Distract Your Infant For Just $19.99 (But Don't Expect Him to Learn Anything)

Just for the record, the Baby Einstein videos aren't meant to be educational.

That's how the Walt Disney Co. is framing its cash-cow series of videos for the under-3 demographic after a report was published yesterday claiming that educational materials for toddlers, from state-issued Mozart CDs to the Neighborhood Animals Digital Board Book DVD ($19.99 from Baby Einstein), do not make babies smarter in any empirical way.

"Building brighter babies ... [is] based on misinterpretations and misapplications of brain research," states the report, published by the D.C.-based think tank Educational Sector and first reported yesterday by USA Today.

Naysayers are not new to this debate. In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a "media education" statement that advised its members to "urge parents to avoid television viewing for children under the age of 2 years" because of the "critical need for direct interactions with parents and other significant care givers." The AAP has since updated that advisory to include all screen time, including DVDs.

The Baby Einstein is only one company in a multibillion-dollar industry, but it probably enjoys the highest profile. This is in large part due to President Bush's recognition of its founder, Julie Aigner-Clark, during his 2007 State of the Union address as a paragon of American entrepreneurship. (As the New Yorker's Hendrik Hertzberg noted shortly afterward, Aigner-Clark's husband happens to be a major Republican donor.)

When contacted by News Desk for comment today, company spokeswoman Michelle Jacob wrote: "Regarding the Education Sector report, it's important to know that all Baby Einstein products, including the video line, are not designed as educational products but rather as interactive tools for parents to use with their babies. The entire Baby Einstein collection is designed specifically to promote discovery and inspire new ways for parents and babies to interact in age- and developmentally appropriate ways."

Jacobs also said that "while we respect the American Academy of Pediatrics, we do not believe that their recommendation of no television for children under the age of 2 reflects the reality of today's parents, families, and households."

For its part, the AAP remains opposed to TVs and DVDs for young children. In a May 25, 2006, letter to the Federal Trade Commission, the organization wrote that "the reality is that parents play the videos to give themselves some time to do other household chores, like cooking dinner or doing laundry."

There has been no response from the FTC.

--Chris Wilson