Disney's Baby Einstein: A scam

[eliza61]

My kids were too old for this but I did pick one up as a baby shower gift.
Evidently Disney is offering full refunds because of false advertisement and a threaten lawsuit.

Whatever happened to simply reading to kids?

Of course it was too good to be true.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Disney is offering a refund to buyers of its ubiquitous “Baby Einstein” videos, which did not, as promised, turn babies into wunderkinds. Apparently, all those puppets, bright colors, and songs were what we had feared all along—a mind-numbing way to occupy infants.

This news has rocked the parenting world, which had embraced the videos as a miraculous child-rearing staple. Videos that make your kid smarter while you prepare dinner? Genius!


Or not. According to the article, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two years old stay away from watching screens. In the letter threatening Disney with a class-action lawsuit for "deceptive advertising," public health lawyers hired by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood cited a study which found a link between early television exposure and later problems with attention span.

For many parents, this was the most unsettling of "duh" moments, and a confirmation that nothing, when it comes to child-rearing, is as ever easy as we'd like to make it. So why were we so quick to seize on Baby Einstein videos as technological tutors?

Call it the perfect storm of parenting. Who doesn’t want to believe that there is a magical, wondrous, no-parental-guidance-required product that will turn their kids into Mensa members? The combination of our lack of time, our paranoia over our kids performance, and our faith in technology primed this generation of parents to accept the clever advertising around "Baby Einstein" as truth, just as parents before us have seized on corporal punishment, or the teachings of Dr. Spock.

Still, the idea that a caper this big could be pulled off (according to the Times, in “a 2003 study, a third of all American babies from 6 months to 2 years old had at least one 'Baby Einstein' video") is mind-boggling. Disney’s refund is about as close as we’re going to get to an actual admission that we were sold snake oil, and it casts a pall over the other "educational" toys out there

Here's the full link
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/the-great-baby-einstein-scam-531147/

 

[JUJU814]

I think this is positively ridiculous. Who has time for these lawsuits and stuff?

Good grief..it was a nifty name for a baby video. Any parent who buys a video thinking that is what is going to make their baby a genius, is sort of an idiot.

I'm so tired of reading stories about people suing for this and that. No one wants to take any personal responsibility.

Did anyone..ANYONE..on this board actually buy a Baby Einstein video in hopes that it was going to make your kid smart? I doubt it. I think I read on another thread, it seemed like a decent video to put on so you could get a quick shower.

I think the videos were kind of neat and that people will look for any excuse to USE a product and then try to get their $$ back.

I also think that article is a little obnoxious.

So, how's that for an opinion? LOL My husband and I were laughing over this the other night.

 

[bdiddy]

I also think the whole thing is ridiculous. Were they actually marketed as making your baby smarter? Or is it the name of them that was supposedly misleading?

If I was Disney I would have fought this and not did the refund. I belong to several different online boards discussing this and haven't heard one person that bought them because they thought it was going to turn their child into "Einstein"!

 

[bdiddy]

I just thought of something.....if it is about the name "Einstein" then what about Little Einsteins??

 

[princessmom29]

Why should it suprise anyone that these videos do not actually make kids smarter??? The drove me crazy when they came out because there were actually people out there who believed they were good for their infants!!

 

[wmharley]

didn't make my kids smarter, wasn't epecting them too, but I'll gladly take the $15.99 refund... printed my forms out already.

 

[smkiya]

didn't make my kids smarter, wasn't epecting them too, but I'll gladly take the $15.99 refund... printed my forms out already.

For sure!

 

[snubie]

I have a friend who swears that the Little Einsteins is really educational. She thinks her DD (age 4) is learning music from the show. This same parent thinks her DD can read because she knows the word on a stop sign is stop and she can recognize her own name. I just shake my head.

 

[princessmom29]

I have a friend who swears that the Little Einsteins is really educational. She thinks her DD (age 4) is learning music from the show. This same parent thinks her DD can read because she knows the word on a stop sign is stop and she can recognize her own name. I just shake my head.

My DD who just turned six recognizes the work of major artists like Van Gogh and Kandinski form the show. Her art teacher asked me where she had seen them, as she could tell her who the artist was without being told. She also knows many of the pieces they paly when she hears them. Not really learning music theory or anything, but certianly picking up and awareness of art and music at least.

 

[brergnat]

I have nothing but love for my Baby Einstein collection. They were INVALUABLE for a time in my life when I was trying to juggle an overly needy baby and an Autistic 2 year old. These DVD's were the FIRST thing my older son watched on t.v., right when he turned 2. I purchased them out of desperation for the fussy baby...but the 2 year old is who ended up being obsessed with them. In a good way. He was speech delayed (due to the Autism) and prior to owning these dvd's, he had about 5 words. Within a couple of months, his vocabulary had gone up to close to 250 words...most of which he picked up from watching the videos. He would NOT sit still and listen to me read books, ever (still won't at age 5, but now he reads them to ME! ) He would not play WITH me (part of his condition) as a baby. He always wanted to be alone in his room. But, these videos he paid attention to! He was soothed by the classical music and he loved, LOVED the puppets. He was so engrossed by these things that I was finally able to feed the baby without him standing in front of me CRYING hysterically. Among other things. The baby actually didn't really get interested in them until around age 2 as well. I think the value of these things for BABIES is questionable, but they are fabulous for toddlers! Much better than what you find on t.v.

At ages 3 and 5, my boys STILL watch at least one Baby Einstein DVD every day. They love them! My younger one has a MAJOR speech delay, and the dvd's are like flash cards for him. Visually engaging, and a good way to teach him new words, along with signs, and a visual image of the word. And it has worked for him, along with the therapy he receives.

I think these DVD's are a very useful tool for SOME types of kids.

Do I think they actually make kids SMARTER? Absolutely not. But, in my case, they "opened up" my child's world a bit more; provided a type of entertainment that also helped him realize his potential, and got him EXCITED about learning new words and concepts.

I think this lawsuit is ridiculous as well. I mean, perhaps the company should not have made any claims at all. I always considered them as ENTERTAINMENT, not education. ANYTHING that you stick into a VCR or DVD player should be considered entertainment, and nothing more, unless it is an instructional video of some sort.

 

[Emma's Dad]

I think this is positively ridiculous. Who has time for these lawsuits and stuff?

Good grief..it was a nifty name for a baby video. Any parent who buys a video thinking that is what is going to make their baby a genius, is sort of an idiot.

I'm so tired of reading stories about people suing for this and that. No one wants to take any personal responsibility.

Did anyone..ANYONE..on this board actually buy a Baby Einstein video in hopes that it was going to make your kid smart? I doubt it. I think I read on another thread, it seemed like a decent video to put on so you could get a quick shower.

I think the videos were kind of neat and that people will look for any excuse to USE a product and then try to get their $$ back.

I also think that article is a little obnoxious.

So, how's that for an opinion? LOL My husband and I were laughing over this the other night.

I was going to give my input after reading the OP... but this reply says it all. I'm also tired of slanted writings such as these.

 

[wmharley]

i will add. they provided 30 minutes of relief to the wife as she plopped our DD in front while she cooked or did something.

 

[Keri]

Wow, sarcastic, slanted piece much??

I didn't buy Baby E because I thought they would make my kid SMART. I bought (more of) them (after receiving one as a gift) because they were like CRACK for my fussy baby. He'd kick, coo & giggle his way through 20 minutes of tv & I could shower, or make dinner, or clean the kitchen or just breathe. Some of them are "educational" -- learning about seasons, animals, sign language, art/colors. But certainly that was just bonus for me. I read to my kids a ton. Both of my older kids were reading (and I mean READING, not "stop" and their names, but full books) at 4 years old. Do I think that's because of Julie Clarke? No. (it was because of Leap Frog ) But really? To sue over this? WhatEVER people. I just think it's absurd.

Baby Crack gave me a lot of sanity these past 6.5 years. I'm not about to take money from Disney because some parents got it in their head their kid would be brilliant after watching TELEVISION.

 

[JUJU814]

i will add. they provided 30 minutes of relief to the wife as she plopped our DD in front while she cooked or did something.

Right!!! Yes! AND it is something of some quality rather than a totally mindless TV show, right?

There are millions of adults who can't hear a piece of classical music and recognize the composer, or who can't recognize any art masterpieces. I think the fact that some kids can as a result of the show, is fantastic.


This threatening of a lawsuit reminds me of some other really stupid things we've heard. There was a case a few years ago where this woman put pop tarts in a Black & Decker toaster oven and left the house...(not sure what for, but she left the house) and there was a fire. Catch this..she SUED Black & Decker because they didn't have it written on their packaging not to leave the house unattended while using the toaster oven. DUH!!!!!!!!!!! It's reasons like that that you have a Graco Pack n Play with the tag that says "do not close up with children inside" and other stupid stuff. LOL

Ah well...I for one will not try to get my money back. I don't think it's right for people to jump on the bandwagon to get their money back just because they can when they used and enjoyed what they paid for.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I completely agree with most of you! We had one. Someone gave it to my 2 year old when my DD was born. He enjoyed it, and it helped when I had a cranky baby that needed my attention. There is NO WAY I thought it was helping him. I don't even like t.v. for toddlers, but sometimes moms need a little help.

I can't believe the waste of time by the lawyers for this! I also am sure Disney will now raise prices somewhere else to make up for this.

Yes, I am annoyed!

 

[bdiddy]

I have a friend who swears that the Little Einsteins is really educational. She thinks her DD (age 4) is learning music from the show. This same parent thinks her DD can read because she knows the word on a stop sign is stop and she can recognize her own name. I just shake my head.

You know what, my DD knew the name of all 9 planets at the age of 2 just from Little Einsteins. I, of course could teach her this myself but who is thinking about teaching the planets at that age? I was more worried about letters, numbers and colors but the show was for entertainment and great if they got something out of it. Like the other PP said, my DD is 5 now and she'll hear a piece of classical music or see a piece of art and know what it is called and she learned that from Little Einsteins - not me!

 

[pyrxtc]

Everyone needs to read this !!

Baby Einstein set the record straight on refund

For the past several years, Baby Einstein has been under attack by propaganda groups taking extreme positions that try to dictate what parents should do, say and buy. Our philosophy has always been to focus on creating products that parents and babies love, and to not get sidetracked and pulled down into their street fight.

Unfortunately, with Susan Linn’s latest stunt, we cannot be silent any longer. Linn’s obvious dislike for Baby Einstein has now turned into a sensational, headline-grabbing publicity campaign that seeks to twist and spin a simple, customer satisfaction action into a false admission of guilt. This is clearly not the case.

Linn’s moves are carefully crafted to prey on parental guilt and uncertainty. This time, she began by asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to go after Baby Einstein because, she said, we claimed that Baby Einstein was educational. But we do not make any such claim – and the FTC brought no action.

Not content to rely on the judgment of the federal government, her attacks continued and escalated despite the fact that her assertions have no merit.

That’s where we are today. However, we took a very different approach. We strongly believe that, unlike Linn, our consumers find value in our product, and rather than continue to fight with her, we decided it to leave it up to those consumers. That is why we extended a refund policy that was already in place. Although she would like to claim otherwise, there is nothing extraordinary about a company’s willingness to stand behind its product. To the contrary, it is the strongest possible show of confidence in it.

Baby Einstein announced this offer in a press release issued on September 4, 2009, which was largely ignored by the media. Linn’s latest public relations blitz simply distorts the facts and misleads the public. In the end, this smear campaign has everything to do with Linn trying to generate ink and funding for her cause, and not about the value that consumers find in our product.

Thank you for letting us set the record straight.

Sincerely,

Susan McLain
General Manager, The Baby Einstein Company

 

[eliza61]

34096610]I also think the whole thing is ridiculous. Were they actually marketed as making your baby smarter?[/B] Or is it the name of them that was supposedly misleading?

If I was Disney I would have fought this and not did the refund. I belong to several different online boards discussing this and haven't heard one person that bought them because they thought it was going to turn their child into "Einstein"!

I think they were marketing it this way. I'm not positive though. I do see an informercial on the weekends touting some system that supposedly will make your baby read by 15 months or some such nonsense.

We are waayy too sue happy. so it doesn't surprise me some one wants to sue because little jimmy or jane didn't split an atom by the time they were 4.

 

[wmharley]

Susan Linn looks like she never had a kid in her life.

 

[JUJU814]

Susan Linn looks like she never had a kid in her life.

I thought the same thing!