Tamar Lewin:

Parent alert: the Walt Disney Company is now offering refunds for all those "Baby Einstein" videos that did not make children into geniuses.

The company will refund $15.99 for up to four "Baby Einstein" DVDs per household, bought between June 5, 2004, and Sept. 5, 2009, and returned to the company.

Christopher J. Ferguson:

Many people like to think that any child, with the proper nurturance, can blossom into some kind of academic oak tree, tall and proud. It's just not so.

Matt Kaplan, in 2007:

Rather than helping youngsters, such products may actually hurt their vocabularies.

Frederick Zimmerman, in 2007:

It's like empty calories for the mind.

Caleb Crain, in 2007:

In August, scientists at the University of Washington revealed that babies aged between eight and sixteen months know on average six to eight fewer words for every hour of baby DVDs and videos they watch daily.

From last year's best-of:

Never has one generation spent so much of its children's wealth in such a short period of time with so little to show for it.

Andrew Lahde:

All of this behavior ... only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America.