What's best for baby?

For several years, videos for babies have been big sellers, especially popular among middle class parents who have set their eyes on the prize of a brilliant baby with an assured route to an Ivy League school in 18 years. Now the Disney Corporation that produces the Baby Einstein videos has announced it will give refunds to people who have purchased the video. As the N.Y. Times story announcing this move, tells us, this is a "tacit admission that they [the videos] did not increase infant intellect". Whether is policy will mean the end of videos or other electronic media for infants is not clear. After all, babies do seem to like the Baby Einstein and similar videos. Parents have become accustomed to using television as a distraction to soothe fretful infants, and the simple baby videos are less objectionable than much of broadcast television. The American Pediatric Association has recommended that children under two not be allowed to watch any TV, but most American children today do see a great deal of it. It's unlikely this will change in the near future. The one important step forward that Disney's choice makes is to acknowledge that it's unlikely videos of any type can change or influence a child's intelligence. For centuries parents have tried to figure out what will enhance their child's chances of becoming a genius. It seems we still have to look further--videos won't do it.