We are so excited to be a part of this blog tour by Baby Einstein. Ever since my first son was an infant, we have been a Baby Einstein household and that has not changed with the addition of our littlest one. Now, the makers of Baby Einstein are stressing the importance of interacting with your children whenever you allow them to watch television instead of just plopping them down in front of the boob-tube and going about your business. I love this idea, because honestly it is what we have always done. My children do not watch tv without me right in the room with them, no matter what it is.
Baby Einstein sent us the Baby’s First Moves DVD to try out some of their tips on good ways to interact with your baby during tv-time. We loved this dvd because it is specifically designed to get you moving, clapping and dancing with your baby. It literally turns television watching from a passive activity to an energetic, interactive experience. And in typical Baby Einstein fashion, it plays in multiple languages. I have always used Baby Einstein videos as learning opportunities for my kids. I will ask them to identify the shape, color or object that they see on the screen. We will talk about which composer is playing and the name of the song (when I actually know it, lol!). I get all excited about a particularly colorful or complicated image, and hope that they will share my enthusiasm too. I encourage the kiddos to talk to me about what we are viewing the entire time. As a result, I never feel guilty about any of the screen time my children get. Because I know that it is enriching for them and enjoyable for us all.
I feel very strongly about taking an active role in anything you allow your very young children to participate in; and I love that a major player like Baby Einstein is acknowledging that and encouraging all parents to do the same. Check out their website and some of their newer videos to see just how they are promoting this style of tv-watching with your wee one. And have fun! After all, that is what it’s all about.
