“Educational” DVDs don't make babies brainier, study says

Educational DVDs and videos which claim to enhance the cognitive development of infants may hinder rather than help their language skills, according to a study published August 7, 2007 by the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute. The DVDs, widely available in stores, often claim to aid the development of babies’ speech and vocabulary, but parents have been warned that if they want to improve their infant’s ability to learn, they should limit the amount of time they spend using such products. The study highlights products such as the Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby DVDs, and suggests overexposing children aged eight to 16 months to them may slow their ability to acquire a vocabulary. Read the article at scotsman.com.