tv and your baby - latest study shows poor results in language

I have to admit that we own a few baby Einstein videos, and we didn't think twice about showing them to our son. However now that this study came out we will think twice. La Times reports

Parents hoping to raise baby Einsteins by using infant educational videos are actually creating baby Homer Simpsons, according to a new study released today.

For every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as "Brainy Baby" or "Baby Einstein," they knew six to eight fewer words than other children, the study found.

Parents aiming to put their babies on the fast track, even if they are still working on walking, each year buy hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of the videos. Unfortunately it's all money down the tubes, according to Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle.

We really didn't think these videos were going to give him that much more in terms of intelligence and vocab skills, but the fact that it can impede his development is very disappointing. Actually the The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television for children under 24 months.