Putting aside the obvious—that if we teach children, they will get smarter, then overthrow us—I am still scratching my head over the “BabyPlus,” a strap-on pouch for mothers-to-be that purports to condition babies for greatness before they are even born. From the BabyPlus “What is it?” page:
BabyPlus is a series of 16 scientifically designed sounds that resemble a mother’s heartbeat. The rhythm of the sounds increases incrementally as the pregnancy progresses. The BabyPlus sonic pattern introduces your child to a sequential learning process, built upon the natural rhythms of their own environment. … Your baby can very clearly hear these patterns. She/he learns to discriminate between the sound coming from the mother and those from BabyPlus. In other words, learning has begun. Your baby accelerates the rate at which he or she compares and contrasts information.
According to the same page, BabyPlus is—reassuringly—”not a toy.”
BabyPlus doesn’t just claim to make smarter babies. Children subjected to the rhythmic electronic chatter of the BabyPlus while otherwise floating peacefully in a salty womb will also “more readily nurse.” Maybe there is something to the pacificer chawing of electronic music fans after all!
But at least they’ve got some white papers on the subject of prenatal learning on the site, right? Too bad all three referenced are written by Dr. Brent Logan, who also works for—or at least is listed as resident expert for—BabyPlus.
I mean, maybe. It’s not a stretch to suppose kids learn in the womb. But is a $150 dollar clatter-strap really better than, say, music or words from a book?
Product Page [BabyPlus]
Wait. Wouldn’t this just create a more confused child?
Also news to nobody, hungry babies will nurse, like it or not. Insert nipple into baby’s mouth, and they start sucking away. I don’t believe for one second that a fanny pack with speakers in it will make them more inclined to do so. I’ll take my chances with millions of years of evolution, thanks.
Maybe the Amazon combo deal will offer one of these with a cell booster antenna.