Genius Baby

Your baby needs mental stimulation. You’ve heard about this even before your kid was born. And you’re probably one of those who made their baby listen to classical music even before she was born because according to studies this is helpful in stimulating a baby’s mind mind.

But stimulating your baby’s mind is not only about making her listen to classical music. There are a variety of effective ways you can do to ensure that she is properly stimulated and nourished.

• Communicate with your baby. Sure she is not yet equipped with the vocabulary to enable her to respond to you in full sentence but it does not mean that talking to her is futile. Talk to her while you dress her, bathe her or feed her. This will encourage interaction and she will soon respond with a coo, smile or a few syllables.
• Engage her in activities that will stimulate her mind. Allow your baby to explore her surroundings by showing her around the house, taking her for a stroll at the park or letting her play with safe household items like cups and pails. Just be sure that she doesn’t play with unsafe objects or put anything in her mouth.
• Give her mind stimulating toys like building blocks, shape sorters and push and pull toys that will incite her to use her creativity, imagination, logical thinking and teach her a variety of lessons like spatial awareness and cause and effect.


Smart Baby

• Encourage socialization and interaction. Introduce your baby to other kids and neighbors. Teach her the art of conversation by putting up a puppet show with her Baby Einstein puppets or making her play with toy telephones and have her imitate you when you talk to someone on the phone.
• Give constant signs of affection such as hugs and kisses to make your kid feel loved and cared for and to give her an assurance that she is safe and secure which is also contributory to the development of a positive self-esteem.
• Read stories to your baby. This is important in widening your baby’s language capacity and introducing her to different concepts.
• Avoid subjecting your kid to stress. Don’t over stimulate her by bringing her to crowded and noisy places. Also, avoid having arguments in front of your kid because this may cause psychological trauma on your baby and may be detrimental to her overall development.
• Of course, it is of utmost importance that you give her the proper nutritional diet suitable for a baby. If she’s already started on solids, make sure you give her adequate nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are needed for her brain to thrive and develop properly.

Cars, trucks and vehicle toys that do not have small or loose parts, sharp and pointy objects and are made of durable and flexible but safe plastic material.

Your baby’s brain development is one of the most important aspects of her overall development as an individual. As a parent, it is your responsibility to provide a safe environment where she can explore with her mind and senses, and learn about the world around her. Get other article discussing about Effective Toddler Music on previous article.

Toddler Music

Occasionally, when we didn’t have the time to sing to him, we can put on some soft music, and he would happily nod off. We can also experimented with playing the piano for and during his nap time and found that it worked like a charm. There are certain distinct sounds that have been proven to calm even fussy babies: the sounds of nature, white noise, and music. Even if your baby isn’t fussing or crying you may want to use music as often as you can to encourage that feeling of calm and peacefulness.

Recent research has proven the efficacy of playing soothing music for the purpose of inducing sleep in subjects of all ages. Interestingly, when babies heard the voices of their own mothers, they fell asleep. When unfamiliar voices sang to them they became restless and wakeful. However, when they listened to soothing instrumental music, the babies fell asleep easily.

You don’t need to search for the perfect song or a certain type of music. All you have to do is start by having your baby listen to your favorite songs and music. It doesn’t matter if you play the schmaltzy songs of the eighties or some wicked African beat, your baby is going to listen and his mood is going to be altered by any musical sound that he hears. It would follow, therefore, that instrumental music is an effective addition to or substitute for mother’s sweet pipes. Lullabies, therefore, which are composed specifically for the inducement of rest and sleep, would be the most suitable choice for baby’s dream time.

Besides the music that you yourself can introduce your baby to, there are hundreds of CDs on the market today that are filled with baby songs and lullabies. Choose something that interests you. Take time to find a variety of music CDs for your baby to listen to. You’ll soon notice which music your baby is most drawn to and can use that music when he is particularly fussy or is crying.

A wonderful technique to help baby sleep is to play the instrumental lullaby music while holding, rocking, or quietly sitting with the child. It might also be effective to softly hum along with the music. What a beautiful way to communicate a mother’s love to her precious child. Take slow, deep breaths to calm yourself. Your baby will intuit your calmness and relax even more.

Playing music has other benefits besides soothing your fussy, crying baby. These benefits include:

• Babies are introduced to musical sounds.
• Music enhances your baby’s behavior and cognitive skills.
• Relieves stress for the entire family.
• Will stimulate curiosity and an interest in music.

Check the previous article about Baby Einstein Video Guide only here at Infant Learning site.

Baby Einstein series

With more than 20 videos in the “Baby Einstein” collection, parents can select from a variety of subject matters, as outlined below. Viewing tips are suggested for enhancing the learning experience either during the showing or afterwards. Download video guide here for easy reference.

“Baby Einstein Baby’s Favorite Places.” Babies 12 months and up are introduced to first words from around town, both spoken and in sign language.
Parent-child viewing tip: Walk or stroll into your own town and explore all the places — the park, library, school — seen in the video. Say the word for each place and sign it with your toddler.

“Baby Einstein Meet the Orchestra — First Instruments.” Infants 12 months and up learn about the instruments that make up an orchestra and the different sounds each produces.
Parent-child viewing tip: Create your own orchestra using things around the house. Pot lids become cymbals, a wooden spoon and plastic bowl can be drums, and an empty paper towel tube can be a trumpet.

“Baby Einstein On the Go — Riding, Sailing and Soaring.” Babies 12 months and up are taught about three different modes of transportation: land, water, and air.
Parent-child viewing tip: When you and your child are outside, point at an airplane flying overhead or, as you play at the beach, a saiboat cruising by.

“Baby Wordsworth.” Highlights 25 words for common objects found in five places in or around the house: the kitchen, living room, yard, bedroom, and playroom. Children ages nine months and up will be able to understand each word in three ways: written, said aloud, and via sign language.
Parent-child viewing tip: Once the video has ended, bring your baby into a room in the home and try identifying an object by signing it and then saying it.

“Baby Monet Discovering the Seasons.” A variety of images associated with fall, winter, spring, and summer are presented to viewers four months and up.
Parent-child viewing tip: When watching this video during a particular season, show your baby things outdoors that are related to it — for instance, a flower during spring or a colored leaf during fall.

“Baby Noah Animal Expedition.” Kids 12 months and older will meet more than 20 animals in five different habitats, from all over the world.
Parent-child viewing tip: When each animal is introduced, make a point of saying its name with your child and calling out the sound it makes.

“Baby da Vinci Head to Toe.” A cast of animal puppets teach eight different body parts to little ones nine months and up — all to the tune of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”
Parent-child viewing tip: Point to each body part and say its name.

“Baby MacDonald A Day On the Farm.” Children ages nine months and up will get an inside view of all the activities that take place on a farm, including riding a tractor and celebrating the harvest.
Parent-child viewing tip: Sing “Old MacDonald” with your child and encourage her to name the different sounds each animal makes.

“Baby Bach Musical Adventure.” For newborns and older children, this title exposes viewers to a variety of colors and classical music.
Parent-child viewing tip: Show your child a toy or a real version of each instrument as it is being played.

“Baby Beethoven Symphony of Fun.” Set to the compositions of Beethoven, newborns and older children are shown a series of different sights and sounds via toys, puppets, and classical music.
Parent-child viewing tip: Make a point of listening to music together with your child during the day, while in the car, or during playtime.

“Baby Galileo Discovering the Sky.” Babies ages nine months and up will learn what’s overhead as they take a journey to the stars, sky, clouds, and the solar system.
Parent-child viewing tip: Before bedtime, use a telescope or binoculars with older toddlers to help them learn about the wonders of the sky.

Baby's favourite video

“Baby Mozart Music Festival.” Newborns and older children can view a variety of different objects, set to the music of Mozart.
Parent-child viewing tip: Encourage your baby to point to objects he or she recognizes on the screen by saying, “Where is the train?” or “Can you show me the blocks?”

“Baby Neptune Discovering Water.” Children nine months and up will experience the wonders of water on the beach, in the bath, and in puddles. They’ll be able to see water’s different purposes: for drinking, cleaning, and playing.
Parent-child viewing tip: Incorporate water into playtime by making water handprints and footprints on paper and then exploring the patterns with your child.

“Baby Newton Discovering Shapes.” Sights, motion, and sound set the scene for children ages one and up, as they encounter all kinds of shapes in the world around them. Viewers will learn about circles, ovals, squares, rectangles, and triangles.
Parent-child viewing tip: Go on a scavenger hunt to find similarly shaped objects around the house or in the neighborhood.

“Baby Santa’s Music Box.” Newborns and older babies can celebrate their first holiday by experiencing festivities and songs of the season from different cultures.
Parent-child viewing tip: Once the DVD is over, extend learning into playtime by playing peek-a-boo with holiday-related objects, such as ornaments or dreidels.

“Baby Shakespeare World of Poetry.” Designed to help expand a child’s growing vocabulary, toddlers 12 months and up will have their first taste of poetry set to music.
Parent-child viewing tip: Start a conversation with your child about what is happening on the screen. For instance, you can say, “They put the puzzle together. What is it a picture of?” or “Someone is throwing snowballs at the puppet. Who could it be?”

“Baby Van Gogh World of Colors.” Children 12 months and up will sample six colors — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple — through artwork and music.
Parent-child viewing tip: At 18 months, some children are beginning to sort objects. Help them by counting small groups of similar objects on the screen. For instance, you can say, “There are one, two, three birds. That’s three birds total.”

“Baby Einstein Language Nursery.” Newborns and older can hear their first words in seven different languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Hebrew, Russian, and Japanese.
Parent-child viewing tip: Dance with your child to the music. Encourage her to say and repeat words to you in different languages.

“Baby Einstein Neighborhood Animals.” Babies nine months and up will learn about furry friends and other animals that live in and around their homes.
Parent-child viewing tip: As your child begins to understand more words and becomes more verbal, ask her what she is watching: “The dog is eating. What do dogs eat?” or “The cat is looking at the bowl of water. What’s swimming in that bowl?”

“Baby Einstein Numbers Nursery.” Children 12 months and up can count along, from one to five, with the help of toys and everyday objects, such as apples, hats, and cups.
Parent-child viewing tip: Help your child learn to count as you do laundry. Group shirts, socks, and pants by color and ask your toddler, “How many red shirts are there?” or “How many white socks are in this pile?”

“Baby Einstein World Animals.” From the ocean to the jungle, babies nine months and up will be introduced to nine creatures of the wild.
Parent-child viewing tip: Pretend to be different animals. Imitate the sounds that each animal makes and move the way each animal moves.

“Baby’s First Move.” Little ones ages 6 months and up will be able to move along to the beat, whether it’s by clapping, rolling, or dancing.
Parent-child viewing tip: Whatever stage of development your child is in, practice her moves along with her. When she crawls, get down on the floor and join her. If she is sitting and clapping, join in on the fun.

The jury is still out on whether these videos will enhance your child’s learning process. If you do choose to watch “Baby Einstein” and other child development videos, be sure to reinforce the learning concepts during one-and-one play. See previous article discussing How Baby Einstein Works to make sure that this baby einstein things are good for your baby.

If you interest in baby talking topics, please visit other article discussing how to communicate with your baby, only in Infant Learning site.

What Is Baby Sign Language?

Baby Sign

Communication cannot be bound by the barriers of age or language. Even babies can communicate their needs to their parents through sign language. It is the way of communicating with infants through signs and simple words to comprehend their needs. Have you thought how a newly born feels when he or she is unable to communicate what they want? To ease this problem, baby sign language has been developed. We have discussed it in the previous article, how to talk to your baby in his first year.

When one is unable to give words to expressions, then one takes the help of signs. Through the movement of the hands and other organs, a message is communicated to its receiver. This unspoken communication through signs is termed as sign language.

The concept of baby sign language was developed after the concept of sign language for the deaf. With the passage of time, it was discovered that the same technique could be adopted to deal with the kids. New born babies were in a position to listen and understand but what they lacked was the ability to speak.

The kids cannot give words to their expressions. They generally speak or start using words only after they reach twelve or eighteen months of age. This technique includes usage of small and simple words used at home or in day to day life.

Baby sign language is beneficial to both child and the parents. It becomes an instrument to build a communicating link between them. It also helps the child to improve his intelligence.

Experiencing and Teaching Sign Language To Your Baby

What is he trying to say?

It is smart to plan to develop a positive and easy method of baby sign language early. Baby sign language enables your baby is able to tell others exactly what they want and need. As a result the amount fits and tantrums will definitely be reduced.

Every parent has witnessed the familiar signs of frustration in their baby before baby communication skills are developed and baby is unable to let others know what they are feeling and what they may need. You should start teaching your baby sign language or, more accurately, basic gestures, by example. Because these gestures are visual in nature they are much easier for your baby to learn than spoken words.Gestures are certainly within the range of a baby’s repertoire long before the ability to articulate words is developed. Now, no one is suggesting that you sit down and attempt to teach your baby using the American Sign Language system. All is needed is a small range of gestures that mean “I want”, “Help me please”, “I’m sleepy” and others. If these gestures are understood by both baby and parent, they will serve the purpose of improving communication.

You need to get to the stage where your baby begins to connect a basic gesture with an action, activity or object. You can also accompany the gesture with the word so that, eventually, your baby will graduate to using the spoken form.

Babies learn easy by imitating what they see everyone do, therefore if you are consistent and basic with using some basic gestures for certain activities and objects , you’ll be notice how quickly your baby picks them up. The most important thing is to keep it fun and busy. Each turn the activity of learning sign language into a game and you will see the best results.

How to Teach Your Baby Sign Language

Here are some tips to get you started:

Understanding the gestures

1. Begin with basic signs. Teach signs you know will be used on a day to day basis. (i.e. eat, drink, sleep, bath, the name of a favorite toy, etc.)
2. Introduce one sign a week. Use it every time you have an opportunity.
3. In order to teach the sign, ideally, one person will demonstrate the sign and the other will help the child from behind to guide his hands in forming the sign.
4. Another important thing to remember is to say the sign as it is demonstrated and as you help him make it. This way he will also learn the spoken word. (The proverbial two birds with one stone.)
5. Some signs are a bit more complicated than others so it’s okay to adapt a little. Don’t worry if the sign your baby makes is not perfect. As long as you know what he is trying to say –it’s all good!
   Researchers have shown babies have the ability to learn to sign adequately enough to communicate their needs long before they can speak the words. So why not save yourself a bit of stress and frustration by teaching your baby some basic signs.

So now, I hope you have better understanding on how to communicate with your babies. And also, check other article in this Infant Learning site about Baby Einstein. Maybe it will help you to increase your baby’s intelligence.

Baby Einstein

In any given day, 8-month-old Anthony Esposito can be found clapping his hands, dancing, and chiming in to tunes pealing from his collection of videotapes. The Staten Island, N.Y., infant is apparently a big fan of the Baby Einstein series, with titles like Baby Mozart, Baby Shakespeare, and Language Nursery making regular rounds in his family’s VCR.

Across the country, in Alameda, Calif., 17-month-old Lauryn Nakamura seems to be equally riveted with her Baby Einstein products, says her mother, Lilybell. The Baby Einstein line of videos, DVDs, flash cards, software, books, CDs, and educational toys has captured the attention of many infant households. This week alone, Amazon.com’s top toy sellers include teaching materials such as the LeapStart Learning Table, Bake-A-Shape Sorter, Learning Drum, and Hug and Learn Baby Tad.

The Kaiser survey found that children 6 months to 6 years spend an average of two hours a day with screen media, mostly watching TV and videos. “There was anecdotal evidence of the trend toward younger and younger kids using media, but there had not been any national documentation of it,” says Vicky Rideout, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Genius of ‘Baby Einstein’
Many thanks to Lisa Guernsey

I know I shouldn’t admit to playing baby videos for my children, but allow me to embarrass myself. “Baby Mozart” was part of my first child’s life when she was all of 3 months old. The report conjured images of 8-month-olds strapped into bouncy chairs, forced to watch an endless loop of video flashcards while listening to the tinkling of classical piano.

Videos are indeed being shown in many households with young children. And yes, some parents mistakenly believe that the videos are going to ratchet up their children’s I.Q. But watching hours and hours of baby videos is not the norm.

Only 17 percent of 384 babies in the survey were put in front of videos for an hour or more each day. The average baby watched only about 9 minutes a day. Television time, in contrast, seemed to have no effect, good or bad, on babies this young.

Child advocates wish those numbers were higher, but even so, it’s clear that most babies’ routines are not dominated by videos.

Over the past two years, I’ve examined the research on how videos, television and other media affect young children and interviewed scores of parents from many walks of life, and I’ve learned that it helps to consider what I call the three C’s: content, context and the individual child.

Baby Einstein series

Most video content is nearly meaningless to babies less than a year old. What matters is context and the child’s developmental needs.

Parents who think about context make sure that videos don’t become a substitute for happy moments of interaction and play. Many studies, including the new one about baby videos, show that a daily dose of reading helps with language development. Sometimes parents watch along with their babies. Taking care of babies and toddlers is hard work.

We’ll provide you about the guide of Baby Einstein video in the future. While waiting, check other article about Baby Teething in the previous post.

First Baby Tooth

We have talked about baby teething in All About Baby Teething. But still, this topic is so interesting to be discussed. Baby teething can be a frustrating time for both the parents and the child. The first baby teeth to emerge are usually the two front teeth on the bottom gum, known as the central incisors. Some babies will start teething earlier. The majority of babies will begin to break in their first teeth between 4 to 7 months of age. It all depends on the child and how quickly their bodies will develop. You may find that your child will not break in their first tooth until they are 1 years old or less then 4 months of age.

Just to remind you that these things might be the symptomps of baby teething:

Baby's Drooling

• Swollen or inflamed gums
• Crankiness
• Sleeplessness
• excess drooling
• try to chew on everything they can get their mouth
• Appetite decreased

So now, how to take care this situation?

• Make sure to clean the drool from the baby’s face regularly to prevent rashes from forming.
• Gently wash the gums with water and a clean toothbrush in order to keep the gums healthy.
• Do not let your baby fall asleep with their milk. This is one of the main things that can cause tooth decay and plaque.
• In order to help relieve some of the pain give them a cold pacifier or teething toy for them to chew on.
• Giving some medicines (Orajel or teething tablets)

However, the treatment to keep baby teeth healthy will not stop on this phase only. It must be done every day until he can take care of it himself.

Baby Tooth

• If baby teeth has emerged, applies exiguus toothbrush. If will apply tooth paste, provides wet mop because small si has not can gargle. Positions baby to sit in lap.
• Direction cleans it can be vertical and horizontal. Important of all tooth surface, either exterior and also in ( what faces to tongue), and in between it be cleaned.
• If it is completed, wipes the tooth paste from orifice and labial with wet mop until cleanness.

Child Tooth
Does steps to brush teeth best like this:

• Brushs teeth concurrent, from the top (of) downwards for upper tooth; conversely from under to the above of tooth under. This is principle ties “ from red to white” or from gum to tip of tooth that dirt sweeped not to return again. Unidirectional movement also takes care of gum health.
• Movement create releases dirt from in between tooth.
• Rubs is slow of all surfaces of tooth starts from interior, middle, and external.
• Cleans also roof, mouth wall, and tongue surface.
• Labours water applied to brush teeth cleanness and limpid. For new chlid learnt gargles providing matured water.
• Doesn’t gargle too much so that still remaining fluoride to take care of tooth strength.

Time Brushed teeth
Best time to brush teeth is after eating and before sleep. Brushs teeth after eating aim to lift food pickings patching on the surface of and or in in between tooth and gum. While brushing teeth before sleep good for arrest;detaining propagation of bacterium in orifice because in a state of sleep is not produced spits functioning cleans tooth and oral naturally.

Baby's Toothbrush

Choose And Change Toothbrush
For chlid, choose toothbrush which the measure is small with handle which is easy is grasped. The brush fur is smooth but strong. The brush head tip narrowing that easy to reach interior. For baby, there is rubber toothbrush choice, fur, or case toothbrush to be used at the index finger. If tooth had gone out more than 8, cleans with baby toothbrush having small end and downy, with measure code P20, or furry of rubber. Changed toothbrush if fur had bloomed or irregular in order not to hurt gum.
Portion of Tooth paste
Tooth paste is not obliged for baby. So, if chlid do not willing, yes doesn’t be forced. Defins is just slowly. Tooth paste in principle is made with tooth surface protector material content.

Check out other topic on how to communicate with your baby only at Infant Learning site.

One month. Your baby will be able to understand speech long before actually talking. From birth he will look at your face and listen to your voice. He may make a small range of noises that will start to mean something to you. The way that your baby cries is an important communication method while he is actually unable to talk. Through responding to this crying you let your baby know that she is important to you – and this can really be reassuring for a young infant.

Talk to Baby

Two months. As a child enters his second month he is far more aware of the world – things such as sounds, even that of your voice, will amuse and fascinate your child. Your baby will respond with a variety of cooing sounds, vowel-like sounds, and sometimes some consonant sounds such as a “k”. During this time, try and talk with your baby. By looking into your baby’s eyes you are communicating an important thing to her – that you are listening.

Three months. By now you will find that your baby is able to recognize your voice and may come to you or face you when your voice is heard. You may notice him laugh out aloud and may even scare himself by doing this. At this stage you should not only talk to your baby but also introduce other communication forms such as singing and story telling. The greater your effort in trying to talk with him, the better his response is likely to be.

Four months. By now more and more communication should be taking place with your baby. There will be lots of repetition to the sounds that your baby makes. It is important that you always respond to your baby’s “oohs” and “ahhs” and whatever other communication methods she is using. There will also be certain times when your baby may also not be in the mood for talking. He will turn his head in the other direction and may put his arm over his face.

Five months. As each month progresses you will find that your baby is becoming better at communicating. By now he’ll most likely be able to let you know if he’s happy or sad. Interestingly, if you always respond to his communication efforts (whatever these may be) he’ll repeat them whenever he wants your attention this way. During this month it’s likely that your baby will be looking at your mouth moving while you talk. Talk to him from across the room and he’ll be able to find you with ease.

Six months. Your baby may now be using consonant-vowel combinations. It’s quite possible that he has discovered his mirror reflection and is probably having conversations with himself.

Communicate with Baby

Seven months. Your baby is now continuing to learn how to use his newfound language skills. He may be able to do things such as wave goodbye and may accompany his wave with babbling sounds. He can say “mama” or “dada”.

Eight months. Your baby is playing games such as pat a cake and peek-a-boo. Even though he can’t speak the words that belong to these games, he can babble and talk to himself. It’s likely that your baby knows what the word “No” means by now as well.

Nine to twelve months. It’s possible that by now your baby understands requests and commands such as “give it” or “don’t touch that”. At this time you should be encouraging your baby to use gestures (and you should respond to them). For example if your baby indicates she wants to be picked up then say “you want to be picked up?” while picking her up. This helps the learning process.

Check out other article in the previous post about How Baby Einstein Works in this Infant Learning site.

Baby Einstein

If you’re like most parents with a baby or toddler, chances are the name “Baby Einstein” is part of your everyday vocabulary. Your playroom may, in fact, include copies of “Baby Mozart” and “Baby DaVinci” right alongside your child’s building blocks, stacking rings, and other toys.

Owning at least one “Baby Einstein” video is practically a given for today’s parents. Right up there with a stroller, high chair, and other baby-gear essentials, DVDs bearing the “Baby Einstein” brand name are topping baby gift registries and wish lists across the country.
In this article, we’ll explore just how “Baby Einstein” became a household name and amassed a following with moms and babies across the globe.

As parents learned of the video, consumer demand for more “Baby Einstein” products grew dramatically, resulting in other videos, followed by books, CDs, and toys.

“Parents today feel the pressure to compete, to have their child succeed in a challenging world. “All parents would like to help their children have the very best chances for success in education and life. The idea of an easy-to-load video or DVD that would help their children grow into smart, young students can be very enticing.”

Besides the idea of helping get their child off on the right foot, educationally speaking, experts note that allowing their children to watch these videos gives parents a short reprieve — whether that means getting dinner started or throwing in a load of laundry.

Vicky Rideout, vice president and director of The Kaiser Foundation’s program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health, has conducted a number of focus groups with parents of young children who watch these videos. “Parents buy them because they need a break. Dr. Brown recognizes the impact of the modern family nucleus on video viewing. With so many households in which both parents work, videos can become what she calls “an electronic babysitter.”

Considering the tremendous consumer demand for “Baby Einstein” videos/DVDs, the most obvious question is: Do these interactive videos actually help the learning process, or are they purely a form of entertainment?

Do Child Development Videos Fuel the Learning Process?

Baby's watching video

Whether or not videos for babies and toddlers actually increase a child’s learning potential has been a source of much debate among child development specialists.

According to Walter Gilliam of Yale University, there haven’t been any credible studies that can tell parents about these videos’ positive impact on young children. “Without credible data on their effectiveness, marketing these infant and toddler videos as ‘educational’ or ‘cognitively stimulating’ is misleading, at best.”

While the research may be inconclusive, some experts believe that higher-quality videos can serve a purpose — when viewed along with the child. Claire Lerner noted examples of developmental videos that set themselves apart. “The better videos try to create content on what we do know about child development,” she said. Dr. Helen Boehm, a child development specialist and the author of The Official Guide to the Right Toys,looks upon developmental videos as useful learning tools — as long as they are supplemented with other ways of teaching children about the world around them. “Introducing developmental videos, like other age-appropriate toys, engages babies in the learning process,” she said. A heavy or steady diet of videos or child-directed media is never advised.”

While some parents feel that these videos expose their child to music, language, and a variety of other mediums, several early-learning specialists are concerned that parents might rely too heavily on them.

Singer notes that infants watching these videos at six months or younger become accustomed to passive viewing at an early age. “We know that infants and toddlers learn most, fastest, and best through rich interactions with caring and sensitive adults,” Gilliam said. “Babies still need that live connection with their parents.”

Guidelines for Viewing Child Development Videos

While young children may appear to enjoy watching video after video in one sitting, experts caution against exceeding the recommended amount. According to Claire Lerner, director of parenting resources for Zero to Three in Washington, D.C., children older than two should watch no more than 30 minutes of videos a day. “You don’t want the video to replace the parent,” she said.

Children who benefit most from the screen are those who interact with the parent simultaneously. Watching together is also beneficial for the parent, who might otherwise be hard-pressed to find a creative way to extend the learning process. Dr. Dorothy Singer, senior research scientist at Yale University, also advises that parents talk about the video while viewing it together. Dr. Gilliam seconds this notion, stressing how the interaction between parent and child is the best way to helping them learn. “Play with your baby — and play often,” he said. “Talking about the show afterwards help the child think about it,” she said.

How to Reinforce Learning After the Video Is Over

The experts interviewed for this article agree that post-viewing conversations are essential to aiding the learning process.

For those who have just watched a video about pets and other neighborhood animals, Lerner suggests parents take a walk afterwards with their children and see real animals. “Hopefully, children are learning more from their parents than they are from the videos.”

Don’t forget to reintroduce what’s been learned at another point in time. Singer said. A trip to the zoo might jog a child’s memory to recall the zebra he or she saw while watching “Baby Noah Animal Expedition.”

One Mom’s “Baby Einstein” Experience

Baby einstein series

For Keri Puglisi of Northport, N.Y., her two-and-a-half-year-old son’s experience with “Baby Einstein” has been educational right from the start.

While watching “Baby Galileo Discovering the Sky,” Puglisi points out the moon in the video, repeats that the moon is in the sky, and asks about the location of the moon. Watching “Baby Monet Discovering the Seasons” helps prime Michael for a chat about the four seasons. A parent’s ability to translate what’s been viewed into a real-world experience is a way to engage a child in an interactive experience that makes learning fun.

Get other article on different topic telling about Breast Feeding vs Bottle Feeding on previous post.