
Studies indicate that exposure to DVD's, even educational DVDs, should be limited in children under 24 months of age. During these early months, parents and caregivers are baby's first (and best) teachers. DVD's for babies generally feature little dialogue, short scenes and disconnected images. Despite their marketing claims, overexposure to this type of media may actually decrease vocabulary skills in very young children, so they should be used in moderation.
On the other hand, educational programs designed for kids 2 and older are crafted and tested to meet their developmental needs. They are often colorful, upbeat and contain entertaining lessons in number and letter recognition, music, rhythm and movement, language development and knowledge of the world around us.