When I was about four months’ pregnant, Dave and I hit this big neighborhood-wide garage sale and bought some baby gear. We got a few toys and whatnot. We also picked up a collection of five Baby Einstein DVD’s for $1. I put them on a shelf and quite honestly forgot about them.
A couple of nights ago, Cate was being fussy for no particular reason. She was fed, burped, diapered, etc. We had tried everything that we knew to do. Then I remembered the DVD’s. We figured what the hell, popped in the Baby Mozart DVD, set Cate up in her bouncy seat, and aimed her at the TV.
Now, I know that some people have talked negatively about these DVD’s, and say that they only make babies dumber because the kids just stare at the TV and drool. And I get that. I can see how it would be very easy to overdose a small child on this type of thing, and I agree that too much TV can be bad for kids. Those are all very valid concerns.
But y’all, Cate was enthralled. She smiled, laughed and kicked her little feet for the entire video (about 30 minutes). It was hilarious, it was like she was trying to dance to the music.
And again, this afternoon, she was being a little stinker while I was trying to clean the kitchen, so I turned the DVD on and POOF! We went from Grumpy Baby to Smiley Happy Baby in about five seconds. I was actually able to clean the entire downstairs of our house because she was so into it.
So ok, maybe it’s not the best thing in the world for her development, but I must say that for now, I am totally sold on this product. I think I’m even packing them for my trip to my folks’ house next week, just in case we need an instant mood-fixer.
OMG! Everyone I know calls those videos ‘baby crack’! Kids totally love them sooooo much. My kids are too old to have been fully dosed on the crack, but the kids I know who’ve had their dose are no worse for the ware. They’re actually quite well adjusted and getting along famously! Enjoy your time to get things done and blogging about it too.
I get totally entranced by those DVDs. Elizabeth likes them, although she watches for a little while, and then starts playing with stuff on the floor around her, then watches a little more. Me, I’m the the ones staring at the TV drooling.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting your baby see pretty colors set to pretty music for a little while when you’re trying to get things done. I just wish they’d use the “real” music instead of kid-ified versions of Mozart, Beethoven, whatever. But then, if they did that, I’d never leave the house. 🙂
We have that set, too, and Emily loves them. It’s the only way she’ll let me mess with her fingernails! (She sits in my lap, mouth-breathing, entranced while I file away.)
Gabs loved the Little Einstein DVDs. And now that she’s “a big girl” she loves Little Einsteins, a new Disney cartoon. It’s sort of nice when she hears a piece of music and can identify it — who says television teaches our kids nothing?
Everything in moderation, I think. 🙂
All last fall, when Elizabeth was tiny(er), she would sit and watch football with me. I think the colors of the game and the commercials were just as enthralling as Baby Einstein. I would concede that the classical music and the vibrant colors are better for her than football, but it was really fun for me. We usually turned off the game sound and played music from the stereo.
If this idea puts Dave on the couch with Cate watching cricket* for hours and hours at a time. Hey, it’s bonding time!
(*just picking on a UK sport, Dave. Watching NASCAR might work, too).
Oh it’d have to be NASCAR, or fighting robots.
The problem with cricket is that it kills brain cells just watching it. There’s always this exciting bit where the teams break for lunch but otherwise… dulldull 😀
Ok, so where do I get a set for later? 😉
Lizard: Since I bought them used and have no guilt about that whole “FBI warning” at the start of the video, I’d be happy to burn copies of them for you. 🙂
Excellent. Catie thanks you inadvance! 🙂