Baby's First TV Channel

Television networks are always vying for viewers, reports CBS News correspondent Mika Brzezinski. But what about a "younger demographic" — one that's still in diapers?

Now there's BabyFirstTV, a commercial-free, 24-hour channel geared toward babies 6 months to 3 years old. The channel made its debut Thursday.

"The fact of life is that babies are watching TV, says BabyFirstTV co-founder Sharon Rechter. She says for $9.99 a month, her network will offer everything from sign language training to color games, inspiring the bond between mother and child ... and TV.
Rechter says "co-viewing" makes watching a bonding experience. But the reality is, co-viewing is not what most moms have in mind. There's a reason, after all, television is called the electronic babysitter.

Michelle Sternhos, mom to baby Zachary, explains, "It's just a half-hour break, a place where I can put him for a half hour every day so I can get something done."

BabyFirstTV says it shouldn't be a break, but an opportunity to enhance one's parenting. "It's just like reading a book," Rechter says. "We are instructing the parents on how you ask the right questions."

Dr. Alan Hilfer, a pediatric psychologist at the Maimonides Medical Center, disagrees. "If parents need TV to encourage them to get together with their infants and toddlers, then we have something else we need to be talking about," he says. That's scary!"

Hilfer says what babies need most is human contact and interaction — and that you can't parent by remote control.