British researchers conducted a longitudinal study on stimulating baby toys and found they aren't all that after all. Apparently, educational toys and stimulating activity centers are nothing more than placeholders for parents. No replacement, just stall tactics. Turns out there's nothing like talking and playing directly with your young children to predict future intellectual, verbal, and emotional development.
The study also found that mothers with high education and income levels tended to interact more with their children (no word, as per usual, on the impact of fathers in this case).
Parental interactions with children, especially in cases where the parents have limited education and/or serious literacy issue are especially crucial. In other news, I guess it's time to put away the light up jumpy edutainment saucer I've used while I do dishes this past year. Sigh.
