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. ( LA Times)
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Enrique Gili is a freelance writer covering Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS), issues for regional magazines in the Southland and beyond. I live in Ocean Beach, San Diego the coolest beach town around.
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Duh! Baby Brain Booster Gets Failing Grades
Category: Health
Posted on: August 7, 2007 3:08 PM, by EJGili
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Well, that is very good news. Who would have guessed that sitting your baby in front of a boob tube would have the child retain less language than holding the baby, looking in his/her face and actually talking!?
Actually, I have a rather jaundiced attitude towards the whole "better baby" business since my oldest was born about the time their was a bunch pushing flashcards for infants. I kid you not! (oh, crud... quicky google search, they still exist!!).
I unfortunately fell somewhat under the influence and have my baby boy listen to German tapes. As it turned out he had trouble learning basic English. Not only could he not speak German when he was three years old, he could not even speak English. He communicated with sign language. It is a severe expressive communication disorder that may or may not be related to a history of seizures as an infant... though it is pretty much assumed there is damage in Broca's and Wernicke's areas of the brain.
Having a severely learning disabled kid gives a parent lots of humility... and let's us appreciate actual pleasures of having kids.
So I took up reading David Elkind... who basically says to relax, enjoy the child and the way they actually learn. Don't try to push.
So the younger two never got any special stuff. I did though push the thought that music lessons help learning. Only to have Child #2 do a research project on it, where he discovered it was a mis-application of Mozart on college students. The effect did not last long, and it did not translate to small children... or more accurately the "Mozart Effect" was never really tested, just marketed.
Posted by: HCN | August 8, 2007 12:16 AM