My definition of hothousing would be:

- When the child is spending so much time on academic enrichment that it's crowding out play.

- When the child is given no choice to spend time on academic enrichment by a parent or guardian.

When both of those conditions are met, it's hothousing, because there's nothing wrong with compelling your child to work in short bursts, and there's nothing wrong with occasionally losing out on play time. It's when they're both part of the daily pattern that it's a problem.

And when you have a toddler with a passion for books, reading aloud to them IS play.