Toddlers and "Interactive TV" - Are Video-Based Toys Good for Your Child?

I recently had the pleasure of babysitting a friend’s one year old son. I say “pleasure” because it truly was blissful to spend the afternoon with that captivating child—a walking, talking bundle of curiosity whose exploration of the environment was continuous and purposeful. In the first few moments after Mom’s departure, the goal-directed pursuit of novelty began. First, he introduced himself to my little dog by grabbing old Riley’s tail and giving it a good tug. Next, the “man-on-a-mission” emptied my trash bin under the desk and “read” some nearby magazines, tearing out interesting articles he no doubt planned to peruse later. Then, he was on to the bathroom for the next objective, unrolling all the toilet paper from the roll. Now some of you might think there is very little pleasure to be found chasing a whirlwind like this, but I assure you, I laughed all afternoon, especially when I handed the fearless explorer back to his mother!

Although my own children are older, I well remember those days of late babyhood through the toddler years. You can’t take your eyes off them for a second-- everything is fair game to be climbed, mouthed, opened and dropped. This unending exploration of the environment is the essence of learning at this age; it’s all about movement, touching, reaching, seeing hearing, tasting, smelling, interacting with the physical environment. Knowing this fundamental truth about babies and toddlers, I struggle with the current trends toward “jumpstarting” development with videos or toys bent on making your child smarter. I admit to waxing nostalgic for blocks and stuffed animals, busyboxes and wooden pounding benches. I remember my oldest child spending great lengths of time as a one-year-old, simply emptying a box of little plastic shapes one by one, handing each to me and then waiting for my “thank-you” before reaching in to grab the next one. Then, we played the game in reverse, her first lesson in turn-taking. Yes, lessons for the Diaper Set happen all the time, so why be concerned with the latest crop of gizmos and gadgets meant to teach Baby her letters, numbers and first words? Maybe I’m just an old fuddy-duddy who needs to wake up to today’s fast-paced, technology-infused world where kids, a.k.a. “Digital Natives” take in all their new information via pixels and audio.

The latest craze in the toy aisles are “systems” that transform your heretofore passive TV into an interactive experience. These devices have been around for awhile, but have only recently been targeted at infants and toddlers. Typically, there’s a breadbox-size plastic base unit that plugs into your AV ports on your TV, or connects via wireless signal. Then, there’s a controller of some sort that the child is to manipulate in order to make things happen on the TV screen. The systems come with DVDs or cartridges filled with games, songs and interactive video designed to capture children’s attention and teach them cause and effect, colors, shapes, and more. So far, so good, right?