Get a refund on Baby Einstein videos
There’s been a recall on baby genuis.
Remember the Baby Mozart and Baby Shakespeare videos that transfixed our babies? In a rather unshocking turnabout, the videos do not actually make your baby smarter.
According to the NYT report:
The Walt Disney Company is now offering refunds for all those “Baby Einstein” videos that did not make children into geniuses. They may have been a great electronic baby sitter, but the unusual refunds appear to be a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect.
The Times report cites a 2003 study, suggesting that a third of all American babies from 6 months to 2 years old had at least one “Baby Einstein” video. While some of those parents may have thought they were buying something educational for their infants, I think most of us knew that these silly videos were not going to raise any IQ points. They were simply less-guilt inducing babysitters.
Regardless of our own complicity in the $200-million-a-year Baby Einstein empire, Disney’s current offer allows parents to exchange their video for a different title, receive a discount coupon, or get $15.99 each for up to four returned DVDs, requires no receipt, and extends until next March 10.
Well, the rebate could come in handy for holiday shopping. And perhaps we should consider buying the tots a book.
Aisha covered education and breaking news for nearly ten years before joining the Lifestyle staff where she writes a "Dirty Laundry" parenting column. She is the home and family editor and wastes too much time on Facebook and political blogs. 
Haha, that book comment was pungent.
Hear, hear - there’s no substitute for reading to your kids. Every day.
My daughter is 6 years old. When she was six month old at the recommendation of a school teacher that we know we began purchasing the Baby Einstein videos. This school teacher purchased Baby Eisntein for her own children and highly recommended we do the same. Our daughter watched the videos daily, focusing on the images and moving to the music. At six years of age my daughter has a love for music, reading books, dancing, drawing and the arts. I am not sure why but cosidering the amount of time she spent watching Baby Einstein I can give them credit for her development in the early years. Along with Baby Einstein my wife also invested time with my daughter teaching her colors, alphabet numbers, and reading. I never thought that my daughter would be an Einstein because I am aware that Baby Einstein is the name of the series. Baby Einstein is not going to take the place of parents sitting with their children, or sending our kids to pre school but it is a tool to help the development of our kids.
Everyone accepting a refunds from Disney after they have contributed to your childs development should be ashamed.
pcm, I received one as a gift. My daughter watched it twice and ignored most of it each time. She also loves music, reading books, dancing, drawing, and the arts. If Disney wants to let me trade it for a movie that will actually be watched, I’ll be more than happy to let them.
This is the most crazy recall ever. I guess if parents think that the videos are harmful to their children, return the video. My son has excelled in reading and is in advance classes along with his two daycare friends. He has a great love for classical music and can identify it. It is great fun for him to watch even at the advance age of 6. The videos and classical music bring him a great deal of comfort and wind him down. Exspecially if he has had a stressful day.
The light up mirror and classical music were a huge hit when he was an infant. If my son was crying i would put him in his crib and pull the bird activator and when it started playing, instantly he would stop crying.
Baby Einstein videos has enhanced my sons babyhood. I hesitate before I give up any videos, the child receiving them has to be extra special.
But to all stupid people “Get your refund”, intelligent people know their value.