“I want a hamburger” becomes “I want a Happy Meal.” “Can I get a new doll?” becomes “I need the Twilight Barbie.” Don’t look now, but preschoolers know their labels. Even 3-year-olds recognize kid-brand logos and products, according to recent research. Can materialism be far behind? “Preschool-age children process and retain information they get through advertising,” says lead study researcher Anna McAlister, PhD, a lecturer in consumer science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “This level of brand recognition can make them materialistic, or at least very focused on getting what they want.” In addition, little kids may overextend the meaning of a brand and make gross judgments. “We found that kids choose playmates based on the brand of food they eat,” explains Dr. McAlister. They may associate a child’s having a certain toy or eating a certain snack with how fun or popular he is. Brand recognition does help kids explain what toy or food they’d like, but their desire may be shaped by targeted advertising rather than their true feeling. Dr. McAlister adds, “Parents can fend off budding materialism by limiting and monitoring the ads their children see.” Explain what advertisers try to do and why: sell products to make money. Your brand-conscious kid can then become a consumer-savvy one.

Raise a Brand-smart Child Set guidelines. Talk about which brands you approve of, like nutritious restaurant chains. Then allow him to help decide where to eat based on these choices.

Promote variety. Avoid buying only one or two toy brands so you can focus on the value of alternatives.

Tame TV ads. Limit exposure to targeted advertising by regulating screen time and viewing commercial-free DVDs