Disney Offering Refunds on Baby Einstein DVDs
If you're a parent who purchased a Baby Einstein DVD anytime from mid-2004 to last month, then you could get a refund from Disney. This move comes after a class-action lawsuit was threatened against Disney for making unproven claims about the educational merit of the DVDs.
I'm totally fine with Disney offering these refunds and I think that every parent who wants to should participate without even a glimmer of guilt. And though some groups feel that government entities should be involved in recalling the DVDs or there's cause for a class-action lawsuit, I think that's taking it a bit far. I was happy to see the overblown labels and claims removed from the DVDs, though, and am glad the company made those changes in marketing on their own even if it may have been to avoid a larger investigation and possible federal enforcement (see Federal Trade Commission letter .pdf to the company in 2007).
Still, we're adults and we're capable of making decisions about what our kids see on television. I can't imagine there are many parents who are honestly disappointed that their baby or toddler isn't some sort of genius after watching these DVDs. If there are, then the issues there are probably much bigger than anything a class action lawsuit can solve, I'm afraid.
The best way to increase your baby or toddler's intelligence isn't through anything they will see on a screen. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children don't even watch television for a minute until they are 2 years old (though I think that's a bit on the extreme side, too.) If you really want to make your child smarter, however, there are a lot of other things that you can do:
But don't, whatever you do, sit him down in front of the TV in hopes of boosting his brain power and if you do allow television in your home, make sure you're also doing lots of other things to make sure your child is stimulated.
Right now only folks located in North America are eligible for these refunds or exchanges, but there are efforts to get the program going in other countries like Britain where the DVDs were sold as well. If you are interested in obtaining an exchange, coupon or refund of your Baby Einstein DVD, fill out the form located on the Baby Einstein Web site. You can do this up to four times per household. And once you've got the DVDs out of the house, sit down with your little one, relax, and read a good book.
I am not sure how I feel about this, I do understand that the claims could not really be founded, but at the same time as a Mom who has many of these DVD’s and found them very useful in our overall learn, play and grow with our son it is sad to see the good from them overshadowed by the issues. It’s rather the baby with the bathwater all over again – these DVD’s did much good but we never would have used them as ‘baby sitters’ or singular tools in raising our son. Sheesh…this is common sense, or so I thought…
Oh and I forgot to add, I won’t be sending back any of my books or DVD’s because we found and still find HUGE value in them and are satisfied with the quality and content…
I believe that parents who don’t allow there children to watch TV or DVD’s at all, must have a nanny to help them raise there children. It’s easier to dictate when your not doing the job yourself. It is simply impossible to sit there all day with your child, unless you have a nanny, cleaning person or cook. It’s all about balance in your routine. Increments of a variety of educational tools can be used but DVD’s can be one of them. Too much of anything is no good, that is just common sense. I believe these videos were helpful in allowing my child to appreciate music and understand as he got older that it represents in part pretend play which he finds amusing. He also can repeat what they say, which as an adult it can be considered “film appreciatation” which eventually can be done in middle school or high school. So all in all it if your on top of what your child watches, for how long? and utilize it as an educational tool as it all depends then NO there is nothing wrong with these DVD’s. If you thought your child would become a GENIUS then perhaps you need to check out how you manage your life.
I can’t believe there is a lawsuit for something this silly. There should be a lawsuit to call out all of the ignorant parents that are incapable of common sense parenting. If a label isn’t on a toy most parents seem incapable of making the right decision on how to use the toy. We have a 5 month old and we love Baby Einstein and a number of other products that we have come to realize through reviews had lawsuits at one point or another due to parents not using good judgment.