Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood2008

Robert Reiher:
What's the most important thing for a 0-2 year old? The single most important thing is the social dynamic - the bond that occurs, and the intimacy that occurs between mother and child. Forget the rest of it. That piece lays the bond of trust and the foundation for all higher learning later. That has to occur. So if you're sacrificing the trust, the bond, the attachment issues for the sake of having a Baby Einstein or computer or videos in the room, you're missing a huge understanding of child development. The space that is necessary to think is being jeopardized. You're immersed. You're outside yourself. You're taken out. When do you have quiet time and unstructured time? When is a child able to be a child and play?