Letters to the Editor
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Author is basically Right
I'm a special education teacher and I am also a mother of a 3 yr old son. I did a lot of reading before I had my son and I knew that I didn't need to spend a lot of money of cribs or strollers or car seats or diaper bags or anything else. The big issue is safety and durability so that's what I went for. I didn't go into parenting thinking that I would need to lay out a lot of money, just time, patience and love.
That said, I also totally sympathize with all parents who reach for Baby Einstein, gadgety toys and the like. It really does serve a purpose, just not, as the author says, the one that is listed on the box. It's part of the babysitting that is required of parents to get a dinner prepared or shower or return an email. These products have a role in our very busy lives and they help us manage all of our responsibilities.
My biggets issue with the toys and gadgets and special DVD's is that these kinds of experiences are not only not beneficial for small children, they may actually inhibit real learning. That's because, as anyone who has studied child development knows, children learn through direct experience. They shouldn't watch a pretty DVD about farm animals with Mozart playing, they should be visiting a farm or even just walking around the neighborhood with mom or dad. You're sure to see a few animals, right? All the parent needs to do is to start talking and point things out and there you have it, learning.