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Nursery as Disco.(Trends)(electronic toys, strollers and other gear for infants)
A new generation of microchip-based toys and products is beeping, jingling, riffing, vibrating, flashing, and wailing its way into the nursery. Stimulating, tech-driven kid products are not new, of course. What is noteworthy is the range of such offerings for babies--from a stroller with stereo speakers to an infant-sized "interactive play center" that entertains with microchip-powered songs, sounds, and flashing lights. Whatever happened to "quiet time"?
The diaper crowd is in fact a new focus for toy makers, who have lost ground among older children to computer games, movies, fashion, and music CDs, says Diane Cardinale, a spokesperson for the Toy Industry Association. "Microchips have become very inexpensive in the last five years, so toy makers can easily incorporate them into products for younger children," she notes.
We browsed toy-store shelves and the Internet for a random look at high-tech baby products. All can stimulate and perhaps entertain, but the chips inside aren't likely to add value for very little ones. As for those high-tech toys that claim to stimulate infant development or creativity, researchers say there's no credible supporting evidence regarding their longterm effects. "If it's a new toy, then for an hour or so they're a little more alert and involved," says Jerome Kagan, a research professor of psychology at Harvard who focuses on child psychology. "But you wouldn't want to make profound predictions."
GEARING UP
Here is some of what we found when we went shopping:
It rocks! Ubiquitous music starts young with Combi's Travel Savvy 2120 stroller, $75, which comes with miniature, ear-level stereo speakers that attach to a CD-player you supply. Combi offers the side-by-side Twin Savvy 7030, $330, with stereo speakers for two.
It vibrates! Remember Magic Fingers, those vibrating motel mattresses from the '60s and '70s? Kolcraft's Ultra Light Vibes Rocking Bassinet, $105, gently vibrates "to soothe and calm" baby. You can even record your ...
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