Walt Disney Company is offering a refund for their “Baby Einstein” videos. 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.
“We see it as an acknowledgment by the leading baby video company that baby videos are not educational, and we hope other baby media companies will follow suit by offering refunds,” said Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which has been pushing the issue for years.
The videos — simple productions featuring music, puppets, bright colors, and not many words — became a staple of baby life: According to a 2003 study, a third of all American babies from 6 months to 2 years old had at least one “Baby Einstein” video.
Despite their ubiquity, and the fact that many babies are transfixed by the videos, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time at all for children under 2.
Last year, lawyers threatened a class-action lawsuit for unfair and deceptive practices unless Disney agreed to refund the full purchase price to all who bought the videos since 2004. “The Walt Disney Company’s entire Baby Einstein marketing regime is based on express and implied claims that their videos are educational and beneficial for early childhood development,” a letter from the lawyers said, calling those claims “false because research shows that television viewing is potentially harmful for very young children.”
The letter cited estimates from The Washington Post and Business Week that Baby Einstein controlled 90 percent of the baby media market, and sold $200 million worth of products annually.
In response, the Baby Einstein company will refund $15.99 for up to four “Baby Einstein” DVDs per household, bought between June 5, 2004, and Sept. 5, 2009, and returned to the company.
All rules for partipation guidelines can be found at: http://babyeinstein.com/parentsguide/satisfaction/upgrade_us.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html
Tags: baby einstein, disney, refund
Comments
Dear; Disney,
Understanding the disappointment with parents who have decided to use Baby Einstein as a resorce baby sitter, instead of a learn product, such as it is. The recall, just because a study say that infant children should not be viewing television until they are two years old. How about the programs of Seseam Street, Barny, and other television learning show who have for years created sucessful learning styles. My children who are now adults have grown up with Seseam Street’s learn style,along with my parental supervision of reinforcement of the seseam Stteet learning programs. My daughter has purchased the Baby Einstein program, for her daughter, and she enjoys the program, we use it as an actual learning tool with our supervision. The program is not design to just leave your infant child sitting in from of the television without any reinforcement by a parent or guardian. I have three other grandchildren whom I have use this Baby Einstein learning video with and they enjoyed it and with my assistance and their parents input they are the smarter because of the learning program along with Dinsey Books, which I am a club member of. Dinsey products for learning has always been the way in which I have taught my children to read beside the Bible, and it has not disappointed myself or my children. As for those parents who felt a sense of being let down by the use of the video, perhaps you were not studing with your infant child while they were viewing the baby Einstein, We as parents should not expect any one that advertise to create genius of our children unless we are willing to work hard with our children along side the learning tool program. My children at their infant stages throughout six years of age were able to speak early by a varity of combination of study.
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