Baby Learning Programs - Pass or Fail?

Many well-advertised learning programs promise to teach infants and toddlers to read, increase school readiness, enhance learning capabilities and so forth.  Commercials show children as young as 6 months reading aloud to ecstatic parents.  Sounds to good to be true, right?


Research has proven time and again that these programs DO NOT deliver advertised results.  Additionally, infants and toddlers who watch these videos can actually delay learning and mastery of language, reading, and other forms of communication.

Television exposure (especially for children who are not verbal) delays language development. 

Infancy is a period of development in which outside stimulation is key.  Baby brains grow and form connections based on the amount and variety of experiences they encounter.  Watching television is not a replacement for face-to-face communication and tactile stimulation (touching, exploring).  In fact, watching hours of television has been shown to reverse the current communication level of infants and toddlers.

What should parents do to enhance infant learning?

• Talk to them - Do not use baby language, your tone is most important. 
• Vary their activities - Take them to different types of places (grocery store, coffee shop, park, zoo, etc.)
• Teach them with music - Play classical music to soothe them and teach them to do things with songs
• Touch is important - Have "toys" that vary in texture and shape
• Read to them - Read any and every thing to your baby.  Vary your tone of voice for affect
• Turn off the T.V. - Refrain from using the t.v. as a babysitter and do have it on when they are in the room (at least until they can speak in full sentences)