Step into any baby store and you’ll see that a generation of microchip-based toys is beeping, jingling, vibrating, flashing, and wailing its way into the nursery. Stimulating, tech-driven kid products aren’t new, of course. What’s newsworthy is the range of such offerings for babies--from an infant-size “interactive play center” that entertains with microchip-powered songs, sounds, and flashing lights to stuffed animals that sing and vibrate when you press their paws.

High-tech baby products can stimulate and entertain the older diaper crowd, but the chips inside aren’t likely to add value for very young children. As for those electronic toys that claim to stimulate infant development or creativity, researchers say there’s no credible supporting evidence regarding their long-term 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 emeritus of psychology at Harvard University. “But you wouldn’t want to make profound predictions,” such as, ‘If my baby plays with electronic toys, he’ll be smarter.’”

Says Kagan, the typical American household already provides enough sensory stimulation to make such toys unnecessary. “We should view the toys like an ice-cream cone,” he says. “It’s a brief source of pleasure that vanishes quickly.”

Children will get far more meaningful stimulation from the sounds of the people, animals, and objects around them, notes Jane M. Healy, an educational psychologist in Vail, Colo., and author of “Your Child’s Growing Mind.” There’s also a need for quiet time, when the brain consolidates what it has learned. “If there’s nothing that’s entertaining, it gives the brain time and space to learn to manage itself,” Healy says.