn’t have to debate it back then because in the seventies parents were just jerks. The particulars of this piece, and whether or not TV will rot your child, boil down to this: Kids under 2 won’t learn a thing. If you’re pumping them full of “educational” shows, you’re just spinning your wheels. TV won’t hurt them either. Granted, all things in moderation, but there is no evidence that TV will cook your child’s brain. It’s for you, not for them. You are not doing the kids a big favor by popping in a DVD while you pop a tranquilizer. Pacifying the kids on Dora is all about you, so be honest with yourself. The part I found most interesting was the section on background TV and how it may affect attention spans. Throughout my entire childhood there was always a TV on. Even now when I go to my dad’s house for dinner the TV is playing right over my shoulder. When I have chores around the house, I often turn on the TV like other people put on music. Now and then I catch myself in the act and feel and it’s rather sad. I have what I consider a low ability to concentrate, and though this anecdotal evidence isn’t a smoking gun, I wonder what effect all that ambient TV had on me. At the very least, I think a constantly blaring TV could be distracting a child from more imaginative play. What do you think? Is your TV on morning, noon and night? Are your kids addicted?

Breaking News: Lunatic Researcher Trashes 'Baby Einstein'

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:47:00 GMT

Speaking of babies' brains wasting away...Dr. Dimitri Christakis did a study on babies who watch the Baby Einstein videos and he came to this conclusion: I would rather babies watch 'American Idol' than these videos.

He says that children in the 8 - 16 month range who watched these videos instead of being read to knew about eight less words than the children who were read to.

Sure, but what about those kids who watched the videos AND were read to? Did you quiz you sample children on Beethoven symphonies or works by Monet? Can they count to five? Did their parents get any laundry done? Where are those statistics?

I'm not sitting here trying to say that watching Baby Neptune is going to replace being read to, or that it will make your kid a Rhodes Scholar. But I AM saying that I loved Baby ~~Crack~~ Einstein and a lot of times it was the only thing that kept my babies from screaming. Hell, a lot of times it was the only thing that kept me from screaming.

Seriously Dr. Christakis? American Idol? That only says two things to me. 1) You were never a stay at home parent and 2) You have crappy taste in music.

(I'm sure Dr. Christakis isn't really a lunatic. I was just trying to trick you into reading my post.)

Even Sham Products Make for Good Daddy Breaks

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:39:00 GMT

In response to a Babble poll about Baby Einstein crap, the majority of parents said they used the stuff on their kids even though they think the products are "basically a sham."

Twenty percent of respondents said yes, they've used them and believe the videos have made a difference, while 34 percent said they don't believe in alleged baby smartening doodads.

I was surprised most by the fact that parents use them even while thinking they're a load of crap. So I'm naturally and honestly curious about why. Just need a break? Baby Einstein may be crap but is still better than anything on TV? Let me know.

Things Fall Apart: Graco Activity Center Blocks are a Choking Hazard

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Thu, 03 May 2007 13:33:00 GMT

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission puts out bulletins for recalls almost daily. When they pertain to kid gear, we share them with you.

Usually the recalls contain information about potential dangers and what the manufacturer will do to fix them. The scariest statistic of all, however, is the bit about what happened to kids who used the product. In this case, if you have a Graco Baby Einstein activity center, you will want to read this bulletin.

Graco has received reports of 137 infants chewing off the plastic film covering that covers the soft stackable blocks (the triangle-topped stack in the photo) that are part of the activity center. Gagging and choking did occur.

The soft block tower is a stack of three different shaped stuffed fabric blocks in red, yellow and blue. Pictures of apples, fire engines, ducks, bananas, birds and blueberries on the blocks are covered in plastic film. The soft blocks are one of nine toys that snap onto the tray of the activity center. Only model number 4635BEE with serial numbers 012705 through 063005, which indicates the manufacture dates of January 27, 2005 through June 30, 2005, are included in this recall. Model and serial numbers are located underneath the activity center’s tray.

If you have this item, remove the soft block towers from your home immediately and contact Graco for a replacement.

Things Fall Apart: Disney "Baby Einstein" Footed Jammies Recalled

Karen Murphy — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:51:00 GMT

Speaking of the darker side of Disney, they've instituted a voluntary recall, along with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, of Baby Einstein children's footed pajamas. The good news is, only about 200 of these are being recalled, so chances are you're not an unlucky owner, but the bad news is that they don't meet flammability requirements, and that could be very bad indeed. The affected sleepwear is either green with blue sleeves with a caterpillar on the front, or yellow with orange sleeves sporting a duck on the front and the words, "quack quack". The words "Baby Einstein" (are you aware of how much it pains me even to type "Baby Einstein"?) are printed on the back, and there's a tag inside that reads (this had to be there somewhere) "Disney Store".

Lest you worry unnecessarily, it's good to know also that the recall is ONLY for the 12 and18 month sizes, and identical sleepwear in sizes 3, 6, and 9 months are not affected.

You can of course return your kid's jammies to The Disney Store for a complete refund. Plus gas money for the drive, and something extra for the snacks you had to buy your kid for the trip. (I wish. Sorry, I'm kidding about that last part, but seriously, shouldn't they? To schlep all the way to the mall or whatever to return something that was defective and not your fault to begin with, shouldn't companies give you an incentive, something besides, "At least your kid didn't get hurt by our shoddy product"?)

Baby Einstein Founder Flanks First Lady at State of the Union

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:16:00 GMT

Julie Aigner-Clark, the founder of the the Baby Einstein company was an invited guest of George W. Bush during last night's State of the Union address, one of the "uninspiring choice(s)" made by Dubya according to Margaret Carlson of Bloomberg.com.

For those that don't know, Aigner-Clark developed porn-quality (in terms of production values) programs showing spinning toys and freaky puppets set to jejune music. The goal of the videos is to stimulate babies and turn them into, well, "Baby Einsteins," but we all know that's bullshit.

Tekla of the Silicon Valley Moms Blog had a more, ahem, pointed criticism of the choice:

This is the woman that convinced parents that it's perfectly OK to prop up babies in front of the television because it's educational (they don't even have to be old enough to sit)! The woman that found the perfect combination of music and colors to hypnotize a baby into complete docility, to ensure that the next generation really will be passive observers, not interacting or caring much about the people around them or their environment. Or, perhaps, this is the woman that has found the way to raise the perfect Republican...

As Tekla says, "at least we know what Bush watches on TV."