There are signs at this age to tell if the child is gifted and maybe it is for the HG+ kids that it is noticeable. Humor and empathy are the two that come to mind.
As far as what the mother is doing, would it be considered hot housing? Educational toys are so popular and marketed so well. The funny thing is the ones that started it: Baby Einstein, has come out recently with full refunds because they marketed their product as a tool to make babies smarter and it isn't true which has led to lawsuits. But what you describe clearly makes you feel uncomfortable and it could very well just be different parenting styles OR it is a gut reaction to spotting hot-housing and I know someone posted the joke about evening out but there is truth to it in that those kids that were pushed tend to even out. The sad thing is some gifted kids will too because they aren't stimulated, but that is another topic for sure.
