In general, babies should not be viewing TV or baby videos; however, there are times when certain programs are appropriate. If one looks at the variety of TV or video options for adults it is easy to see that there are programs that are educational and beneficial to watch, but most of the options are entertainment-based programs or videos with little or no educational benefit. If a parent looks at the wide variety of TV and DVD options for their babies, it is easy to see that most of the programs are passive, entertainment-based DVDs designed to occupy the baby in a fun way while parents are busy. I have been an infant researcher or educator for more than fifteen years and I would not show those types of DVDs or TV shows to babies and toddlers. In fact, I originally made my first baby video because I did not want my baby to watch any of the TV shows or videos available.

That said, baby or toddler DVDs can be helpful if all of the following conditions exist:

1) The DVD should be interactive, not passive.

2) The DVD should be multi-sensory. This means what babies see and hear on-screen must go together logically. In addition, babies and toddlers should be encouraged to say the words they hear, and do the physical actions they see. This multi-sensory approach is very important because many of the baby’s new brain connections go from the visual cortex to the auditory cortex. If what the baby would see and hear do not match, then parents should avoid showing that program to their baby. Many DVDs show visual images (related or random), while playing music or other sounds that do not go with those images. This means that new synapses will not join logically. (In those cases simply listen to the music without showing it on TV, if you want your child to hear those songs.)

3) The DVDs should actually teach children something of lasting value. Many baby videos have little content of any value, besides entertaining the baby while the parent is busy.

4) The DVDs should be designed to teach babies language skills in addition to teaching other topics. For instance, the DVD could teach babies about shapes, but at the same time there should be words spoken that describe the shapes. This will help the baby learn language skills. As mentioned repeatedly in this guide, research indicates that the “natural window” for language development is 3 months to 4 years. Certain popular baby DVDs have very little spoken or written language. If you are showing your baby a DVD that doesn’t use language, then you shouldn’t expect your baby to learn any language skills while watching the DVD. Believe it or not, one of the most popular series of baby DVDs uses very few spoken words. Some have zero spoken words, so the babies will learn zero language skills from watching those DVDs.

5) Watching the DVDs should be a better option than the others available for the parents. If a parent is caring for a baby alone, there are times when letting the baby watch an interactive, multi-sensory DVD that is teaching an important concept is much better than leaving the baby to sit alone while the parent is on the phone or computer, cooking, or otherwise not interacting with the baby.

If used properly with the right content, one can successfully use television as a learning tool. Our program works better if the child rarely watches any other TV. While most programs and videos likely have little or no educational value, the TV itself can actually be a tool for multi-sensory, interactive learning. I will address the controversy surrounding this topic next week.