Hi there, so my son started watching baby einstein at maybe 5 months old and LOVED it. He'd completely pay attention and we'd watch together for hours. We, of course, played as well and read a lot too. I thought it was good for him to watch this and now.... 5 years later..... I'm not so sure. He is SO smart, everyone including his teachers has always said so, definitley at the top of his class as far as academics go. But he has such a hard time concentrating, he gets distracted very easily, especially by the TV. But even in class they have a very hard time getting him to focus on the task at hand. Now I know this is normal for a kindergarten boy but his teachers express concern as do I. I just cant help but think that all that stimulation of baby einstein from such a young age (and up until now, he will still watches it on occasion) has given him the need to have constant stimulation and make it hard for him to focus. Any one experience anything similar? I would really appreciate some feedback or suggestions.
You're worried about Baby Einstein? Just wait till you have to start fighting the video game addiction!!! :)
Hi A.,
I have 2 daughters, ages 5 and 2. It's funny, with my older daughter, we let her watch Baby Einstein quite a bit. With my younger daughter, we never really turned it on because we were so busy chasing them both around! In any case, my 5 year old is the smartest kid in her class and will sit still forever if you ask her to. My little one, who has never really watched TV, is an absolute basket case and can't sit still for 30 seconds. So... I think it has more to do with kids' personalities than anything else. Our society is so quick to blame moms for everything. He sounds like an active little boy who is probably just having a hard time adjusting to all the rules of kindergarten! Maybe he needs some extra playing outside time after school to get all that excess energy out. Of course keep reinforcing to him that although he'd rather be running around doing his own thing, he should listen to his teachers etc, but accept the fact that he is 5, he's a boy, and he has a lot of energy. Give him a year or two before you worry. =)
I remember my piano teacher telling me her brother had done some research that Sesame Street promoted a short attention span in kids. Something about the short "educational" clips not promoting a longer attention span. She told me this almost 15 years ago.
So, the concerns of kids watching television hasn't changed in a long time. I don't think it is specifically Baby Einstein. Maybe you need to put the whole family on a media fast while your 5 year old is awake and try to direct his attention to other things. Building toys, puzzles, games...those are all "play" but help build concentration. Memory is a great game to play at age 5. I would try to promote his attention span gently through play, and then continue dialogue with his teachers to see if it is helping him at school.
And I agree that homework at age 5 is crazy, and I'm a high school teacher. The only homework should be 15-30 minutes of story time. Then again, the school day used to be longer...but that's another debate.
Hi there, I am sooo tired of hearing how TV rots your brain...blah, blah, blah. My 3 year old watches plenty of TV and is the smartest most well behaved of all our children. Not to mention she is bilingual---due to TV and some help from me of course. She has the voacbulary of a 5-6 year old per her pediatrician. YOU are the mom. Use your instincts. Every kid is different. And I am certain that your kids are bright and talented little people with tons of potential. Baby Einstein-Dora-Backyardigans-whatever...if they like it, let 'em watch it. Life's too short.
Hi A.. When I read what you wrote, my first thought is he's being a 5 y.o. boy. My second thought was if he is very bright then maybe some of his not focusing is out of boredom. Most schools do not test for kids being gifted until second grade. By that time, many very bright children have been labeled "behavioral problems" or been misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD. My third thought was that maybe he has sensory issues that caused him to be able to watch the movies for long periods of time as an infant and wiggly now. Sensory issues are caused by the brain not correctly processing things coming in from the senses. Many kids that have problems focusing in school, and are very often misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD, have sensory issues. If the teachers are concerned about his inability to pay attention, then maybe it's time to request in writing they do a complete evaluation for Sensory Integration Disorder by an occupational therapist that is certified to do SID therapy. Let me know if you want more information on this and I can give you the ins and outs of how to accomplish this.
There is no point in looking backwards but, overall, remember that what a baby or child is attracted to may not be what is best for him. My daughter was not a baby Einstein baby, but she did take to movies very young, and now she seems to rely on them as a self-calming mechanism, a habit we've been working to break, trying to transfer that to books now that she can read.
ANYWAY, overall, we live in a society where there is so much outside sensory input on a daily basis, with or without TV, that I think many of our children grow up relying on the world around them to keep them distracted and entertained. They don't have to learn to focus and concentrate; the world does not require it. Until they start school, of course. But those same children can learn to slow down and stimulate from within, instead of relying on the world outside. It takes patience and practice. TV, computers, etc all detract from the process, but I don't think it's too late to remove all that stimulation and change course.
I think studies are showing that videos at a young age result in more attention issues as the child grows, but that is simply a statistic, and not a guarantee for any one child of cause and effect. Which is why there really is no point in looking back.
Be aware that this is the age many learning difficulties will start to come to the surface, if they exist. Often issues like what you described are developmental, but it is a good idea to keep an eye on things in case there is something more. Very bright children often come with a whole mixed bag of traits that can actually make a school experience difficult. Among other things, they get bored easy because, to put it simply, they understand the concepts faster. My son has a tendency to try to refuse tasks because he doesn't see the point. For example, if he understands long division and can perform it flawlessly, then why does he have to do it 20 times? He just can't wrap his head around that, lol. So, that sort of thing may be coming into play, also.
Sorry for rambling, but I wish you luck and, really, don't worry about the videos. They were a happy moment for you both at the time. No one can ever predict where all those happy moments will lead, so why try? Just enjoy them.
I have a five year old sister and she had a similar experience. She watched baby einstein and a couple other educational programs when she between 1-2 yrs old, and now she becomes almost mesmerized by the tv when its on--even if they are just playing commercials! I've heard that a child's attention span decreases when they are exposed to tv early on in life, so limiting tv time is probably the best thing to do. Now, she can watch 30 minutes to an hour of tv a day. I try to get her to engage in other things like reading, playing with puzzles, etc. Good luck!
No! Baby Einstein does not rot brains.
Being ignored does.
So, if a child is given hours of solitary time in front of tv in lieu of your attention, yes, you are undoubtedly going to see some problem behaviors developing. If a child watches some sesame st, or dora the explorer, or baby einstein, or disney features, in the context of a life where they also play with caregivers and freinds, get exposed to books, go for walks, observe nature, eat and sleep well, run around on playgrounds, visit the beach, the museum, the library, the coffeeshop or whatever is in your neighborhood, and they do lots of that stuff with you, with you talking to them and listening to them and having fun with them... well... they'll be fine.
Interesting thoughts. I appreciated reading your experience. My son was obsessed with baby einstein videos until he was 3. I have to say, he's academically the brightest of my 5 children. Funny that you say that, though. My son is distracted by the computer. If it's on - in class or at home - he can't take his eyes off of it. My older son could be doing homework or my husband on it for work and he's even reading the ads on the side of the screen! Correlation? Who knows? But we have struggled to pull his eyes away from it and get him to focus on the task at hand. Thanks for bringing it up. I'll be curious to see what others have to say.
Jen G.
Hi A.,
My daughter, who is now 2 1/2, watched baby einstein when she was an infant but only for short periods of time. She still watches some tv every day but we limit it to one or two shows. (Backyardigans, Wonder Pets, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) We don't watch tv around her unless it's football, which she loves to watch with Daddy. She doesn't have any problems focusing on things. She loves to color, paint, do crafts, and read. Sometimes she will sit and color or read for an hour. Her cousin, who is 15 months older and NEVER watched tv, still can't focus on one thing for very long. I think it depends on the kid. I would encourage you to limit the amount of time the tv is on while he is around and try finding things that really interest him. My daughter also LOVES to play with playdough and blocks. I think we are expecting too much from our children at such a young age. School give homework earlier than when we were in school and kids don't have a chance to just be kids. But to answer your question, I don't think that baby einstein rots babies brains, I think too much tv or computer time can though.
Sincerely,
L.
