What is the recommended age to begin using educational dvds for babies?
Question:
I have a 5 week old daughter and wanted to know at what age is it good to start with early development DVDs like Little Pim or Baby Einstein? I do not think they can see the video at this age, or maybe it is not recommended. Is it ok to play it in the background so that she can listen to the music or the words in other languages, especially the ones I do not speak?
When i put the TV on I have seen her trying to turn her head to where the voice or the images came from, but I am afraid to have my baby addicted to the screen. Is it harmful for her?
Answer:
Many educational dvds are recommended for babies 3 months and up. You are right in being concerned if your 5 week old can see the television. It takes about 3 months for babies' visual tracking to develop. This is the ability for your baby to follow objects with their eyes from the right to left. The visual pathway is not fully developed at birth. This allows babies to see mostly shadows and outlines depending on how close they are to an object. Although some parents may introduce videos before 3 months old, this is considered to be the earliest time in which they will be effective.
Studies show that there is explosive brain growth and development occurring in the first 6 years of life. This growth and development is the most rapid in the first year. In order for children to properly develop essential language skills, it is crucial that parents expose them to as much spoken language as possible. If parents add written language to their baby's environment at this time, babies will easily and effortlessly develop the foundation necessary for early literacy. When babies learn to read in the first 4 years of life it is fun for them. They think it is a game. When children learn to read at 5 or 6 years old, it is work. Learning to read for 5 year olds requires effort. Most children struggle, at least in the beginning with blending sounds and hearing the sounds they just blended and then being able to recognize them as words. This affects the child's level of comprehension while reading.
When babies are taught to read, they read whole words. There is no lack of comprehension as to what they are reading. They say the words just exactly as they always hear them This really allows young readers to advance in their reading levels.
You can begin introducing reading, foreign language, sign language, music etc... through the use of quality educational dvds once your baby is 3 months old. Content certainly matters as well as the amount of time your baby views television per day. Many of these types of dvds are about 30 minutes long and should be watched no more than 2 times per day. Television has proven to capture attention. This is true for people of all ages including babies. This is why your baby is trying to determine the source for the sounds and images it is generating. This can be a wonderful tool for parents who use it wisely.
Allowing your baby to hear language being spoken is crucial to her development and ability to speak and express herself. This can be accomplished through your conversations with her, reading to her, playing foreign language cds or dvds as well as playing music with lyrics. The most comprehensive study done to date determined that the more language a baby heard during the first years in life, the more advanced their vocabulary and ability to succeed in school in later years. The children exposed to less language during these formative years did not catch up. If that does not motivate parents to read and speak to their babies, nothing will.
Some of the best early learning DVDs are Your Baby Can Read, MonkiSee, Little Pim, Whistefritz, Signing Time, Sparkabilities and Brainy Baby. If you have a favorite that isn't mentioned here, be sure to share it with us.
Posted by Krista G. at 3/31/2011 7:27 PM 
Categories: Educational Videos
Tags: little pim your baby can read monkisee signing time brainy baby whistlefritz sparkabilities recommen
Categories: Educational Videos
Tags: little pim your baby can read monkisee signing time brainy baby whistlefritz sparkabilities recommen
I believe thisadvice is very helpful for many parents
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