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 While
videos for babies were unthinkable not too long ago, all that has
changed. A flood of baby videos has entered the scene, and
"baby videos" are now very much a reality.
When used sparingly and with care,
these developmental videos can actually be quite useful for both
entertaining and educating young children. Caregivers are always
encouraged to stick around and react along with their young
children while they enjoy the stimulating sights and sounds.
 Some of our favorite baby/toddler
videos come from the Baby Einstein series. Each video in
the series features mostly classical music excerpts, parades of
toys and fascinating objects (such as carousels and lava lamps),
and live-action scenes. Humor and
surprises are sprinkled throughout. The variety in presentation of
early learning concepts in these videos is impressive. Another bonus is the support the
videos get from the books and toys (based on the videos).
While the whole Baby Einstein
line is worthwhile, a few stand out for us:
Baby Shakespeare, for
example, features poems and rhymes and a myriad of other early
learning concepts. Some lovely live-action nature vignettes
play from time to time, and words occasionally appear onscreen.
Baby Van Gogh introduces
children to the wonderful world of color and art. This video is
our favorite of the series. It features Van Gogh's artwork,
humorous hand puppet sequences, and the series' trademark
collection of stimulating toys in action.
Baby Dolittle: Neighborhood
Animals features familiar animals and their antics—a
sure-fire baby pleaser!
[Buy Baby Van Gogh
, Baby Shakespeare
, Baby Dolittle - Neighborhood Animals
at Amazon.com]
A word about
the Baby Einstein series: The Baby
Einstein series features a familiar format, although
some videos are invariably going to appeal more to little
viewers than others. Some followers of the series prefer the
original videos, before Disney came along and backed the
whole project. In some ways, the original titles seem a
little more sincere. The production quality has improved,
although little ones are not as discriminating as adults in
this respect, and don't seem to mind either way. We find
both "stages" of the series engaging in different
ways. Some specific videos in the series are more engaging
to individual children, simply because they are more attuned
to the featured content. As such, parents will need to
experiment a little in order to determine which ones capture
their child's interest. Renting a few of the titles may be a
good idea before committing to buy.
We have our
own preferences, and both Baby Van Gogh
and Baby Shakespeare
are our
personal favorites. We found a virtually unanimous positive
response to these videos by our young testers. We find that
there were more funny surprises (such as peek-a-boos and
silly antics) in the earlier editions in the series (with
the exception of the very first title, now called Language
Nursery). However, every child is different and responds
uniquely to the various titles in the series.
The So Smart! series is
another good choice for tots. These videos are very creative in
their presentation of early learning concepts. While better suited
for patient children, these videos are artistic, original, and
very relaxing. All are set to soothing soundtracks of carefully
selected classical music.
 So
Smart! Volume 3: All About Letters is our favorite. It
presents each letter of the alphabet along with objects or verbs
that begin with that letter sound in creative and stimulating
ways. Parents will need to be on hand to name the letters, while
the video provides classical music as the audio backdrop.
So Smart! Volume 1:
Stimulating Sights and Sounds builds on the fact that young
babies are especially attracted to black and white images and
designs. It presents truly engaging visuals of these designs in
animated sequences that young children will love. As the video
progresses, the designs become more complex.
So Smart! Volume 2: All About
Shapes presents basic shapes (circles, triangles, squares,
etc.) that animate in fun ways. With this intriguing video, kids
easily see how shapes are found in abundance in the world—in
cars, houses, etc. [Buy So
Smart - Triplets at Amazon.com]
Other Notable Videos for the
Very Young
 A
notable series that introduces foreign languages to the very young
is the Bilingual Baby series (see our full
review). Each volume is well-organized and flows logically,
introducing common words and then phrases along with live-action
sequences that demonstrate the new vocabulary. The series is well
done, though it is quite low-key -- not all babies and toddlers
will have the patience to watch the whole video. Those that do, however, will learn quite a
bit. Volumes for a number of languages, including French, Spanish,
Italian, Portuguese, and more, are now available. [Buy
Bilingual
Baby, Spanish or Bilingual
Baby, FRENCH, Vol 1 at Amazon.com]
 The Baby Songs
series will grow with your child all the way to Kindergarten!
The latest Baby Songs title, Baby Songs: Silly Songs, is
especially fun. Children love this series! The basic format
features live-action music videos strung together with short animated clips that
introduce each new song. Hap Palmer's songs are featured -- they
are wholesome and
gentle, but always manage to get kids actively involved. [Buy Baby Songs DVDs or Baby Songs Videos at Amazon.com]
Baby's First Impressions
series is "impressive" for its focus — each video is
entirely dedicated to a particular learning concept. Whether it's
numbers, letters, shapes, or opposites, each of its many volumes
aims to teach and entertain at once. [Buy Baby's First Impressions Videos or Baby's First Impressions DVDs at Amazon.com]
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