Will Baby Einstein Really Make Your Child Smarter?

Baby Einstein has become the newest child development craze. With estimated revenues of $400 million in 2005, Baby Einstein has become the tool in not only entertaining children, but also teaching them to be smarter (at least in theory). Baby Einstein products state that "we know that babies are passionately curious. They are fascinated by the sights and sounds around them, and every moment of every day is an opportunity of discovery ... our products provide fun and stimulating ways for parents and caregivers to interact with their children." Sounds good enough ... The question remains: Will using Baby Einstein products make your child smarter?

Child development expert Dr. Benjamin Spock discusses this topic on his website. In the article "Can You Create a Superbaby?," Dr. Spock talks about how parents are now looking to use products from companies such as Baby Einstein in order to provide what he calls "relentless stimulation and education" in hopes of producing a more intelligent child. Dr. Spock argues that it is most important that a child be exposed to loving, secure experiences instead of these types of educational tools as "the best learning occurs when an infant is happy, relaxed, attentive, and actively involved, not when she is being oppressed with cold, unwanted, and unnatural stimulation."

In the Baby Einstein world, parents are taught how to best use the Baby Einstein products to teach their child. Baby Einstein books actually have instructions on the back of the book telling parents how the books should be read. For example, parents are told to "help build Baby's vocabulary by asking him or her to describe the animals they see in this book." While that may work for older children, most "Babies" are barely up to the task of sitting still long enough to be read to, let alone actually describing the animals in the Baby Einstein book. The pressure to use the Baby Einstein books exactly as intended yields the type of unnatural stimulation that Dr. Spock states will hurt, not help, a child's development.

This is not to say that Baby Einstein products in of themselves are harmful to a child's development. Parents can certainly read their children Baby Einstein books just as they read their child any other books. However, parents should be aware that while Baby Einstein products can be a tool in child development, Baby Einstein products will not make a child smarter.