And the TV debate goes on

There are always endless debates on whether or not television for babies and toddlers are actually harmful to their development (just check out the Urban Baby boards at any given day). The AAP declared in 1999 that television under 2 was not recommended as it could impede brain growth, but that had little effect on children's television and the mega billion dollar character licensing industry, not to mention the increasing number of electronic toys out there for even the youngest of infants. Many of the electronic toys and videos like "Baby Einstein" push the educational component as selling points, but a new report released yesterday by the Kaiser Family Foundation indicates that there is still little understanding of how all this media affects children.

I don't think we'll ever scientifically be able to prove that any media stimulation, whether it comes in the form of TV, the computer or electronic toys is actually detrimental to a child's development - or encourages ADD behavior, as some want to conclude. We, as parents, have to make our own decisions on what or how much we want to expose our children (I'm no sanctimommy myself...yeah, my daughter does watch some TV - I believe in everything in moderation). But I do think it's naive to think that these videos and some of these toys wil actually make your baby smarter. Read the full article from the New York Times if only to read about the featured mother/baby.

"We own everything electronic that's educational - LeapFrog, Baby Einstein, everything," said her mother, Naira Soibatian. "She has an HP laptop, bigger than mine. I know one leading baby book says, very simply, it's a waste of money. But there's only one thing better than having a baby, and that's having a smart baby. And at the end of the day, what can it hurt? She learns things, and she loves them."

Yikes! Her own laptop? She's 11 months old!