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Thursday, December 15, 2005 12:00 AM

Educational baby videos: Smart or a scam?

Parents shell out hundreds of millions of dollars for products designed to make their children smarter. But what do videos like "Baby Einstein" really teach kids?
Sarah Karnasiewicz

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  • Thursday, December 15, 2005 09:22 AM

    What did they do before TVs were invented?

    It may not have been as common for an adult to have to deal with a child or children alone while needing to do something else in the age of extended families, but it happened. One suspects that younger kids were indeed plopped in the playpens or cribs to play if Mom really needed them out from underfoot, and slightly older kids were taught how to help with the chore at hand.

    That's pretty much what we've done, at any rate, as our DVD-only TV is reserved for special occasions.

    —Axordil Read Axordil's other letters

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